Südliche Weinstraße Wildlife Park

Last updated
Südliche Weinstraße Wildlife Park
(Wild- und Wanderpark Südliche Weinstraße)
Date opened 18 April 1975
Coordinates 49°8′24″N7°55′56″E / 49.14000°N 7.93222°E / 49.14000; 7.93222
Land area 100 hectares
No. of animals about 400
No. of species about 15
Annual visitors 100,000
Owner Marianne Geppert and Michael Müller [1]
Website http://www.wildpark-silz.de/

The Südliche Weinstraße Wildlife Park (German : Wild- und Wanderpark Südliche Weinstraße) is located in the Wasgau, a region on the Franco-German border that forms the southern part of the Palatine Forest and the northern part of the Vosges, near the village of Silz in the south of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The park is not named after the German Wine Route which passes about 6 kilometres away, but after the county of Südliche Weinstraße (literally "Southern Wine Road"). The tourist attraction receives about 100,000 visitors annually.

German language West Germanic language

German is a West Germanic language that is mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol (Italy), the German-speaking Community of Belgium, and Liechtenstein. It is also one of the three official languages of Luxembourg and a co-official language in the Opole Voivodeship in Poland. The languages which are most similar to German are the other members of the West Germanic language branch: Afrikaans, Dutch, English, the Frisian languages, Low German/Low Saxon, Luxembourgish, and Yiddish. There are also strong similarities in vocabulary with Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, although those belong to the North Germanic group. German is the second most widely spoken Germanic language, after English.

Wasgau mountain range

The Wasgau is a Franco-German hill range in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the French departments of Bas-Rhin and Moselle. It is formed from the southern part of the Palatine Forest and the northern part of the Vosges mountains, and extends from the River Queich in the north over the French border to the Col de Saverne in the south.

Vosges Mountain range in France

The Vosges are a range of low mountains in eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single geomorphological unit and low mountain range of around 8,000 km2 (3,100 sq mi) in area. It runs in a north-northeast direction from the Burgundian Gate to the Börrstadt Basin, and forms the western boundary of the Upper Rhine Plain.

Contents

Location

The park, which is part of the Franco-German Palatine Forest-North Vosges Biosphere Reserve, is located in the Klingbach valley and is surrounded by hills. It lies between 200 and 350 metres above sea level and has an area of about 100 hectares. The French border is 12 kilometres away to the south.

Klingbach river in Germany

The Klingbach is a stream, just under 38 kilometres (24 mi) long, in South Palatinate, Germany, and a left-hand tributary of the Michelsbach.

France Republic with mainland in Europe and numerous oversea territories

France, officially the French Republic, is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The metropolitan area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany to the northeast, Switzerland and Italy to the east, and Andorra and Spain to the south. The overseas territories include French Guiana in South America and several islands in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. The country's 18 integral regions span a combined area of 643,801 square kilometres (248,573 sq mi) and a total population of 67.3 million. France, a sovereign state, is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. Other major urban areas include Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille and Nice.

History

The park was based on a planning study by the president of the wildlife enclosure section of the International Hunting Association, Heinrich Prinz Reuß. The planning laid particular value on family-oriented amenities and only used land that would otherwise have been abandoned. The then Mayor of Silz, Franz Andelfinger, became involved as the Oberamtsrat at the Südliche Weinstraße county council aiming to unite professional expertise and municipal requirements and to locate the wildlife and walking park in the parish of Silz.

The park was officially handed on 18 April 1975 by the then Minister for Transport and the Economy for Rhineland-Palatinate, Heinrich Holkenbrink.

Features

Species

15 different species of larger animal live here, totally about 400 individuals. Some of them can be seen in the open. Mammals include European bison, red and fallow deer, mouflon, wild boar, wolf, red fox, Arctic fox and ferrets. In the aviaries are Snowy owls and Eagle owls; in addition, there are two duck ponds. [1]

In biology, a species ( ) is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. Other ways of defining species include their karyotype, DNA sequence, morphology, behaviour or ecological niche. In addition, paleontologists use the concept of the chronospecies since fossil reproduction cannot be examined. While these definitions may seem adequate, when looked at more closely they represent problematic species concepts. For example, the boundaries between closely related species become unclear with hybridisation, in a species complex of hundreds of similar microspecies, and in a ring species. Also, among organisms that reproduce only asexually, the concept of a reproductive species breaks down, and each clone is potentially a microspecies.

