Entire Geopark
In July 2024, something big happened once again in our rather small Geopark - it underwent its first re-evaluation visit to check whether the UNESCO catalogue of criteria is being fulfilled and implemented and whether the Geopark can continue to bear the UNESCO title.
Together with the auditors Prof Dr Xiaochi Jin from the Chinese Academy of Geosciences and Dr Ivàn Cortijo Sànchez from the UNESCO Global Geopark Villuercas-Ibores-Jara in Spain, we visited various locations in a total of eight geopark municipalities. The German UNESCO Commission was represented by Dr Gösta Hoffmann.
The starting point of our daily tour was the town of Friedrichroda. We set off from the AHORN Berghotel Friedrichroda to the following stops:
Town of Friedrichroda - ‘Premium Class’ climatic health resort
- Visit to the GeoInfo Centre and the Marienglashöhle cave together with Dr Hurst from the Thuringian Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Nature Conservation and Mr Suckert, President of the TLUBN
Tambach-Dietharz holiday resort and the rural community of Georgenthal
- Visit to the international Bromacker fossil site, where the project manager of the BROMACKER research project, Prof Dr Jörg Fröbisch, gave an interesting insight into the research work and all sub-projects of the science communication project
- Dinosaur adventure trail Georgenthal-Tambach-Dietharz (GeoRoute 6) with presentation of the new trail concept and the interdisciplinary course with our cooperation partner, the University of Jena
City of Gotha
- Friedenstein Castle with a visit to the BROMACKERlab and presentation of the importance of Gotha as a research centre together with the Friedenstein Foundation Gotha
Rural community of Georgenthal
- Paulfeld campsite with a visit to the GeoInfopoint
Rural community Drei Gleichen
- Visit to the GeoInfoCentre at Mühlburg Castle and explanations of the exhibition plans
- Presentation of our GEOfood partner Rosenhof Holzhausen
Residence and Bach town of Ohrdruf
- Visit to the GeoMuseum and GeoInfoCentre in Ehrenstein Castle Ohrdruf and the spectacular Magicus cube as well as the Bach and industrial history exhibition
Town of Ruhla
- Visit to the Kittelsthal stalactite cave
- Presentation of the ESD project with pupils from the Ruhla youth club ‘Freetime’ and the IKYDA project with the Γεωπάρκο Χελμού Βουραϊκού-Chelmos Vouraikos Unesco Global Geopark.
Bad Tabarz
- Explanations in the GeoInfo Centre on the Großer Inselsberg and explanations of the long-standing successful cooperation with the Thuringian Forest Nature Park
Municipality of Geratal
- Tour of the new GeoRoute ‘Mühlsteinweg’ in Frankenhain with a visit to the quarry of MKW Mitteldeutsche Hartstein-, Kies- und Mischwerke GmbH
- Guided tour of the brownstone mill and presentation of the cooperation with the Thuringian Forest Biosphere Reserve
We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone who provided us with intensive support on site or behind the scenes, thereby demonstrating their solidarity with the Geopark Thuringia Inselsberg - Drei Gleichen.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the UNESCO evaluators Prof. Dr Xiaochi JIN and Dr Ivàn Cortijo Sànchez for their positive feedback on the visit and their valuable suggestions for further improving the UNESCO Global Geopark Thuringia Inselsberg - Drei Gleichen.
We mastered the visit together and now it's time to keep our fingers crossed for the continuation of the UNESCO title!
Photos: Peter Rohde, Marion Oehme, Ivàn Cortijo Sànchez, Mauro Alivernini
More photos can be found on the Geopark's Facebook and Instagram channels.