Hessen: municipalities lock out winter tourists

shut down

• Petra draftsman

  –

• 

  Jens Joachim

  –

–

Closed slopes and police controls at the approaches to the low mountain ranges are intended to prevent further rushes

The snowy winter weather and the monotonous pandemic everyday lure numerous nature seekers to the Hessian low mountain range. The authorities in Hesse do not expect the onslaught of visitors to abate this weekend and are trying to prevent this with closures and warnings. “A visit to the Feldberg region currently makes no sense,” said District Administrator Ulrich Krebs (CDU) on Facebook. Because on the roads and paths in the higher elevations there is undiminished danger from snow breakage, fallen trees and black ice.

For this reason, the Hochtaunuskreis officially announced, the First District Councilor Thorsten Schorr (CDU) and the mayors of the Feldbergrain municipalities Glashütten, Königstein, Schmitten and Oberursel’s First City Councilor Christof Fink decided to extend the closure of the access roads to the Großer Feldberg up to and including Monday . The state roads through the Glashüttener district of Oberems and the access to Falkenstein are only to be closed this weekend. Of course not for residents – but they should take their ID with them.

Snow-hungry crowds from all over the region flocked to the heights, especially on the previous weekend. They parked in residential areas, in fire service entrances and on federal highways. Since it stays cold and continues to snow and at the same time the lockdown is extended, an increased number of visitors is expected in the next few days. Therefore, the state police will support the police of the Taunusorte with additional forces, says Schorr. As reported by the district, it is trying to get the Ministry of Transport to point out the closure of the Feldberg area on the information boards on the A661 and A5.

Glashuette’s mayor Brigitte Bannenberg asks to avoid sneaking through Schloßborn. “Because of the closure of Oberems, the path through Schloßborn does not lead to the Feldberg,” explains the town hall chief.

Schorr also refers to the Corona rules. It would be “difficult to keep to them on the few passable paths and slopes due to the undiminished visitor interest”. If you still come to the Taunus, the Office for Rural Areas appeals to you not to park your car in fields and arable land. This could lead to profound damage to the arable land, which is currently not visible due to the snow cover. Those who dispose of rubbish in the countryside, ease themselves in the open air or on private property or park driveways will be punished by the law enforcement officers.

In the north Hessian winter sports resort Willingen, due to the corona pandemic, entry into the ski slopes and toboggan slopes is prohibited from this Friday. Mayor Thomas Trachte (independent) does not initially want to enforce this with extensive barriers and fines, but appeals to the reason of the visitors: “We do not want to shoot sparrows with cannons.” The blocking of ski slopes and toboggan slopes on the basis of the infection protection law is the first of this kind in Hessen. It is valid until Sunday.

According to Trachten, the Public Order Office will monitor compliance with the ban with the support of the police. Since the 7000-inhabitant community is a focus of tourism in Hessen, one has a comparatively large number of law enforcement officers. In addition, the slopes and slopes are clearly visible. In the event of violations, the visitors should first be informed. Walks and access to the place are possible. “But if there was another rush of visitors, we would also be able to block roads.”

The ban was triggered by the situation last weekend: after the winter sports region of Winterberg in neighboring North Rhine-Westphalia had closed slopes and parking spaces, thousands of day trippers had moved to northern Hesse.

In East Hesse, too, they are preparing. In the Vogelsbergkreis, the access roads to the Hoherodskopf and Herchenhainer Höhe should remain closed between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The district announced that this should initially apply until January 12.

In the Röhn, the district of Fulda and the city of Gersfeld are completely closing the tourist parking spaces and access roads to the Wasserkuppe, according to a joint statement. According to a spokeswoman for the Fulda district, the closings at the weekend apply on Saturday and Sunday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. It is understandable that people are looking for relaxation. But: “For many, the appeal for personal responsibility is in vain.”

In and near Wiesbaden there are several excursion destinations that – for the time being – will remain open: the “Platte”, a toboggan and hiking area near the hunting lodge of the same name, the “Iron Hand”, a mountain pass between Wiesbaden and Taunusstein, and the mountains Sleeper and cellar head. Nevertheless, the city warns that it is assuming that the parking spaces at the heights of the Taunus will not withstand the expected onslaught. It is urgently advisable not to drive to parking spaces and hiking opportunities on the high altitudes on Saturday and Sunday. And the parking lot Hohe Wurzel on the L3037 into the Taunus could not be recommended for the time being for reasons of traffic safety.

In addition, as soon as the on-site parking spaces are occupied, the public order office will close them, says Wiesbaden city spokesman Ralf Munser. In order to keep an eye on the situation, check the regulatory office more often.

Meanwhile, the city of Taunusstein in the Rheingau-Taunus district has pulled the rip cord. Since yesterday, residential areas and central locations as well as field and forest paths have been closed to day trippers. The onslaught of day visitors last weekend caused traffic chaos in the residential areas, and people also displayed “sometimes reckless driving and parking behavior”, which also caused lasting damage to fields, private property and nature. Here, too, the city’s regulatory police will be on duty for the entire weekend. If necessary, vehicles would also be towed away.

In the Darmstadt-Dieburg district, municipalities around the Neunkircher Höhe, the highest elevation in the Odenwald, reacted to the onslaught of day tourists last weekend. The city of Lindenfels closed the access to several parking lots between the Winterkasten district and Modautal-Neunkirchen for traffic on Friday. The block is valid until Monday, January 11th.

The police in Darmstadt announced controls around Neunkircher Höhe and in the excursion destinations around Siedelsbrunn and Oberzent in the Odenwald, because in the past few days stopping bans had been disregarded and emergency routes had been parked. ahi / dpa / pz / jjo

–