Mammal class of tetrapods

Mammals are vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia, and characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex, fur or hair, and three middle ear bones. These characteristics distinguish them from reptiles and birds, from which they diverged in the late Triassic, 201–227 million years ago. There are around 5,450 species of mammals. The largest orders are the rodents, bats and Soricomorpha. The next three are the Primates, the Cetartiodactyla, and the Carnivora.

European bison Eurasian species of mammal

The European bison, also known as wisent or the European wood bison, is a Eurasian species of bison. It is one of two extant species of bison, alongside the American bison. Three subspecies existed in the recent past, but only one survives today. Analysis of mitochondrial genomes and nuclear DNA revealed that the wisent is theoretically the result of hybridization between the extinct Steppe bison and the ancestors of the aurochs since their genetic material contains up to 10% aurochs genomic ancestry; the possible hybrid is referred to informally as the Higgs bison, a play-on-words in reference to the Higgs boson. Alternatively, the Pleistocene woodland bison has been suggested as the ancestor to the species.

Facilities

As well as a restaurant, kiosk und barbecue hut there is an observation tower, a petting zoo, a children's play park and an adventure play area. The "short circular path" (kleine Rundweg) takes about an hour, the "long" walk about two hours. There are no significant steep sections. Branching paths are sometimes steeper and not suitable for wheelchairs, prams or pushchairs. [1]

Observation tower structure used to view events from a long distance

An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct the long distance observations. They are usually at least 20 metres (65.6 ft) tall and made from stone, iron, and wood. Many modern towers are also used as TV towers, restaurants, or churches. The towers first appeared in Germany at the end of the 18th century, and their numbers steadily increased, especially after the invention of the lift.

Petting zoo

A petting zoo features a combination of domesticated animals and some wild species that are docile enough to touch and feed. In addition to independent petting zoos, also called children's farms or petting farms, many general zoos contain a petting zoo.

Wheelchair chair with wheels, used by people for whom walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, or disability

A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, or disability. Wheelchairs come in a wide variety of formats to meet the specific needs of their users. They may include specialized seating adaptions, individualized controls, and may be specific to particular activities, as seen with sports wheelchairs and beach wheelchairs. The most widely recognised distinction is between powered wheelchairs ("powerchairs"), where propulsion is provided by batteries and electric motors, and manually propelled wheelchairs, where the propulsive force is provided either by the wheelchair user/occupant pushing the wheelchair by hand ("self-propelled"), or by an attendant pushing from the rear.

Related Research Articles

Palatinate (region) geographic region

The Palatinate, historically also Rhenish Palatinate, is a region in southwestern Germany. It occupies roughly the southernmost quarter of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz), covering an area of 5,451 square kilometres (2,105 sq mi) with about 1.4 million inhabitants. Its residents are known as Palatines.

Südliche Weinstraße District in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Südliche Weinstraße is a district (Kreis) in the south of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are Südwestpfalz, Bad Dürkheim, the district-free city Neustadt (Weinstraße), Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, Germersheim, and the French département Bas-Rhin. The district-free city Landau is surrounded by the district.

Neustadt an der Weinstraße Place in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Neustadt an der Weinstraße is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With 54,000 inhabitants as of 2002, it is the largest town called Neustadt.

Forst an der Weinstraße Place in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Forst an der Weinstraße is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Palatinate Forest low mountain range in Germany

The Palatinate Forest, sometimes also called the Palatine Forest, is a low-mountain region in southwestern Germany, located in the Palatinate in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The forest is a designated nature park covering 1,771 km2 and its highest elevation is the Kalmit.

Palatinate (wine region) German wine region

Palatinate is a German wine-growing region (Weinbaugebiet) in the area of Bad Dürkheim, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, and Landau in Rhineland-Palatinate. Before 1993, it was known as Rhine Palatinate (Rheinpfalz). With 23,461 hectares under cultivation in 2008, the region is the second largest wine region in Germany after Rheinhessen. There are about 6,800 vintners producing around 6.5 million hectolitres of wine annually.

