Panarbora Park

Panarbora Park is a nature adventure park (Naturerlebnispark) and youth hostel located on the outskirts of Waldbröl in the Oberbergischer Kreis district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, roughly 50 kilometres east of Cologne on the edge of the Bergisches Land nature park. It opened in September 2015 and is operated by the Deutsches Jugendherbergswerk Landesverband Rheinland e.V. (the Rhineland regional association of the German Youth Hostel Association). The name combines the Latin word for tree, "arbor", with the Greek "Pan", the shepherd god and god of forests and nature. The site covers an area described by its operator as equivalent to eleven football pitches and offers what it calls a Europe-wide unique combination of nature experience, knowledge, fun and adventure for all ages. Its best-known built attraction is a 500-metre treetop walkway (Baumwipfelpfad) running at heights of up to 23 metres, together with a 40-metre observation tower whose spiral ramp has a walking length of 550 metres and which carries a viewing platform at 34 metres. Around 700 cubic metres of timber were used in these structures. Overnight accommodation is a core part of the offer: guests can stay in nine treehouses, in three villages of six huts each, or in a guest house, all run under the Jugendherberge (youth hostel) brand. Beyond the paid treetop walkway tour and various programmes, Panarbora provides a sensory trail, a play tunnel system, sports facilities, an adventure playground, animal enclosures, a herb garden and quiet areas. A nature experience academy (Naturerlebnisakademie) hosts further training and seminars, and the site also includes conference facilities, a restaurant and a visitor information point for the Bergisches Land region. The park was initiated by Olaf Wirths and Anja Braun. The underlying "Naturerlebnispark Nutscheid" project was selected in early 2008 in a competition run by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia for infrastructure and tourism development, and the non-profit Naturerlebnis Nutscheid GmbH was founded in 2008 to implement it. The park's construction cost amounted to 13.7 million euros. Since opening, Panarbora has been recognised in the media, including being named by GEO magazine as one of the ten most beautiful youth hostels in Germany. It remains an active, year-round destination marketed for families, school groups, day visitors and conference guests.

Panarbora traces its origins to the "Naturerlebnispark Nutscheid" project, which was selected in early 2008 as one of the winning projects in a competition run by the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia for infrastructure and tourism development. To implement the project, the non-profit Naturerlebnis Nutscheid GmbH was founded in 2008. The initiators and idea providers behind the park were Olaf Wirths and Anja Braun. The park opened in September 2015 on the outskirts of Waldbröl in the Oberbergischer Kreis, at the edge of the Bergisches Land nature park and about 50 kilometres east of Cologne. Its name was formed from the Latin word for tree, "arbor", and the Greek "Pan", the shepherd god and god of forests and nature. The construction cost of the park amounted to 13.7 million euros. Since 2015 the operator has been the Deutsches Jugendherbergswerk Landesverband Rheinland e.V., the Rhineland regional association of the German Youth Hostel Association. The site was designed as a multi-layered environmental and experiential education destination, combining a nature adventure park with hostel accommodation and a nature experience academy for further training and seminars. Key built features include a 500-metre treetop walkway at heights of up to 23 metres and a 40-metre observation tower with a 550-metre walking ramp and a viewing platform at 34 metres; around 700 cubic metres of wood were used. Accommodation was created in the form of nine treehouses, three villages of six huts each, and a guest house. Additional leisure facilities include a sensory trail, a play tunnel system, sports facilities, an adventure playground, animal enclosures, a herb garden and quiet areas. In the years after opening, Panarbora gained recognition as a destination; GEO magazine named it one of the ten most beautiful youth hostels in Germany. The park continues to operate as a year-round attraction and hostel, marketed for families, school groups, day visitors and conference guests, and also serves as an information point for the surrounding Bergisches Land region with its hiking and cycling trails, reservoirs and lakes.

• 2015

  Panarbora opens in September on the outskirts of Waldbröl; the Deutsches Jugendherbergswerk Landesverband Rheinland e.V. becomes the operator.

• 2008

  The "Naturerlebnispark Nutscheid" project is selected in a North Rhine-Westphalia competition for infrastructure and tourism development; the non-profit Naturerlebnis Nutscheid GmbH is founded to implement it.

• GEO magazine names Panarbora one of the ten most beautiful youth hostels in Germany.

A family-oriented nature adventure park and youth hostel offering a Europe-wide unique combination of nature experience, extraordinary accommodation, conference facilities, gastronomy, information and adventure.

• Treetop walkway (Baumwipfelpfad)

  A 500-metre walkway at heights of up to 23 metres, accessible via paid guided tours.

• Observation tower

  A 40-metre tower with a 550-metre walking ramp and a viewing platform at 34 metres.

• Treehouse accommodation

  Nine treehouses available as overnight accommodation within the youth hostel.

• Hut villages

  Three villages of six huts each, plus a guest house, for overnight stays.

• Conference and seminar facilities

  A conference venue combining professional meeting atmosphere with nature, high comfort and modern technology.

• Restaurant and gastronomy

  On-site restaurant offering varied, freshly prepared food.

• Guided tours and programmes

  Guided experiences and adventure programmes for all ages.

• Nature experience academy

  A venue for further training and seminars with an environmental and experiential education focus.

• Leisure facilities

  Sensory trail, play tunnel system, sports facilities, adventure playground, animal enclosures, herb garden and quiet areas.

1. 1Panarbora • Jugendherberge und Naturerlebnisparkpanarbora.de
2. 2Panarbora Park – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Panarbora-Park – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org