Treewalk Panarbora with timber observation tower

360° view of the wide countryside

Client: Deutsches Jugendherbergswerk Landesverband Rheinland e.V., Düsseldorf

Year of construction: 2014/2015

Execution: Schaffitzel Holzindustrie GmbH + Co. KG, Schwäbisch Hall

Planning: Tom Ahrens, ahrens & eggemann, Wiehl

Construction: Main structure built of vertical glulam columns

Dimensions:
Diameter: 18 m to 12 m
Height: 40 m

Length of the treewalk: 1.635 m

Our services: Consultancy in wood construction, cooperation with design planning and approval planning - comparable with service phases 2-5 according to German HOAI

Description:

The treewalk and the timber observation tower with a height of 40 meters are the main attraction of the recently opened nature park Panarbora in Waldbröl near Cologne.

The treewalk consists of girder bridge and trough bridge elements with lengths of up to 20 meters. The height of the path goes from 4 meters in the beginning to 24 meters when the circular path finally leads into the timber observation tower. By the varying height of the path different vegetation zones of the forest are experienced.

After passing the treewalk the 40 meter high timber tower can be ascended. On the top there is a platform with a diameter of 12 meters from which the view into the wide countryside can be enjoyed. Two circular arrangements of each 12 vertical glulam columns form the main construction. These are protected from weathering by a lateral cladding of spruce three-layer-plates and a titanium zinc cover on the top.

With a length of more than 1.600 meters the treewalk Panarbora belongs to the longest treewalks in Germany. Moreover, both treewalk and timber tower are wheelchair accessible.