Fresh ideas in the fresh air of the Richtsberg area of Marburg.
Marburg shines with its historical Upper Town, boasting the Philipps University, the oldest existing protestant-founded university in the world. The townscape in Marburg with more than 80,000 inhabitants is very lively and is characterised by its 23,000-plus students.
In the university town of Marburg, there are - under the care of the municipal technical services of urban green spaces, environment and nature - 68 playgrounds and 26 further play areas in schools, open for use by the public after school hours.
The sporting town of Marburg – diversity which moves and connects! Marburg pushes forward the image of “Sporting Town of Marburg”, with good reason. Grassroots sports and performance sports are made possible because of all its excellent sporting facilities. Forty-four types of sports are offered in 132 clubs and associations. The town has a German Football Association Football High Performance Centre, and a skate-park which is used by young people from the whole region - the list of examples is endless.
Fitness Trail
In the Richtsberg district there is now another opportunity to enjoy sport and play: a fitness path. Always open-minded and innovative - just like with the first planet trail in the world - the town council (here the technical services “urban planning” and “urban green spaces”) has generously extended the options to include the topic of nutrition, exercise and health in the Richtsberg district. In line with the trend for more health awareness, exercise and fitness outdoors, the town has pioneered the field and realised - alongside a 1.4 kilometre forest track in Richtsberg, which had been used for a long time - the Nordic Wellness Concept of Lappset, a complete fitness path. Equipment such as an air walker, cross trainer, twister and stretch accompany all the joggers and walkers on their path and offer a synchronised, overall activation of the muscle groups. The usage is independent of age, body size, weight or fitness level as the equipment, with its flexible parts, automatically adjusts to the respective body weight by counter balancing. As a result, there is always a new challenge in store for every user. “The exercises are intuitive and familiar, and explanatory signposts give additional, helpful details. The Norwell equipment is, of course, certified by the TÜV,” explains Ulrich Scheffler, Lappset Spiel-, Park-, Freizeitsysteme GmbH (which deals with play, park and leisure systems).
The design of the equipment with its universal curved shapes is typically Scandinavian and puristic; it combines appealing aesthetics with simple functions. The consistent positive feedback from people, even after such short a period of time, clearly shows how much appeal there is for people to do something for their own fitness in the fresh air, around the clock, every day and without being tied to fitness studios, completely according to their own desire and mood. Very quickly small groups form together, so a trail appears integrative. Focal points are “cardiovascular circulation” equipment for maintaining and increasing fitness and stamina, “balance” equipment for coordination and balance, “strength” equipment for the training of individual muscle areas and “flexibility” equipment for the increase of the body’s resilience and muscular elasticity. So there is something for everyone and, even after a short period of time, you notice your own increased performance.
“The Trim Trail is an essential element of measures which were realised in a strip of woodland between the individual residential areas under the topic of ‘Health and Exercise’ and ‘what we know about our environment’.
The official inauguration was on 5 April 2011. As it has been several months since the trail was created, it can now be stated unequivocally: The Trim Trail has really taken off, is being used intensively and is praised by all users. Young and old, women with their children, senior citizens – they are all enjoying getting exercise. The P.E. lessons of various school classes take place here because the equipment is on a dimensioned circuit, on which endurance sports can be played. The whole thing is a complete success!” says Dr. Heinrich Scherer, Magistrate of the Town of Marburg, Technical Services 61 Urban Planning.
In Bonn, a particularly creative combination of a pump track and a bowl is currently being built, which is also designed for WCMX riders (wheelchair motocross athletes) to enable inclusive participation.
The term urban sport has become widely used in recent years and basically stands for sporting activities in an urban environment. Most of the sports and types of exercise that fall under this category were originally practised directly in the...
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