15.10.2015 - Ausgabe: 5/2015

Sport in the open air: Fitness and exercise trail in Cologne green belt

By Dr. Joachim Bauer (Cologne City Office for Landscape Maintenance and Green Areas)

Lack of exercise and the death of the clubs – these are the pessimistic-sounding buzzwords used by health experts to describe the situation regarding Germans and their relationship with sport. A Zukunftsinstitut-led study examined the role and importance that play, sport and exercise will have in our society in the future. The results were surprising: Despite the much bemoaned couch-potato-clichés emanating from everywhere, our society has obviously never been as interested in sport and exercise as it is today. Yet sport will be viewed differently in the future: A new attitude towards life should be integrated into day-to-day routines. Of most significance for the world of sport in the 21^st century is the fact that it’s not about the right or wrong sport, nor is it a question of giving information about the correct or incorrect amount of exercise. Rather, it’s about making the most diverse facets of exercise opportunities available for people with special living conditions and their individual needs.

The “Sportivity” study provides insightful information regarding which sections of society are currently struggling with lack of exercise. An important factor appears to be our professional lives which are keeping us from sport – against our will. While young people and an ever increasing number of elderly people may enjoy a high degree of exercise, rigid working structures are forcing those of us between education and retirement into physical torpor. The future researchers do not believe that increasing the number of traditional corporate sports programmes is a solution to the problem; instead they believe that the solution lies in making work and sports culture more flexible. For example the “casual athlete”, someone for whom ad-hoc exercise and sport should be possible everywhere, is something which presents new challenges for public spaces, particularly in cities.

The city of Cologne has accepted this challenge.

 

Exercise in Cologne

The city of Cologne presides over a cohesive green system consisting of various open spaces. The city’s portfolio of cultivated green areas amounts to 2,800 ha. These green areas offer a multitude of potential uses for peaceful relaxation, as well as offer individual sport and exercise activities. Given that Cologne will continue to grow in the coming decades, the importance of these green areas for any sporting activities independent of clubs or associations will continue to rise. In order to improve upon the existing selection, a growing number of fitness and exercise trails have been created as a result of the active support of charitable donations and associations in recent years.

Cologne green areas saw the introduction of various trim trails, each furnished with different pieces of apparatus, as early as the 1970s during the get fit “fad”. Over the years individual pieces of equipment have been removed one after another without new pieces being installed to replace them. Only the Lindenthaler area trim trail in the outer green belt remains from the various original facilities up until a few years ago.

 However, this facility, which is situated in a wooded area, continued to pose repeated challenges to the office for landscape maintenance and green areas. One consideration was that the equipment was still actively used by joggers, while its poor condition meant that the cost involved in keeping it in good, safe working order was high. The removal of the exercise trail was not politically viable, however, so it was necessary to continue carrying out the most urgent repairs in order to keep the facility in good working order.

The trim trail was also so popular because it lay right next to a high-traffic jogging route, which, at the end of the 1990s, was featured around the Decksteiner Weiher in the outer green belt by the then President of the Cologne region, Franz-Josef Antwerpes. An investigation and survey by the German Sport University Cologne in 2006 proved that the popularity and attraction of the jogging track means that it is used at all times of the day all year round.[1] This ten-kilometre-long circuit and an additional five-kilometre-long circuit in the north of Cologne are, until now, the only routes which have been officially recognised by the city using signposts and kilometre markers. Furthermore, in the vicinity of the Müngersdorfer sport park there is an approx. three kilometre-long lit-up jogging route currently in the planning stages. Despite the dearth of officially recognised running paths, the city of Cologne’s connected green system offers ample and diverse opportunities for individuals to run.    

In 2011 Mr Matthias Scherz, former professional footballer with 1. FC Köln, approached Cologne city council with the goal of creating an exercise trail for young adults and children, which would use the motto “fit, not fat”. The aim of the trail would be to act as a preventative measure against lack of exercise and to avoid ill health.[2] In discussions with the City Council it was established that a link between the planned installation and a pre-existing running track could substantially improve the city’s sports and exercise amenities. At first it was envisaged that the old trim trail could simply be upgraded. However, the location of the trail in a wooded area and the invasive work that would be required in the trees’ root areas led them to opt for a new location for the trail right next to the running track on existing grassland. The equipment which was selected for the site followed close consultation with the German Sport University Cologne. The goal was to create a new training opportunity for children and young people, as well as all other users of the running track, whilst also taking into consideration modern aspects of sports research. The concept was prepared in close collaboration with the German Sport University Cologne and the Cologne city office for landscape and maintenance and green areas, and developed by the Matthias-Scherz-Verein. The opening of the new trail, which cost €48,000 in total, took place in March 2012.

 

Well received by citizens

The new facility was a welcome development for citizens from the very first day, so the call for an additional site in the outer green belt area duly followed close on its heels. The Kölner Grün Stiftung (Cologne Green Foundation) took up this wish and provided the necessary finance for a second exercise trail.[3] The entire planning process and construction management was the responsibility of the Cologne City Office for Landscape Maintenance and Green Areas for this project. There were several potential locations for the new facility. Ultimately the site which was chosen did justice to the specific layout of the protected outer green belt, while being able to simultaneously enjoy a meaningful integration into the running track round the Decksteiner Weiher.

Both exercise trails are situated at the beginning and halfway round the running track. The concept for the new exercise trail took its cue from the first facility; however, it was expanded to include training modules for the upper-body musculature, arm pulls and chin-ups. In June 2013 the Kölner Grün Stiftung facility, which cost €57,000 in total to construct, was officially handed over to the public. Since then it has regularly been reported upon by Cologne print media that “…from 10:00am on a Sunday all of the equipment is in use.”[4] With the support of the Kölner Grün Stiftung long-lasting replacements for both the route markers and guidance signage on the ten-kilometre-long path were created. The new markers were produced in-house by the Cologne City Office for Landscape Maintenance and Green Areas.

Only a year down the line – thanks to donations from Kölner Grün Stiftung once again – a fitness trail could be built in Beethovenpark in Köln-Lindenthal, and a park was created in the Merheimer heath, which lies on the right-hand side of the Rhine in Köln-Höhenberg. As the idea of the existing exercise trails had proven such a success and had also been the subject of particular praise by athletes, the training concept was applied with a somewhat modified collection of equipment for both sites. Each site was equipped with a slackline facility to complement the existing amenities.

These slackline facilities were developed over several years and in several stages in close collaboration with the Institute for Outdoor Sports and Ecology, part of the German Sport University Cologne.[5] Based on various research papers which dealt with the new (at that time) sport in great detail, a pilot site was constructed first in the inner green belt. Using the practical experiences of the sport university employees, adjustable wood planks were attached to available trees, protecting the tree trunks from damage due to the slackline. The positive reception for the first facility and the fact that, by that point, Cologne municipal rules prohibited the affixing of straps to trees, would lead to a further development of the first slackline site.

The goal was to offer an attractive option for this sport trend without involving existing trees. This was catalyst for the creation of a special post made by their own metalworking and joinery departments. It consists of a steel core surrounded by wooden slats. In selected locations there are, generally, five of these posts set up at varying distances from one another on a meadow area in order to create varying degrees of difficulty. These sites are supplemented with information boards which contain useful information for the beginner.[6] The location of the sites and the arrangement of the posts was agreed upon in close collaboration with the Institute for Outdoor Sports and Ecology.

An additional fitness and exercise trail is currently being built which will offer athletes in Cologne an even more comprehensive suite of options, while simultaneously appealing to all age groups. This is again being realised with the support of the Kölner Grün Stiftung. The new facility is situated in a central position in the inner green belt. As the largest green area in the inner city area, the inner green belt has an important recreational role for the city’s population and, in particular, for the residents of the densely-populated Cologne city centre and bordering neighbourhoods. The inner green belt also offers manifold opportunities for customised running tracks thanks to its dimensions.

The area situated between the Venloer and Vogelsanger Strasse is a focal point for sport and play for children and young people, in particular. This part of the city now has plenty to offer the recreational sportsperson. There are already street-ball and tennis courts, as well as table tennis tables and football pitches. One of the first new slackline parks was installed here, too, and has been keenly adopted. The existing diverse sport and play opportunities should be meaningfully complemented by the fitness and exercise trail.

