The Leimbach Park (German : Leimbachpark or Park am Leimbach) is a linear park and 100-year flood prevention scheme opened in October 2016 in Wiesloch, Germany. [1] It is part of a larger ecological enhancement of the River Leimbach. [2] [3] [4] [5] The park follows the River Leimbach downstream from Wiesloch to a larger 1.4-hectare (3.5-acre) area just north of Wiesloch-Walldorf station, part of the former Tonwaren-Industrie Wiesloch brickworks. [6] [7]
As of 2019 [update] a narrow-gauge railway track connection runs northwards from the Leimbach Park, via the Landratsamt district government office to the Wiesloch Feldbahn and Industrial Museum. [8]
In the early 2000s a huge redevelopment of the land around that station was planned, including a pair of parks either side of the railway line:"Walldorf Park" and "Wiesloch Park". [9]
As subsequently built, the park is section 2 of a larger three-section construction package on the upper Leimbach. In 2010, along with urban development in South-Walldorf, the park design won a "Landscape in Motion" award in a competition run by Rhine-Neckar Regional Association (Verband Region Rhein-Neckar) under their "Rhine-Neckar Regional Park" concept. [10] It was recognised again in the 2012 Landscape in Motion awards, in connection to the Leimbach Route. [11]
The former railway lift bridge forms the north edge of the park and the border between section 1 and section 2, while the "In den Weinäckern" road bridge forms the south edge of the park and the border between section 2 and section 3. [12] These three sections are themselves part of Measure 3 of the flood control works along the upper Leimbach. [12] The tendered construction works for the parks included 12,000 cubic metres of earth-moving, placement of 200 tonnes of stone/gravel, 2,000 square-metres of road construction, 90 cubic metres of reinforced concrete, and creation of a simple Aluminium cycle path and footbridge to replace the two larger bridges being removed. [13] [14]
In 2006 two plots of land at the north corner of the future park were made available for sale by the City of Wiesloch: the former TIW Director's House (Direktorenvilla) at Adelsförsterpfad 12 dating from 1928, and the former TIW main administrative building (Verwaltungsgebäude) at Adelsförsterpfad 14 dating from 1899. [15] [16] During 2013 the former administration building was sold to Barbara and Thomas Oestreich; then renovated with new floors and ceiling, and the demolition of previous extensions. [17]
The former administration building had been the site of a joint-fire drill by the firefighters of Wiesloch and Walldorf in June 2002, [18] but later genuinely caught fire on 22 August 2015. [19] [20] [21]
In March 2012 two further plots of land covering 143,000 square metres (14.3 ha) to the east of the park area were made available. The land was brownfield without buildings and the parcels were for put up for sale by the City of Wiesloch under its MetropolPark Wiesloch-Walldorf brand, designated for future for commercial use in minimum of 1,500-square-metre (0.15 ha) parcels. [22]
On 23 June 2013 two local urban golf teams from Walldorf and Wiesloch offered introductory taster courses in the sport as a way to explore the area designated for the future Leimbach Park. [23] [24] [25]
Plans and details of the 70%–15%–15% budget split between Baden-Württemberg, Wiesloch and Walldorf, were presented at a meeting in Wiesloch on 29 March 2011. [26] There was an open meeting of the Walldorf city council about the flood protection works on 20 January 2015. [27] The plans were presented to the public in Wiesloch at a meeting on 23 March 2015. [28] [29] The meeting was chaired by Peter Henigin. [30] [31] It was planned that in late-2016 the area around the park would be sown with wildflower seeds to form a meadow, following a positive experiment on Baiertaler Straße. [32]
On 10 March 2016, an official groundbreaking ceremony for the €1.5-million project took place with politicians Nicolette Kressl (de), Karl Klein (de), Dirk Elkemann (de), Kai Schmidt-Eisenlohr (de), Christiane Staab, and Mark Töllner of the construction company undertaking the work. [33] Wiesloch and Walldorf were scheduled to contribute €215,000 each for the overall flood protection works, but with only Wiesloch funding the creation of the park itself. [34] The completed design was intended to include seating and a playground. [35]
On 5 April 2016 the 200 metres of the stream bed of the River Leimbach was diverted into a new channel 5 metres north-west of the old channel. [36] Members of the local Kraichgau angling club performed a fish rescue, transferring fish and crabs to the new channel. [36]
During construction the contractors had been using a temporary crossing of the river using buried pipes. On the morning of 17 April 2016 the temporary crossing became covered by flood waters. The Wiesloch fire brigade were called and contractors were called out to create a relief channel. [37] [38]
