District invests in youth campsite at Lake Edersee
After extensive renovation, the popular campsite for children and young people Am Hochstein near Herzhausen on Lake Eder has now been completed. The district of Waldeck-Frankenberg invested a total of over 400,000 euros in the project. From now on, it will be run by the Sportjugend Hessen.
The site's location directly on Lake Eder is more than attractive, but the facility itself has been less so in recent years. Therefore, the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg decided to invest over 400,000 euros - and to comprehensively renovate the facility, which is excellent for group overnight stays. Around 190,000 euros of this came from LEADER funding. "Our goal was to create a needs-based tourism infrastructure on the site for groups of children and young people who want to camp in nature," says the First District Commissioner of the district, Karl-Friedrich Frese. "Of course, we would like to combine other nature tourism and experiential education offers with it."
In June last year, the corresponding construction work was started: The sanitary facilities were restructured, a handicapped accessible toilet was installed and additional shower facilities were created as single showers for both sexes. Additional cooling and storage facilities for food were built in the area of the existing kitchen.
In addition, floor coverings, ceiling and wall coverings were renewed, the outer facade of the functional building received a new coat of paint and a new terrace was built on the south side. Electrical, water and sanitary installations are also new and a hot water heating system was installed. In the outdoor area, the four plateau areas were prepared with tread-resistant and water-permeable grass-gravel mixture. The plateaus can be used as a pitch for tents or for sports activities. The construction yard of the Vöhl municipality actively supported the necessary demolition work.
The new facility, which is now operated by the Hesse Sports Youth, invites groups, clubs, associations and school classes to spend time together here - as long as the pandemic situation allows it again. "My team and I are very pleased that we will be able to fill this beautiful place in the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park with life in the future. It is excellently suited for extracurricular educational work and offers opportunities for unique experiences of nature, but also the obligation to protect this nature. This is also reflected in our programmes, which always focus on the environment and sustainability in addition to exercise and sport. In principle, the campsite can be booked by all children's and youth groups with educational guidance," explains Holger Gertel, Head of Camp Edersee from the Sportjugend Hessen, "although your own programmes must be coordinated with us for nature conservation reasons."
New campers have the option of renting tents and the necessary equipment on site. Cooking can be done at the campsite in a communal kitchen or over an open fire. The joint preparation of food under environmentally friendly and sustainable aspects is intended to strengthen group solidarity. Of course, partial or full board is always possible. In terms of leisure activities, there is also a lot to experience in the future: In addition to archery, night hikes or team training, you can go on great mountain bike tours or explore Lake Edersee and nature from the lake side with canoes. The ideal location about three kilometres from Herzhausen also gives guests the opportunity to arrive by train. Bookings can be made through the "Sport-, Natur- und Erlebniscamp Edersee" of the Sportjugend Hessen, Im Breitenbachtal 1, 34516 Vöhl-Harbshausen, 05635-992612 , camp-edersee@sportjugend-hessen.de, www.camp-edersee.de.