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Mountain bike paradise is growing: 400 km of trails for Waldeck-Frankenberg!
Waldeck-Frankenberg is developing Europe's largest mountain bike trail network with 400 km of routes by 2028 and is causing controversy over nature conservation.
Mountain bike paradise is growing: 400 km of trails for Waldeck-Frankenberg!
There is a lot going on in the area of mountain biking in Waldeck-Frankenberg. The largest mountain bike trail project in Europe, which has been underway in the region for around two years, is steadily taking shape. By 2028, an impressive network of routes totaling 400 kilometers will be created for mountain bikers, with half of the trails being laid out as so-called single trails. The remaining routes will function as connections between existing routes, it is reported hessenschau.de.
Four sections with a total length of around 50 kilometers have already been completed - including the Goldrunde, Paradies, Dommel Loop and Reierbach Trail. The best part? The trails can be used all year round and free of charge for all mountain bike enthusiasts. District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst emphasizes that the Green Trails are intended to significantly promote cycling tourism in the district and that the district is contributing 300,000 euros annually to the project. The financing comes from a levy from the 14 municipalities involved.
Challenges and criticism
But not everything is reflected in enthusiasm. The nature conservation association NABU and local hunters express clear concerns about the project's environmental impact. They fear significant disruption to wildlife, especially during the breeding season. Among other things, the habitats of wild cats, black storks and birds of prey are affected by the planned trails hna.de reported.
In addition, NABU district chairman Heinz-Günther Schneider and other associations are calling for nature reserves to be excluded from route planning and for the routes to be reconsidered. Nearly half of the county's 22 cities and towns have also not yet agreed to participate in the Border Trail Project, which calls for a combination of 200 kilometers of new trails and 200 kilometers of existing paths.
Sustainability in focus
In the midst of these controversies, the ZIV – The Bicycle Industry Association has joined forces with partners such as the German Initiative Mountainbike e.V. and the Mountain Bike Forum Germany e.V. to form the Bike Nature Movement (BNM) initiative. This initiative aims to create a strong voice for mountain biking and give greater visibility to cycling in the forest and nature. How ziv-zweirad.de explains, it is important to involve all stakeholders in the planning and implementation of mountain bike projects.
The discussions surrounding the mountain bike project in Waldeck-Frankenberg are in full swing. The initiators hope for an agreement to offer tourists and locals alike a place for sporting activities in nature without endangering the natural environment. It remains to be seen whether it will be possible to meet both the needs of mountain bikers and the requirements of nature conservation.