World record in the Franconian Forest: Huge suspension bridges are supposed to attract tourists!

World record in the Franconian Forest: Huge suspension bridges are supposed to attract tourists!

In Upper Franconia, a spectacular construction project is to change the landscape: The planned Frankenwaldbrücken over the Höllental between Lichtenberg and Issigau would like to lure tourists to the region. These two pedestrian suspension bridges, the Höllentalbrücke with a length of 1,030 meters and the Lohbachtal Bridge with 387 meters, are to be the longest of its kind worldwide. The project, which was initiated in 2016, has now overcome a crucial hurdle due to a coordination in the district council of Hof. With 38 to 20 votes, the construction was decided, which District Administrator Oliver Bär (CSU) sees as an important step to revive the region. The Bavarian state government is also planning to support the project with 70 percent of the eligible costs from the "Röfe" funding pot, such as "https://www.merkur.de/bayern/nuernberg/in-bayern-weltweit-laengaenger-haengega-entsteht-93446176.html"> merkur.de reported.

Despite the euphoric reports about possible 300,000 visitors per year and upward trends in the regional economy, the voices of the critics are loud. Fees such as the environmental associations BUND and LBV have strong concerns. They warn that the planned bridges could endanger nature conservation in the Höllental by promoting mass tourism and negative ecological effects. These concerns rely on the fear that the sensitive slope gorges for which the bridges are supposed to run could be destroyed by higher number of visitors. Critics fear that the natural landscape could become a mere backdrop for tourists, such as reported.