Out of the city, into the Oberwald forest

For all families with children, but also all other forest visitors, there is now a digital guided tour through the Karlsruhe Oberwald forest via app. The tour was designed by Michael Engist and three volunteers from Waldpädagogik Karlsruhe using the free "Digiwalk" app. To find out more about what's behind it, we set off to explore the tour.

Preparation for the tour through the Oberwald

The first step is to install the "Digiwalk" app on your mobile device. Once the app is open, you can go straight to the tour. The app has an integrated map that can also be downloaded offline and used for navigation. The self-guided tour is accompanied by text contributions, which can also be played as an audio file. Now you are ready to set off: The starting point is the fountain in Wasserwerkstraße, 76137 Karlsruhe.

1st station: Out of the city, into the forest

The first station is located on Wasserwerkstraße. At this station, the long path leading down the Wasserwerkbrücke bridge should be examined first. It is explained how important it is to always show consideration for the forest - after all, you are only a guest here.

2nd station: Animal thing - Deer goat antelope enclosure

From the starting point, the trail leads to Oberwald Animal Park and stops in front of the deer goat enclosure. If you feel like it, you can explore the various enclosures and observe the other animals. There are information boards at each enclosure with exciting facts about the respective animal species.

3rd and 4th station: Forest in danger and black walnuts

The third station deals with the dangers to forests and once again raises awareness of the death of trees due to environmental influences. At the next station, everything revolves around one tree: a black walnut tree. Here you learn that this species grows to a height of around 20 to 30 meters and bears fruit that is even edible.

5th station: Make up your mind!

The fifth station is not a classic station - the question here is: right or left? At this point, you are free to choose the slightly longer route to the sixth station at Erlachsee, which is a little further away, or to skip this station and continue straight on to the seventh station.

6th station: Forest and water - Erlachsee

Those who have taken the short detour to the sixth stop are now at Lake Erlachsee. Here, tour members receive interesting information about its formation and the animals that can be found here.

7th to 10th station: Climate change, Douglas firs and oaks

The next two stations deal with the important topic of climate change. Participants can find out here what consequences this has for our forests and how the forestry office is tackling it. Stations nine and ten provide interesting information on the two tree species Douglas fir and oak.

11th station: Balancing act - child's play?

The last stop on the tour is at the playground, where tree trunks lying on top of each other invite you to balance. You could say that they symbolize the balancing act between the forest, its plants and animals - under changing conditions such as climate change.

Conclusion

During the tour, participants learn a lot about the forest and the trees growing in it. At the same time, the tour is thought-provoking: especially in times of climate change, it is important to take care of our environment. In summary, the tour is an exciting offer for young and old in the immediate vicinity of the city.

More about sustainability in Karlsruhe here: