Under the motto “Peace on the move”, the members of NaturFreunde Deutschlands set out on their way from Hanover to Lake Constance in 55 daily stages on May 13th. On June 22nd they reach the Hirzwald Nature College in St. Georgen. Because this peace train only affects the Freiburg region, the NaturFreunde Breisgau / Hochschwarzwald are there with their own west loop and meet the federal hiking group in the Hirzwald Nature College.
The Westschleife starts on Monday, June 21st at 9.00 am in Freiburg-Stühlinger on the Hilda playground (corner of Colmarer- / Kreuzstraße) at the sign “Nuclear Weapons Free Zone”. There the peace wanderers are bid farewell by First Mayor Ulrich von Kirchbach. The train takes you from the main station to Hinterzarten. From there on foot to Neustadt in the Naturfreundehaus. District and City Councilor Leo Winterhalder will provide information about the “Mayors for Peace” project.
The next day we continue to the Hirzwald Nature College, where the two groups meet. Olfert Dorka will report on the Northern Black Forest National Park. The SPD member of the state parliament Gabi Rolland, who is also a hiking guide, will present the peace policy activities of the state parliament of Baden-Württemberg.
The next day the groups separate again. While the federal hiking group continues to hike towards Lake Constance, the Breisgau / Hochschwarzwald-Gruppe will move on to the Naturfreundehaus Brend.
The next stage then takes the hikers to the Breitnau Friends of Nature House. In the evening there will be an exchange with Jürgen Grässlin, the well-known pedagogue, publicist and peace activist throughout Germany, on the subject of tension between the arms industry and jobs.
The last stage leads the peace train to the Naturfreundehaus Feldberg. There they talk about common land, pasture cooperatives and green houses. City councilor and nature lover Walter Krögner will introduce the Black Forest biosphere area and its challenges. Then there is a summer party with a campfire and live music.
The mayors of the respective overnight communities are cordially invited to present the challenges and perspectives of the Black Forest communities.
With every step of the hike, NatureFriends urge you to reduce the risk of deadly weapons – “swords to plowshares”. Arms spending is increasing worldwide. Germany ranks seventh in terms of military spending of all countries. The danger of armed conflicts is increasing. The NaturFreunde are of the opinion that instead of armament, more money must flow into climate protection and poverty reduction.
The aim of the peace hike with the five-day West Loop is to mobilize people who hike together for a peaceful, social and ecological future. It is therefore important that local participants report on the geographical, historical and cultural-historical past of war and peace. At the Naturfreundehaus Breitnau there will also be reports about the baroque jumps and the associated hard labor, especially since the house is in the middle of one.
Due to the corona pandemic, the entire hike takes place under corona guidelines and is always adjusted during the hike. The hikers are tested beforehand if necessary.
Further information: www.frieden-in-bewegung.de
To the Westschleife: Gabi Rolland, 0761/274742 or 0170/4875862, [email protected]
background
The NaturFreunde movement began in Vienna in 1895. At that time, “working people” came together to discover nature as a source of relaxation, but also as a place for education and joint activities. Today the NaturFreunde have over 500,000 members in 21 countries. The NaturFreunde were most popular in the 1920s due to the political optimism and the growing self-confidence of the workers’, as well as the youth and nature movements. The critical examination of the prevailing political conditions led to the ban during the Nazi regime. The 400 huts and houses of NaturFreunde were confiscated.
After the end of the war, the main themes of the movement such as international understanding, peace work and socio-ecological change were taken up again. Peace and anti-nuclear movement, environmental, climate and nature protection such as “Live the vision, sustainable nature friend houses” were added. Today the chairman of all German nature conservation associations, Dirk Niebel, is the vice-president of NaturFreunde. Like all other 550 groups in Germany, the six local groups in the Breisgau / Hochschwarzwald district offer many different activities. From hiking to mountain biking, canoeing, climbing, photography, environmental education and snow sports, and in many cases they continue to manage their Naturefriends houses with cheap accommodation and meals. The focus here is on regional, seasonal, organic and fair.
The district of Breisgau / Hochschwarzwald includes the local groups Emmendingen, Feldberg, Freiburg, Neustadt, Staufen and Waldkirch with over 1000 members.
(Info: Gabi Rolland constituency office)
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