The southern Gaisberg massif
There are lots of places in the countryside around Heidelberg that are great places to learn about nature, for young and old alike. Examples include the ‘Pferchel’ forest experience zone, the ‘Via Naturae’ and the Southern Gaisberg massif.
To the west of the Königstuhl hill is the landform known as the ‘Gaisberg massif’ (Gaisbergscholle). On the southern part of the massif, which is divided into sections by a number of gullies leading down into the Rhine Plain, visitors can see evidence of an extraordinary wide range of natural and manmade processes.
Look for the clues in the landscape…
… and uncover all kinds of natural wonders. Visitors to the ‘Southern Gaisberg Massif educational landscape’ will discover fascinating answers to questions such as: How and why did Man leave his mark on the landscape? What can we learn from placenames? How has the landscape changed since it was populated by Man? And many more.
Any process changing a landscape always involves a complex interplay of different environmental factors. The ‘educational landscape’ aims to convey this fact, in a way that is easy to understand for lay people (whether day-trippers or passing hikers). There are also plans to link up the topics raised by the massif with topics covered in the school curriculum, and give teachers material to use in their lessons.
A network of geopoints
The southern Gaisberg massif is such a hugely diverse landscape that each topic has been broken down into a series of modules, to make the amount of material more manageable. Each of the sites in the area focuses on a particular group of topics, to help visitors understand the material better, and make connections between the individual topics.
You can find details of the topics covered here
Gradual introduction of new elements
The first project aimed at bringing the ‘southern Gaisberg massif educational landscape’ to life for visitors was the creation of the ‘Wine & Culture’ themed hiking trail, which was built by the Rohrbach fruit, gardening and winegrowing club on the initiative of Dr. Erich Dickler.
A brochure about the educational landscape is currently being prepared to highlight the special features of the area, help visitors understand the interplay of factors at work there, and give people tips for making the most of their visit.
The brochure is being prepared by Dr. H. Eichler (‘Akademischer Direktor’, geopark expert and geographer), who devised the ‘southern Gaisberg massif educational landscape’ project. It is being published jointly by the Bergstraße-Odenwald Geo Nature Park and the City of Heidelberg.