"Water moves mountains": new national park exhibition opened at Königssee
The Bavarian Minister for the Environment, Thorsten Faithr, in the presence of National Park Director Dr. Roland Baier, deputy Ulrich Brendel and around 60 invited guests the new, interactive national park information point on St. Bartholomä am Königssee. Under the title "Water moves mountains", the exhibition in the historic Jägerhaus accompanies a drop of water on its journey from the clouds above the summit of the Watzmann down over snow, ice, rock and through the Eisbach to the Königssee. The Ministry of the Environment, the Water Management Office and the Eva Mayr-Stihl Foundation invested 600,000 euros in the redesign, and the idea and implementation came from the UNIKATUM planning office in Leipzig.
The modern exhibition clearly shows the power and dynamics of the water in the Berchtesgaden National Park with numerous interactive elements. At the opening of the information point, Bavaria's Environment Minister Thorsten Faithr emphasized: "The Berchtesgaden National Park offers top-class environmental education in the midst of unique nature. The new information point on St. Bartholomä is a further enrichment. St. Bartholomä is a visitor hotspot in the Berchtesgaden National Park. Up to 700,000 people come here by boat across the Königssee every year to experience the spectacular nature. With information and visitor guidance, we ensure that nature in the national park is valued and protected. The new information point with the exhibition focus on water shows: water is life. For people, animals and nature in the national park. We have to guard this great treasure - in the national park and outside.”
National Park Director Dr. Roland Baier explained the content of the new exhibition and its importance for the idea of the national park: “Water forms landscapes according to its own laws. In a national park, the protection of these natural processes is the top priority and our new exhibition impressively shows the formative power of water in the various habitats and altitudes of the national park". The exhibition also takes up the topics of flood protection and the regulating human intervention in the dynamics of the water at various stations. In the outdoor area, elaborately designed play stations supplement the content of the exhibition: In the "avalanche course", guests learn about the importance of an intact mixed mountain forest for protection against sliding masses of snow. In the "water cycle" families can recreate the cycle of a drop of water in the form of large wooden balls through evaporation, condensation and precipitation. The existing information point in the historic wooden room was also renovated as part of the redesign and is now showing a new film by nature filmmaker Jan Haft entitled “Wonderful World of Water in the Berchtesgaden National Park” in a rustic ambience.
From May to October, the new national park information center on St. Bartholomä am Königssee is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., from November to April daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Employees of the national park are on site during opening hours, admission is free.
Source: Press Release Nationalparkverwaltung Berchtesgaden
