Quarry nature adventure trail

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Objective

In order to demonstrate to the interested general public the contribution of nature conservation and to meet the reasonable interest of the public in the quarry and the procedures in it and at the same time not to disturb the operating procedure as far as possible, the idea of a quarry nature trail was born in Nussloch.

Context

The Nussloch quarry provides the raw material for the Leimen cement plant of the HeidelbergCement, and also is an important area for flora and fauna with a big nature conservation value. The species can find here ideal conditions and undisturbed habitats.

The interest in quarries is high everywhere, therefore HeidelbergCement carried out regular guided tours at all sites and opens the quarries also for the public on some days. The point was to decide which existing path network could be used for that purpose without affecting the active part of the quarry. Measures to secure paths for the visitors and to protect the nature also needed to be considered.

Solutions

A map with different routes was created in autumn 2004. As the active part of the quarry may still not be entered without guidance and because of safety reasons, the path was separated into two parts: one accessible for the public and another can only be walked on in the scope of guidance. Furthermore, a short path is freely accessible, which leads to a newly constructed viewing platform, from where the active quarry can be seen.

Results

There are public trails close to the quarry, from which the walkers can only catch a short glimpse on the mining action. In addition to the passive knowledge transfer, the visitors are actively involved through interesting showpieces, rapping points, art exhibits and playgrounds for kids.

The heart of the path are information points, which impart knowledge on large-sized information boards about the fields biology, geology, historical mining, agriculture and active mining.