Forchheim already has many green spaces

In the end, there were only green dots on the board next to the entrance to the hall of the kolpingshaus. Thus the approximately 50 visitors of the information meeting to the topic national horticultural show signaled their agreement to such a rough event.
Mayor uwe kirschstein (SPD), head of the building authority rene franz and landscape architect christina hack had explained the principles and goals of a state garden show in forchheim. The aim is to make the green harp that clings to forchheim's city center even more attractive, says uwe kirschstein, mayor of the city of forchheim. Sustainability and supra-regional awareness and the availability for the people of forchheim beyond a state garden show were named by kirschstein as further goals. It is also important to further expand accessibility in the city.

First hurdle taken

rene franz considered it a first rough success that forchheim was basically a candidate for a state garden show. The prerequisites for this were a completed integrated urban development concept (ISEK) and the classification as an upper center, criteria that forchheim had already fulfilled.
Franz informed that sustainable environmentally conscious development concepts could only be realized on city-owned land. This is a requirement of the state horticultural show society, which is founded for the organization of the respective event. The state of bavaria had increased its funding requirements from 3.5 to five million euro. The city would then be involved with a further five million euros. Irrespective of this, individual projects such as the renovation of a bridge could be subsidized by 60 percent of the costs incurred, provided they were necessary and sensible for the concept of the garden show .
Rene mentioned five to eight years as the time frame for the realization of the state horticultural show. Preliminary planning would take two years. Then a competition will be held and for the construction is expected to take a similar period of time. Landscape architect christine hack had identified the area around the city park and the bastion as well as some pearls between the train station and the parade square, around the town hall or the kolpinghaus as areas suitable for an inner-city garden show. The sports island and the cellar forest as well as the loschwohrd area should also be included in the overall concept as local recreation areas.

Goal accessibility

in order to be able to reach the city park from the former hospital garden without barriers, bridges would be necessary, found hack, who suggested a circular path to the water castle. The bastion gardens also had to be connected in this way.
For the catering of the many guests, hack envisages a gastronomy business on the sports island, which should above all have attractions for families and young people and offer space for many plantings. The kellerwald, which could also use an increase in attractiveness, is to be connected to the city center by a tramway. Here the landscape architect suggested natural stone walls and children's playgrounds. She explained the different design possibilities with the help of some examples of other state garden shows.Above all, areas typical for forchheim such as water, the fish box or the brewing tradition should be taken up.
Burgerinitiativen, kindergarten or schools, which cared for the care of open flats should be included. "That's what a state garden show is all about confirmed hack upon request. How the individual pearls could be connected with the garden show still has to be tested, but one thing is for sure: "the whole city should be lifted up", according to mayor kirschstein.

"Tattered"

gisela steinlein worried about the connections of the areas, which looked very tattered. The decisive factor, according to christina hack, is a good concept. "We have already calculated the distances and we are convinced that they will not be a problem even for people over 65", assured the landscape gardener, who saw in the rental of bicycles a special experience character of the national horticultural show.
Pastor martin emge suggested creating a religious place in the cellar forest to better illustrate the origins of the annafestival.

Dear clay pit and old quarry

A garden show should not discuss the area that has already been developed as a park, sports and leisure landscape, but rather areas within the urban area should be upgraded, which have so far led a shadowy existence, said wolfgang sporlein from reuth. He suggested that the area at the end of the street "am steinbruch" be redeveloped, to develop the eastern part of bergstrabe/katzensteinstrabe and the area between lebenshilfe and reuth.
With the former schultheib clay pit, the kratzer quarry and the slope areas to the west of it, a 25-hectare area is available for use. Such a landscape would be suitable as a park and green lung for the city after the state horticultural show and would contribute to a permanently secured aeration of the city, according to sporlein.
He said the task of linking the areas worth protecting with the new was particularly attractive. Such a state garden show would far outshine the shows in bamberg and hof, the applicant was convinced.
Natural slope areas, almost primeval forest-like wet zones, overgrown orchards, dry grassland areas, land break-off edges as well as natural creeks and ponds already existed. "Dreamlike theme gardens could be created on the slopes", swarmed sporlein. They could serve as a model garden for tours and guarantee a recreational function between rough residential areas.
If the cellar forest is also included, an almost natural connection between the two areas would result. The lebenshilfe playground also fits perfectly into such an overall concept.
The ATSV-gelande and the allotment garden plant weberlauben are conceivable as southern entrance area to such a garden show, so sporlein, which demanded that this country is to be included intensively into the deliberations.
Mayor uwe kirschstein (SPD) expressed his gratitude for the suggestions, but pointed out that according to the current regulations, planning was only possible on city-owned flat areas. "But for a state horticultural show after 2030, these suggestions are certainly worth discussing.
Axel schauder, a member of the board of the forchheim branch of the nature conservation union, was the only critic of a state horticultural show. He could not yet see the "rough draft" of the matter the nature conservationist regretted that he could not yet see the "big picture".