Lohmen complains: Fateful week for the Saxon Switzerland National Park!

Lohmen complains: Fateful week for the Saxon Switzerland National Park!

Things are fermenting again in Saxon Switzerland: On August 28th, a groundbreaking judgment on the future of the Saxon Switzerland National Park will be made before the Saxon Higher Administrative Court in Bautzen. The focus is on the lawsuit brought by the community of Lohmen, which has been taking action against the creation of the national park since 2003. This dispute has not only local but potentially far-reaching implications for the entire region, which was set to celebrate the national park's 35th anniversary in October, assuming the lawsuit is unsuccessful. Sächsische.de reports that the municipality of Lohmen and the Pirna district office are working together to advance the process. Mayor Silke Großmann (CDU) sees the municipality's planning sovereignty as being at risk.

But what motivates the community of Lohmen to sue the national park? From the municipality's perspective, the national park is perceived as far too restrictive because it hardly allows any building projects on municipal land. A planned development plan for the Lochmühle in Liebethaler Grund could not be implemented because there were objections under nature conservation law. Lohmen is fighting for her visions, which include an information point, a souvenir shop and toilets at the Bastei, one of the region's most famous tourist attractions.

A power struggle for control

The background to the lawsuit is a power struggle for control of Saxon Switzerland. The Saxon Switzerland-Oster Ore Mountains district supports the lawsuit and emphasizes that the current national park regulations from 2003 endanger the trust of municipalities and citizens in the park. District Administrator Michael Geisler (CDU) also sees the national park as too small in terms of area and the human influences as too high. The citizens' initiative “Saxon Switzerland Nature Park” is also calling for a review of the legal requirements for a national park.

The trial, which was originally scheduled for March 26, was postponed to June 5 due to an extensive 120-page brief that Lohmen filed shortly before the hearing. In her 200-page document, Lohmen states that the designation of the national park is illegal. They fear that the ruling will have far-reaching consequences - from confirming the status quo to invalidating the entire national park regulation.

The legal basis

The legal basis of the national park, which is considered Saxony's only national park, is laid down in detail in regulations. These include zoning regulations based on state Department of Environment and Agriculture maps. More specifically, the boundaries and zones of the national park are shown on overview maps at a scale of 1:25,000 and on detailed maps at a scale of 1:2,500. These maps are mainly important for the organization and protection of the park and are intended to ensure that nature and human use can be reconciled, but from Lohmen's point of view this has failed. Revosax provides further insight into the relevant regulations.

You regularly hear voices pointing out that the national park, as an area worthy of protection, is also important for the local economy. After all, Saxon Switzerland attracts visitors from all over the world every day. But what happens next? The upcoming ruling on August 28th may have a lasting impact on the direction of development for nature and communities. The outcome remains exciting!