Two bridges were removed, the "Lifting Bridge" and the "Isopor-Bridge", with the intention for one replacement bridge. The previous vertical-lift bridge (Hubbrücke) for the mainline railway connection from Wiesloch-Walldorf station to the industrial area had been previously raised permanently above the high water level—later the lifting bridge span was removed from the site completely. [39] On 7 March 2016 the footpath between the railway station and the Landratsamt district office was closed to allow demolition of the second bridge to allow widening of the river channel, and afterwards this would be replaced by a new foot and cycle bridge over the River Leimbach. [40] The second bridge had been constructed by the company "Isopor" which had also committed to take on the costs of any changes required later for the bridge if works on the river were required. After the Cities of Wiesloch and Walldorf purchased the land and bridge, they were deemed to be successors and liable for the costs for demolition and replacement. [41]
The foot and cycling bridge on the new alignment was scheduled to cost €40,000, later lowered in price to €39,000. [34] [41]
Following the construction on the Leimbach Park, the remaining surrounding plots of land from the former Tonwaren Industrie Wiesloch estate were sold for development use. Bicycle retailer Bike o‘bello Radsportversand purchased 6,300 square metres (0.63 ha) to construct a new building. [42] Other buildings being redeveloped were the TIW Administration building and the former water-powered Dorn Mill (Dornmühle). [42]
As of 2016 [update] , the narrow gauge tracks leading from the Wiesloch Feldbahn and Industrial Museum ended at the road crossing at the north entrance of the Leimbach Park. The extension of the track into the Leimbach Park was agreed by the Environment and Technical committee of the City of Wiesloch in January 2017. [43] The proposal would use grassed track in the meadow areas of the park. [44] The track extension was discussed by the cities of Walldorf and Wiesloch during the meeting of the Zweckverband Metropolpark Wiesloch-Walldorf joint association on 16 March 2017. [45]
On 19 May 2019, the new track connection to the park was officially opened by Mayor of Walldorf Christine Staab and Mayor of Wiesloch Ludwig Sauer during the joint "Day of the Open Gardens" organised by both towns. During the ceremony a golden nut and bolt were installed before the ribbon was cut and the first train was driven over the new track. [46] The new extension includes a balloon loop in the park close to Wiesloch-Walldorf station. The roundtrip journey for passengers was increased by 280 metres. [47]
In May 2017 public benches were installed in the park. The benches had been sponsored by local companies and individuals from nearby Wiesloch, including the company Physio Therapie Moroni that backs on to the park; and the construction company Wolff & Müller that had built the park. [48]
Mannheim, officially the University City of Mannheim, is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 21st-largest city, with a 2021 population of 311,831 inhabitants. The city is the cultural and economic centre of the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region, Germany's seventh-largest metropolitan region with nearly 2.4 million inhabitants and over 900,000 employees.
Walldorf is a town in the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis district in the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany.
Wiesloch is a town in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 13 kilometres south of Heidelberg. After Weinheim, Sinsheim and Leimen, it is the fourth largest town in the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis. It shares Wiesloch-Walldorf station with its neighbouring town Walldorf. Also in the vicinity of Wiesloch are Dielheim, Malsch, Mühlhausen, Rauenberg and Sankt Leon-Rot.
The term Kaiserpfalz or Königspfalz refers to a number of castles and palaces across the Holy Roman Empire that served as temporary, secondary seats of power for the Holy Roman Emperor in the Early and High Middle Ages. The term was also used more rarely for a bishop who, as a territorial lord (Landesherr), had to provide the king and his entourage with board and lodging, a duty referred to as Gastungspflicht.
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Malsch is a municipality in the district of Rhein-Neckar in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.
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The Frankfurt–Mannheim high-speed railway is a planned German high-speed railway between Frankfurt am Main and Mannheim.
The Mannheim–Karlsruhe–Basel railway is a double-track electrified mainline railway in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It runs from Mannheim via Heidelberg, Bruchsal, Karlsruhe, Rastatt, Baden-Baden, Offenburg and Freiburg to Basel, Switzerland. It is also known as the Rhine Valley Railway or the Upper Rhine Railway (Oberrheinbahn).
