Nature in Wassertrüdingen

The town of Wassertrüdingen in central Franconia, idyllically situated at the foot of the Hesselberg, was the smallest municipality to successfully host a garden show in 2019.

With the 2019 garden show and the resulting permanent facilities, the town has seized the opportunity to sustainably improve its green and recreational structures, strengthen the current lack of connection to the river and highlight its unique location on the Wörnitz.



The design is characterized by two independent sub-areas that differ significantly in terms of requirements and landscape context. The Wörnitzpark (approx. 56,600 m2), located between the old town and the Wörnitz floodplain, and the Klingenweiher landscape park (approx. 70,700 m2) to the north of the city.



In both parks, the eponymous reference to water as an important quality of the location can be experienced in a variety of ways. In the south, the planned flood protection measures are changing the historic urban structures in the transition to the natural space of the floodplains. In the north, the planned urban expansion requires the green corridor along the Klingenweiher to be upgraded to a local recreation area. Residents and visitors can access the newly designed areas in the floodplain meadows of the Wörnitz via a continuous ribbon of paths from the landscape park at the former landfill site via the carefully developed chain of Klingenweiher ponds and the historic old town.



The Klingenweiher Landscape Park as a local recreation area is located in the immediate vicinity of existing and future residential areas and aims to stage the existing, very attractive structures by guiding the visitor with minimal intervention in valuable natural space. All parts of the park are brought together from the viewing point on the landfill site in the north to the platform in the pond in the south with a designed adventure trail - the Weihersteig. With its expressive design language and golden shell, the Weihersteig represents the essential and unifying design element that stages, opens up and makes the natural space tangible in a unique way.



From the vantage point on the former landfill site, the Bergrose, you walk down the Weihersteig into the existing wetland biotope with ponds, lush wildflower meadows, picturesque groves of trees and past orchards. The trail dips into the pond landscape and continues along the banks, partly over the water surface. Small widenings provide space for resting and observing. From here, the pond path leads south to a small platform, the water lily, which is located in the middle of the southern pond. The southern pond is being redesigned to create a spacious promenade to the south as a prelude to the town. The large forest playground forms the end of this section.



The design of the Wörnitzaue takes up old references in order to integrate the new elements of the dyke and park seemingly seamlessly into the historical transition between the city and the landscape. The historic garden strip that accompanies the city wall remains a defining feature. It will be continued with new park areas along the city wall and around the Mühlweiher pond to the new city garden at the Heubrücke bridge and closed as a ring via a series of paths and small squares in continuation of the natural stone paved areas of the old town. The result is a generous widening of the dyke as a peninsula that allows people to linger by the water and cross over to the other side of the river to the meadows.

Landscape Architecture Award in DetailGerman Landscape Architecture Award 2021

Jury verdict:
With the organization of the Bavarian Garden Show 2019, the city of Wassertrüdingen had the opportunity to qualify existing open spaces north and south of the old town and to develop them as attractive recreational areas. This resulted in a convincing concept, with which the connecting river space of the Wörnitz was strengthened as a formative landscape element, but at the same time distinctive places were created. In both the Wörnitz and Klingenweiher parks, existing landscape situations were skilfully used to create a sequence of differently accentuated open spaces. This balance between respect for the natural space and the deliberate staging of existing situations distinguishes the project.

This approach is particularly evident in the design of Klingenweiherpark. With the expressively designed "Weiherweg", a defining element connects the very different spaces and leads the visitor through scenic scenes. The path begins as an eccentric "water lily" in the middle of the water and then leads in wide movements to the north. It repeatedly touches special places, whereby the play with direction and space creates changing constellations. Finally, in impressive serpentines, the mountain of the former earth dump is conquered. The functional requirement of a barrier-free pathway generates a striking figure. In the "mountain rose" the winding ribbon finally finds its dramatic end point and opens the view into the landscape. The artificial object is skilfully set in contrast to the rough surface of the landfill, which is now being reclaimed by nature in a dynamic process of development.

The detailed design of the pond footbridge is characterised by a very special conciseness and care. Although executed in a concrete construction, it radiates a great lightness, seems to literally float in the landscape. Here, too, function and form intertwine, the tread and the edge of the path merge into a sculptural object. This almost unreal impression is reinforced by the partially applied metal skin. Its golden shimmer shines in the sunlight and gives the places a fairytale-like effect. Thus, in the best sense, the way has become the destination - Wassertrüdingen is worth a trip!