Study tour in Witzenhausen: ancient cherry varieties, majestic greenhouses and inspiration at every turn

Living up to our mission, the Romanian group opted for an economical, low-emission bus ride, and the Czech group agreed on a pleasant and environmentally-friendly overnight sleeper train ride via Vienna and Göttingen.

The majestic greenhouses of Göttingen and progressive Kassel

On Sunday morning, the Czech group visited the unique old botanical garden in the centre of Göttingen. We explored the historic and diverse plant collections, which emphasise the role of botanical research in preserving biodiversity and researching the effects of climate change. The tour highlighted the institution's commitment to maintaining a balance between historical preservation and cutting-edge research.

In the afternoon, the Czech group met up with Romanian group. Together, they visited the tropical greenhouses of the University of Kasselwhose plant collection is mainly focussed on the useful plants of the tropics and subtropics. 

On a guided tour through the picturesque Witzenhausen we then saw historic squares, old half-timbered houses that have been renovated in line with building regulations and the historic town wall from the Middle Ages, among other things..

Monday's programme started with lectures by Dr. Martin Wiehle on the activities, training opportunities and collaborations of the University of Kassel and Faculty 11 at the local Witzenhausen site. The site has long been a centre for innovation and research dedicated to the most pressing challenges in the field of sustainable agricultural and food systems. Climate manager Jürgen Binning and city councillor Reiner Winkler officially welcomed the guests and then gave their audience many detailed insights into the local climate protection management of the city and district.

This programme was followed by a visit tothe Hessian State Domain in Frankenhusen. It has been the teaching and experimental farm of the University of Kassel since 1998 and is an example of a transparent, model farm for sustainable agricultural practices. As a teaching and research facility, it supports interdisciplinary teaching, practical training and cutting-edge research. Its objectives include resource-conserving food production, the promotion of biodiversity and consideration of the socio-economic aspects of agriculture in times of climate change.

Tuesday was reserved for excursions to Kassel. First, we visited EMD Intenational, a company involved in planning and developing the use of renewable energy sources, especially wind and solar energy; EMD is also developing new technologies for heat storage. 

We then moved on to a very interesting excursion to the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy Systems Technolog IEE, where we got their first insights into application-oriented research. At the Stadt Kassel Academy we enjoyed a lecture and a subsequent long discussion with Katharina Nießner and Wibke de Boer, the two climate change adaptation managers in Kassel. 

In the end, we visited the current exhibition ‘Shaping Change’ in the SDG+ Lab of the University of Kassel. It deals with the question of how to successfully initiate change in the immediate environment and how everyone can interactively educate themselves sustainably.

Kassel as an inspiration for Hodonín

The Kassel programme was particularly appreciated by Tereza Kleiner, who is responsible for urban greenery in Hodonín. 

"For my work, a programme oriented more towards adaptation topics for the urban landscape is beneficial. That's why I really appreciated the programme in Kassel, where we met with climate protection managers and discussed their approaches and contribution to a 'greener' city," Tereza Kleiner says.

What Tereza Kleiner appreciated most was the visit to the UNI:Lokal centre. The University of Kassel uses this exhibition space in the city centre to raise awareness of important issues. When we visited Kassel, the exhibition focused on climate change and how to adapt to it.

"I found this visit very inspiring precisely because of its overlap with the citizens of the city. It is one of the themes in my work, how to work with the public, how to inform them, educate them, how to involve them in issues," says Tereza Kleiner.

The City of Hodonín is addressing these topics both in the context of concepts and investments in public spaces and, increasingly, of climate change. That is why, in cooperation with the Partnership Foundation and People in Need, the City of Hodonín is developing its adaptation strategy for climate change.

"The visit to the UNI:Lokal centre was thus an impulse for me to see how we could also work with the outputs of the strategy," says Tereza Kleiner.

Lectures, sustainable agriculture and inventive glamping

The Wednesday morning programme was filled with lectures by university professors Hubertus Hofman and Thomas van Elsen on sustainable forest, agricultural and waste management, new developments in organic farming, nature conservation, and sustainable land use.

In the afternoon, we visited the Grüner Bote organic horticulture farm, which produces and distributes healthy local food for the wider region. The evening programme ended with a visit to Berlepsch Castle and the nearby unique treetop accommodation Robins Nest.

Thursday's programme was again reserved for a full day excursion. At the large farm Eichhof near Bad Hersfeld, we had the opportunity to learn about field research on the yield of fast-growing tree species for wood production and special plant varieties for higher biomass production for agricultural biogas plants. A practical example of such an operation was a local livestock farm connected to a modern biogas plant.

"At Eichof, our aim is to combine the best of forestry and agriculture and thus successfully advise agricultural businesses in the long term, while at the same time meeting the growing market and research needs for renewable raw materials and innovations in this area." they say.

Cherry at the end

The last day started with a trip to the Werragut organic farm, where we learned about sustainable farming with direct sales on the farm and large-scale agroforestry. In the village of Wendershausen, Mr. Eberhard Walther and his colleague gave us a tour of the experimental cherry orchards, planted a tree and also tasted cherry cider.

Back in Witzenhausen, we finished the study trip in the evening with an evaluation workshop and a dinner together. The Czech group returned by overnight train to Vienna and then to South Moravia, while the participants from Temesvár, Romania, and the surrounding area had a nearly two-day journey home.