Family festival & Night of the Churches: Experience the diversity in the region!

Family festival & Night of the Churches: Experience the diversity in the region!

This coming weekend there are some exciting events on the program in the region that have something to offer both nature lovers and culture enthusiasts. A special focus is on the European wildcat, one of the animals in our local forests most worthy of protection.

On Saturday, September 20th, the family festival will be celebrated in the BUND wildcat village Hütscheroda under the motto “Discover nature – experience wildcats”. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. there is a colorful program for young and old with numerous activities, including show feeding of the wild cats at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. as well as a lynx feeding at 5 p.m. Creative activities such as coloring in cat pictures or making animal masks also promise a lot of fun. For interested visitors, guided tours of the Wildcat Trail will take place on this day.

Wildcat protection campaigns

On the occasion of World Cat Day on August 8th, the BUND called for the endangered European wildcat, which is closely related to the domestic cat, to be protected. This fascinating species is considered endangered and is strictly protected under the Federal Nature Conservation Act. Threats such as landscape fragmentation and habitat loss make protection necessary. In order to help wild cats, the BUND recommends, among other things, the castration of outdoor cats in order to avoid unwanted matings. That is why the campaigns in the wildcat village of Hütscheroda are of great importance in order to draw attention to the topic and to actively participate, such as Bund.net and BUND Thuringia report.

Paths are also planned for Saturday that invite people to create wildcat-friendly habitats. The BUND has launched various campaigns such as planting festivals and information events as part of the “Wildcat Forests of Tomorrow” project.

Cultural highlights

In addition to environmental protection campaigns, culture must not be neglected either. On Friday, September 19th, the “Night of the Churches” will be celebrated in Bad Langensalza - an evening full of music and contemplative impulses in the Marktkirche, which begins at 7.30 p.m. At the end, the participants gather in St. Mary's Church to sing the song “The moon has risen” together.

In addition, a book presentation will take place on the same day in the Thalia bookstore in Mühlhausen. The book “Der Hainich – Boundary Stones, Stone Crosses and Stone Tables” by Heidi Zengerling will be presented there at 7 p.m. Various exciting topics such as old stone crosses and archaeological monuments are highlighted in the slide show.

Anyone who would like to try out their singing talents has the opportunity to stop by an open rehearsal of the choirs in the Culture and Congress Center in Bad Langensalza on Monday, September 22nd. New singers are very welcome here.

With regard to the upcoming events in the region, the possibilities for combining nature and environmental protection with cultural offerings are particularly noteworthy. Enjoying nature and protecting it at the same time, preserving the light of day for wild cats and their habitats, is the focus of many activities. Take advantage of these opportunities to learn something new and get active!