As the entire green belt is identified as a memorial and conservation area, the location of the site had to be carefully selected and authorisation in accordance with § 9 of the preservation order of North Rhine-Westfalia and exemption from landscape conservation had to be obtained. Finally, the relevant district administration had to agree to the construction of the new facility.

 

Conception

As a result of its central location and the different, pre-existing sport and play opportunities, the concept for the new facility planned to create something to offer all age groups, with a wide variety of sporting challenges. These specifications would eventually lead to the facility being designed to be nearly twice as large as those facilities that had hitherto been upgraded in the outer green belt area. The total manufacturing costs were correspondingly higher at approx. €115,000.

The fitness programme available with the equipment (by manufacturers Playparc and Lappset) provides users with the opportunity to train their motor skills and mobilisation, which is ideally suited for more mature users. The equipment enables targeted training for the movement of the upper body, shoulders and arms. Immediately adjacent is a selection of different pieces of equipment for all age groups to help train co-ordination skills. The fitness facilities for athletes are rounded off by additional equipment designed to train co-ordination, albeit without handrails. It was previously already possible to do strength training for all muscle groups in two pre-existing fitness areas. The equipment and facility in the inner green belt was made possible thanks to a donation made by the private brewer Reissdorf in 2010, and has been used intensively ever since. Next to these two sets of equipment, an area for athletics, which challenges even ambitious athletes, has been installed. The new fitness and exercise trail combines various training areas and a combination of various pieces of equipment to offer athletes the opportunity to constantly expand their skills.

The individual sport areas are linked to one another by paths alongside waterways. In the centre of the complex is a recreational area with benches, which is used as a meeting point for the athletes and as somewhere to store jackets and bags. The safety and fall protection areas surrounding the equipment are formed using woodchips.

Preparation for the planning and conception of this complex, as well as the subsequent construction management on site was carried out by employees of the Office for Landscape Maintenance and Green spaces. The city is responsible for the planning autonomy. This is a fundamental principle of the long-standing and constructive collaboration with the Kölner Grün Stiftung. The necessary construction measures were implemented by the Office for Landscape Maintenance and Green Spaces’ GalaBau apprentices. Procurement of the sport equipment and construction materials is handled by the Kölner Grün Stiftung. Once the facility has been transferred to the athletes, the Office for Landscape Maintenance and Green Spaces takes over responsibility for the ongoing care and maintenance of the equipment. Within the framework of its playground inspection role, the Office also ensures that the equipment is still fit for purpose. It was for this reason that, besides sporting suitability, the question of maintenance was the most important consideration when it came to selecting the equipment.

 

As a direct result of the excellent feedback for the fitness and exercise trails installed up till now, and taking into account how they have been so well received by athletes, local citizens’ associations have ‒ in addition to the Kölner Grün Stiftung ‒ financed individual pieces of equipment or smaller facilities in different neighbourhoods in the city. These local facilities are also constructed with the help of the Office for Landscape Maintenance and Green Spaces, and are later passed into their care for maintenance purposes.

 

Conclusion and outlook

A unifying factor for all fitness and exercise trails that have been constructed in Cologne to date is, however, that location and accessibility are decisive in determining to what degree a facility will be accepted by sports enthusiasts. Until now the situation has oriented itself towards existing and intensively-used jogging routes in order to ensure that the trails are well received. Should the opportunity arise to invest in additional fitness and exercise trails via the Kölner Grün Stiftung or other donors, a precise analysis of potential locations will be required. A stronger link, for example, with existing sport institutions and sport initiatives is also conceivable. It is in this context that the city’s Sports Department and the Office for Landscape Maintenance and Green Spaces have made contact with the German Sports University of Cologne’s Institute for Outdoor Sports and Ecology. The goal of future collaboration would be to bring together the scientific knowledge from the university and the practical and site-specific experience of both offices in order to improve the recreational sport opportunities in Cologne’s green spaces in the long term.

 

Photo: Dr. Joachim Bauer (City of Cologne)