Naturwinkel Hickengrund

The Biological Station Siegen-Wittgenstein, one of 40 similar stations in North Rhine-Westphalia, was founded in 1990 by the “Verein zur Förderung der Zusammenarbeit zwischen Umweltschutz and Landwirtschaft im Kreis Siegen-Wittgenstein e. V.“, a regional association dedicated to promoting cooperation with the agricultural community in environmental protection matters. The purpose of the association is to preserve valuable habitats for rare and endangered species of flora and fauna, and to ensure the diversity of the cultivated landscape. The remit includes species protection, supervision of contractual conservation agreements and conservation areas, scientific and advisory activities and environment-related public relations and education.

The Biological Station acts as a link between farmers, environmental protection volunteers and the conservation authorities. The sponsoring organisation consists of representatives from various conservation groups, farming associations and the District Administration of Siegen-Wittgenstein.

An orchard meadow on HERING-Stiftung’s site in Burbach-Holzhausen provides a learning and meeting space for visitors to engage with and experience the region’s natural and cultivated landscape. In addition to the orchard meadow, a small pond and a vegetable garden will also be created. The site is intended as an extra-curricular learning space where visitors can discover, research and experiment, with an emphasis on active participation.

• Optimisation of the outdoor location in Holzhausen as a natural setting with structural diversity
• Promotion of biodiversity on the outdoor site
• Establishment of a learning and meeting space
• Drafting of various environmental and environmental protection education programmes
• Encouraging children and young people to understand nature better and raising their awareness of the importance of biodiversity
• Performance of a feasibility study and evaluation of a self-supporting out-of-school learning space

The purpose of the extra-curricular learning and meeting space Naturwinkel Hickengrund is to promote biodiversity in rural settlements and improve young people’s understanding of nature through various educational programmes.
The programmes are designed to supplement everyday school lessons and can also be integrated into them. Visitors to the Naturwinkel can gain first-hand experience of certain topics and, at the same time, more awareness of correlations within nature.
The emphasis is on a shared learning experience.

Off to the meadow and into the garden!
The Naturwinkel Hickengrund is situated between the villages of Holzhausen and Niederdresselndorf in the community of Burbach. Various educational models are offered here throughout the year, on subjects such as the biodiverse hay meadow, the vegetable garden, the small pond and the orchard meadow.

1. Biodiverse hay meadow
We research the diversity of insects, microorganisms and wild herbs in the meadow, and learn which herbs are edible.

2. Vegetable garden
In this module, you will learn how important good soil is for a rich harvest, and why diversity is also a key to success here. Gain first-hand experience of how compost works, planting vegetables and processing them.

3. Small pond
Which animals need water as their habitat, and which of them also like meadows and woods? Find out at the pond on the site.

4. Orchard meadow
We will watch the fruit growing in the orchard meadow, then pick and process it – at the same time, we will find out about the various species of animals and plants that live here, too.