Lohmen fights in court: National Park Ordinance under criticism!

Lohmen fights in court: National Park Ordinance under criticism!

in the National Park of Saxon Switzerland, more precisely in the contemplative Kirnitzschtal, it is bubbling: The municipality of Lohmen has submitted a lawsuit against the 2003 National Park Ordinance. This regulation extends the powers of the national park administration and makes construction projects in the region much more complicated. Instead, nature conservation permits are now to be obtained, which were previously managed by the municipalities. In the eyes of Mayor Silke Großmann, this is not only a hindrance, but also illegal.

As early as 2003, the municipality had already attempted to go to court, but so far there was no negotiation. "We want more scope for municipal developments," says Großmann. And there is a reason for this: planned projects, such as the construction of public toilets and sales areas for local dealers. District Administrator Michael Geisler vehemently supports the lawsuit and criticizes the National Park Ordinance, which in his opinion does not create trust and acceptance with the municipalities.

sounds like conflict: National Park vs. municipality

But not only Lohmen is faced with challenges. The dispute originally broke out around the construction of parking spaces at the popular Bastei viewpoint, which has now been settled. But even after the fire in 2022, the tensions between the municipalities, the residents: inside and the national park administration did not have given way. A citizens' initiative even requires a reproduction of the national park to a nature park to enable human influences. Christoph Hasse, co -founder of the initiative, sees the incompatibility of the national park status with the needs of the tourism industry.

On the other hand, Uwe Borrmeister, who has been the new leader of the national park since 2023. It emphasizes the advantages of national park status, especially with regard to forest fire prevention and the tourist infrastructure. It can be excited about the decision of the Higher Administrative Court in Bautzen, which is due for August 28, 2023. Actually, the decision could confirm the national park regulation, cancel parts of it or even declare it invalid.

a complex interaction

Overall, the national park comprises an area of 9,350 hectares, which proves to be rather small among international standards. Critics criticize the high human influence on the area and ask the question of whether the establishment of such a park in this size is really useful. The region, which houses a large number of ecosystems as part of Saxony, could also benefit from better integration of local needs into parking administration.

The borders of the national park are well documented and recorded in maps of the State Ministry for the Environment and Agriculture. These cards show the zones in the park in detail and are prepared according to different standards. The National Park and Forest Administration of Saxon Switzerland acts as a regional unit of Sachsenforst and not only supports the national park, but also the surrounding landscape protection area.

These developments raise questions that not only affect residents, but also the tourism industry, which has been faced with various challenges in recent years. It remains to be seen how things go in Lohmen, but one thing is certain: the conflict between nature conservation and municipal interests is far from decided.

Further information about the National Park Ordinance can be found on superillu.de revosax.sachsen.de We refer to the offer of the National Park Administration Saxon Switzerland .