Birkenhördt Place in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Birkenhördt is a municipality in the Südliche Weinstraße district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and is an officially recognized tourist resort.

Gossersweiler-Stein Place in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Gossersweiler-Stein is a municipality in Südliche Weinstraße district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany.

Rhodt unter Rietburg Place in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Rhodt unter Rietburg is a municipality in Südliche Weinstraße district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany. Rietburg castle (ruins) is located on a nearby hill. The village has been making wine for over 1200 years, and is one of the centres of Palatine wine as a home of Rietburg wine co-operative.

Silz, Rhineland-Palatinate Place in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Silz is a municipality in Südliche Weinstraße district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany.

Kalmit highest peak in the Palatinate Forest, Germany

The Kalmit is the highest peak in the Palatinate Forest and the second highest in the Palatinate region of Germany. It is 672.6 m above sea level (NHN) and located 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) south of the town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße.

Hirschfeld Wildlife Park is in Hirschfeld, part of the municipality of Voigtsgrün, near Zwickau in the German Free State of Saxony.

Rehberg (Wasgau) mountain in Germany

The Rehberg is a prominent hill, 576.8 m above sea level (NHN), in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. After the Grand Wintersberg in French North Alsace, the Rehberg is the second highest hill in the Wasgau, the Franco-German region that forms the southern part of the Palatine Forest and runs from the valley of the River Queich to the Col de Saverne. The Rehberg is also the highest hill on German soil in the Wasgau. As part of the Palatine Forest-North Vosges Biosphere Reserve it has been placed under special protection measures.

Walking routes in the Palatine Forest

Walking routes in the Palatine Forest fall into two categories. The first are longer walking routes, most of which are maintained by the Palatine Forest Club, or PWV, and which are linked to the national and international network of long distance paths. The second category are those local circular walks and themed walking routes, some of which are of wider regional importance, and which are maintained by municipal authorities. The Palatine Forest, as part of the Palatine Forest-North Vosges Biosphere Reserve, is an important conservation area. As a result, the Palatine Forest, the bunter sandstone landscape of the Palatine Forest Nature Park, the castles in the Dahner Felsenland and the cross-border paths into Alsace and the Vosges make the region particularly popular with ramblers and walkers.

The Erlenbach is a stream, over 9 km long, in the South Palatine Wasgau region of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is a left tributary of the Lauter which, here in its upper reaches is still called the Wieslauter.

Orensberg mountain in Germany

The Orensberg, also known in the region as the Orensfels(en) due to the striking rock formations on its summit plateau, is a hill, 581.2 m above sea level (NHN), near Frankweiler in the county of Südliche Weinstraße in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The hill is part of the Haardt mountain range that forms the eastern edge of the Palatinate Forest.

Hüttenberg (Haardt) mountain in Germany

The Hüttenberg near Maikammer in the Rhineland-Palatinate county of Südliche Weinstraße is a subpeak, 620.1 m above sea level (NN), of the Kalmit the highest mountain in the Haardt in the eastern Palatinate Forest of Germany. There is a blockfield, the Hüttenberg Felsenmeer, along the crest.

Upper Moselle upper part of the Moselle river in Germany

The Upper Moselle is the name given in Germany to that section of the River Moselle, 45 kilometres long, that runs from the Franco-German-Luxembourg tripoint near Perl to its confluence with the Saar near Konz shortly before Trier. From the tripoint to its confluence with the Sauer, the Upper Moselle forms the border between the German states of the Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate on the one side and Luxembourg on the other. This stretch of the river known as the Upper Moselle is, however, not the same as the geographical upper reaches of the Moselle, which run from its source near Bussang in the Vosges mountains in Lorraine via Épinal and Nancy roughly as far as Metz.

Königsberg (North Palatine Uplands) mountain in Germany

The Königsberg is a 568-metre-high hill in the collective municipality of Lauterecken-Wolfstein in the county of Kusel in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Betreiber-Website. "Wild- und Wanderpark Südliche Weinstraße" . Retrieved 2010-10-05.



This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.