Leimbach is a river of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It passes through Wiesloch and Schwetzingen, and flows into the Rhine in Brühl.
Waldangelbach is a river of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It flows into the Leimbach in Wiesloch.
Wiesloch-Walldorf station is in the towns of Wiesloch and Walldorf in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The station is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 3 station. Leimbach Park and the Wiesloch Feldbahn and Industrial Museum are located to the north of the station, with the headquarters of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen and SAP SE on the south-western side.
The Wiesloch Feldbahn and Industrial Museum is a narrow-gauge railway and industrial heritage open-air museum established in 2001, at Wiesloch, Germany. The museum is centred around the former locomotive shed of the Tonwaren-Industrie Wiesloch (TIW) brickworks, and houses industrial equipment from large excavators to small machine tools, plus large and small locomotives.
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Michael Bacht is a German artist.
Tonwaren-Industrie Wiesloch was a brickworks making which existed in Wiesloch, Germany between 1895 and 1989. It was one of the largest and most significant factories in Germany. The factory was located just north of Wiesloch-Walldorf station and was the largest employer in Wiesloch.
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The area around Wiesloch, Germany, is a historical centre for mining, running between Roman times and the earlier 2000s. The area is situated on the eastern edge of the Upper Rhine Plain and contains large concentrations of carbonate-hosted lead-zinc ore deposits. Lime for cement is still actively mined in the vicinity, with most of the clay pits closed, and the last heavy metal mine operated until 1953 by Stolberger Zink. On top of the escarpment metals and lime have been mined, with clay and sand mined at the end of the valley floor where faulting has brought different layers closer to the surface.
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Regierungspräsidentin Nicolette Kressl zur Eröffnung des Parks am Leimbach im Gebiet Weinäcker in Wiesloch, die am 22. Oktober gefeiert wurde. … Mit Musik, einer Runde auf der Feldbahn und Aktivitäten der Firmen im Gebiet Weinäcker verlief die Einweihung trotz starken Regens abwechslungsreich und mit vielen Informationen.
in Wiesloch geht es um ehemaliges Industriegelände im Bereich der früheren Tonwarenindustrie, vor allem aber um den Hochwasserschutz.
… wird vorgeschlagen, die bei den westlichen Backsteinbauten (Villa und Verwaltungsgebäude) sowie die alte Stahlbrücke und das ehemalige Werktor zu erhalten und in ein künftiges Parkkonzept einzubinden. … Zwischen der bestehenden AußensteIle des Landratsamts und der neuen Gewerbebebauung entsteht ein dreieckiger Platzraum als verbindendes Element zwischen dem Gewerbegebiet In den Weinäckern und dem "Wieslocher Park".
Gewässerpädagogische Angebote und Routenbespielung, z.B. in Verbindung mit besonderen und „vergessenen" Orten und Projekten von Partnern (z.B. das 2010 prämierte Grünprojekt „Leimbachpark").
… Lieferung und Montage von Fußgängersteg in Aluminiumbauweise: 1 St
Am luden die Bauherren und gleichzeitigen Besitzer Barbara und Thomas Oestreich zur Einweihung und Besichtigung des TIWAG-Verwaltungsgebäudes am Adelsförsterpfad 14 – am künftigen Leimbachpark – in Wiesloch ein. … 2013 … Verwaltungsgebäude des ehemaligen TIW AG wurde an Familie Oestreich verkauft. Am 22. August 2015 kam … Feuer war im Gebäude ausgebrochen. … Anbauten auf der Nord- und Ostseite wurden wiederum abgerissen.
Ein weiterer großer Einsatz betraf den Brand in der alten Direktorenvilla [ sic ] der früheren Wieslocher Tonwarenindustrie TIWAG.
Gebiet Weinäcker - Flurstücksnummer 2954/10, 3105, 3115
Ort des Geschehens war der sich in Planung und Bau befindliche "Leimbachpark" in der Nähe des Bahnhofs.
Die Crossgolfer aus Wiesloch und Walldorf bieten zusätzlich noch eine Gratis-Kurs an. Treffpunkt ist die ehemalige Hubbrücke beim Adelsförsterpfad 14.
