EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - UNESCO World Heritage

Treetop Trail
Opened in 2005, the treetop trail has a
length of approx. 300 m, a maximum
height of 24 m, and a tower rising to 44 m.
Its purpose is to familiarise visitors with
the habitat that is the treetops from a
unique perspective. Its operation is based
on a concept of environmental education
that has been implemented by means
of information facilities and expert staff .
Th e beauty and elegance of the beech
forests are presented here. Exceedingly
high demand and outstanding acceptance
of the facility led to the treetop trail
being extended to a length of more than
500 m in May 2009.
Apart from the small refuge of four square
metres, the area does not feature any other
buildings and structures.
While the buff er zone has more hiking trails
with an overall length of about 100 km,
there are no information outlets or other
buildings and structures. Information panels
have been erected on all hiking car-parks
around the national park to provide visitors
with information. Th e national park centre
at the Th iemsburg (outside of the buff er
zone but still within the national park’s
premises) is the central point of reference
accommodating the major exhibition
“Discover the Hainich’s Secrets”, which also
furnishes information on the nominated
World Natural Heritage Beech Forests.
Th e national park centre’s primary point of
attraction is the treetop trail which was
opened in 2005 and drew about 1 million
visitors until the end of 2009. Th ere are
three other minor information centres in the
national park’s sur-roundings that off er
exhibitions.
5. PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE PROPERTY
Kellerwald component part
Apart from a historical hunting lodge and
some hiking infrastructure, there are no
facilities to be found whatsoever in the
nominated com ponent part. At the northern
border and through eastern portion of
the nominated component part runs the
Edersee primeval forest hiking trail. Th e
stretch inside the territory measures approx.
5.2 km. As compared to other hiking trails
within the area, it has an slightly higher
frequentation of visitors. Moreover, there
are 24.3 km of paths for mixed use (hiking,
horseback riding, cycling, and partly for
national park management), with only 8.8 km
being indicated in public brochures, maps
etc. as paths and 6.4 km as trails. A supraregional
bicycling track touches on 2.4 km of
the component part’s northern border.
Th ere are 10 hiking car-parks and three
central information facilities on the edge of
the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park
to provide visitors with information (box
p. 146). Information on hiking routes and
peculiarities within the national park domain
is furnished to visitors through signposts
installed on the car-parks. Symbols mounted
Nationale
Naturlandschaften
145