Land Baden-Württemberg (70 %), die Städte Wiesloch (15 %) und Walldorf (15 %). Der Gesamtaufwand wird auf 5 Mio. Euro geschätzt. … trägt zu 100% die Stadt Wiesloch
Gewässerabschnitte mit einer Länge von 1,4 und 1,5 Kilometern ökologisch aufgewertet werden.
Im künftigen Leimbachpark im Bereich des Bahnhofes sollen in diesem Herbst größere Flächen mit artenreichen Blumenwiesen eingesät werden.
Dies sind für Wiesloch und Walldorf für das aktuelle Projekt jeweils rund 215.000 Euro bei Gesamtkosten von 1,4 Millionen Euro. … Die Teilmaßnahme Leimbachpark geht jedoch ausschließlich zu Lasten Wieslochs. … Nachdem der Steg zunächst wegen … als wichtige Verbindung für Fußgänger und Radler zwischen Bahnhof und Landratsamt mit neuem Querschnitt wiederhergestellt werden. Knapp 40.000 Euro macht der Anteil hierfür pro Stadt aus.
neue Wege angelegt, Sitzgelegenheiten geschaffen und Spielplätze gebaut.
Da die Brücke nicht mehr automatisch bewegt werden kann, wurde die Hubbrücke vor Jahren dauerhaft angehoben und die Straßenanbindung durch Dammbalkenelemente verschlossen, so dass derzeit keine Wegeverbindung mehr besteht. Die Hubbrücke soll nun auch aufgrund der städtebaulichen Entwicklung im Zuge des Gewässerausbaus vollständig rückgebaut werden. Damit wird die ursprüngliche Verbindung der Gleisanlagen im Industriegebiet mit den Gleisen der Hauptstrecke endgültig beseitigt.
„Isopor-Brücke", sowie der Neubau eines Rad- und Fußgängersteges in diesem Bereich vorgesehen. Ursprünglich waren der Abbruch und die Erneuerung der Brücke im Rahmen der Hochwasserschutzmaßnahmen vorgesehen. Im Rahmen der Planfeststellung wurde ein altes Wasserrecht der Firma lsopor gefunden, nach dem sich der damalige Grundstücksbesitzer verpflichtet hatte, sein Brückenbauwerk im Falle von Umbaumaßnahmen am Gewässer auf seine Kosten zu verändern. Das Wasserrecht ist inzwischen zwar abgelaufen, hatte aber zum Zeitpunkt der Planfeststellung am 16.05.2013 noch Bestand. Das Land beruft sich auf diese Regelung und sieht die Städte Wiesloch und Walldorf als Erwerber von Grundstück und Brücke als Rechtsnachfolger der Firma lsopor deshalb in der Pflicht, die Kosten für einen Neubau des Fußgängersteges je zur Hälfte zu übernehmen.
Bike o'bello Radsportversand, Dem Vernehmen nach hat Bike o'bello 6.300 Quadratmeter Fläche erworben, auf der ein attraktives Gebäude entstehen soll.
Park am Leimbach, Gleisanschluss für die Feldbahnfreunde. Vorlage 6/2017. Der Ausschuss stimmte einer Weiterführung der bestehenden Feldbahntrasse in den Park am Leimbach zu. (Einstimmig gefasster Beschluss, 9 Jastimmen.)
Grünflächen liegenden Schienenabschnitte werden ebenerdig mit Schotterrasen eingefüllt und eingesät. Sie werden deshalb in der Wiesenfläche kaum auffallen.
16. März 2017, findet um 19.00 Uhr im Großen Sitzungssaal des Rathauses in Wiesloch … 7. Park am Leimbach; Gleisanschluss für die Feldbahnfreunde
Bürgermeister Ludwig Sauer aus Wiesloch und Bürgermeisterin Christiane Staab aus Walldorf … mit Lokführerjacke und –mütze ausgestattet wurde, traditionsgemäß die letzte Schraube – eine vergoldete – in die neuen Gleise drehen. Mit dem Durchtrennen des roten Bandes gab Frau Staab den neuen Gleisanschluss zum Leimbachpark frei.
Die rund 280 Meter lange Verlängerung schleißt an das bisher stumpf endende Streckengleis der Museumsfeldbahn an und gibt ihr mit einer Wendeschleife im Park am Leimbach ein sinnvolles Streckenende … liegt auch in Sichtweite des Bahnhofs Wiesloch-Walldorf