The odyssey of the bike park at Kornberg seems to have no end. At the end of 2017, the municipalities involved and the districts of Hof and Wunsiedel voted in favour of the Construction of a bike park on the Großer Kornberg in the north-east of the Fichtelgebirge. The eastern side of the 827 metre high mountain between Hof, Selb and Wunsiedel has always served as a local recreation and skiing area, but was in danger of falling into disrepair due to the lack of winters. Plans were made to renovate the ageing Kornberghaus, prepare a T-bar lift for summer operation, a "magic carpet" (conveyor belt) to replace an old children's lift and, of course, various downhill runs. Almost all of these are innovations and conversions that are also used in winter when the snow conditions are good. However, the promising MTB project, which is subsidised by the Free State of Bavaria and includes a practice area, is still not finished in summer 2021. This is because the supporters of the bike park - such as the Fichtelgebirgsracer e. V. association and the DIMB Oberfranken, as well as local politicians, municipalities and tourism associations - have been repeatedly thwarted and obstructed by opponents. Even in the discussion and planning phase, before it was Green light for the construction of the bike park on the Kornberg gave.
Planning permission granted since 13 July - track construction to start in autumn
The opponents of the bike park - district groups of the Bund Naturschutz & Landesbund für Vogelschutz, individual members of the Fichtelgebirgsverein and, at the forefront, the "Ruhe für den Kornberg" initiative - repeatedly tried to stop the bike park. Delaying or even preventing the construction of the bike park. The renovation of the Kornberghaus, which is supposed to be the park's central meeting point, was significantly delayed. However, the construction work is now almost complete and a tenant is being sought. The access road has also been completed.
The Planning permission for the construction of the bike park trails was finally granted on 13 July 2021. But now the opponents, first and foremost the eight-strong "Peace for the Kornberg" initiative, are going all out and trying to stir up the local press with deliberately exaggerated facts and false reports. Behind the initiative is a small group of nature conservationists and hikers - all of them of an advanced age. They reject mountain bikers who "seek their thrills and ride down into the valley" and want peace and quiet on the Kornberg. The objection period against the planning permission ends on 13 August. Timo Späthling, chairman of the association, told us Fichtelgebirgsracer"The municipalities of Wunsiedel and Hof are fully behind the bike park. Everything was scrutinised several times and all opinions were heard during the lengthy planning phase." The further plan is for a trail construction company to start building the trails in autumn. The bike park could then finally open in spring 2022.
Opponents swing the environmental club and want to sue
But now both the Initiative as well as the Fichtelgebirgsverein (FGV) have announced that they even want to file a lawsuit. Specifically, the opponents are concerned on the one hand with the closed general ruling. The opponents would have liked it to stipulate that a section of the Franconian Mountain Trail would be completely closed to bikers. "The trail has not been closed for the last few decades and the co-operation worked really well," says Späthling. On the other hand, the bike park opponents are concerned about environmental aspects that have allegedly not been taken into account and the planning permission for the Wonder Carpet, which is already in place. The outcome is uncertain. It could well be, and from a biker's point of view it is to be hoped, that both complaints will be dismissed or not authorised. "I think it's a shame that the few people from the initiative could cause the whole project to fall through," says Marco Schwarzak, deputy spokesperson for DIMB Upper Franconia. And adds: "This will make the whole bike park more expensive and delay it further, which is the aim of the opponents. But it will definitely happen." The opponents are not engaging in personal dialogue, although Späthling and Schwarzak have tried several times. Instead, they feed the local press with their lurid, false facts. This annoys Schwarzak, who can refute most of the accusations with data. One example is the area of the park. "According to the initiative, the bike park will take up more than 20 hectares of land. That is simply wrong. The routes and trails cover just 1.53 hectares in total. Almost 70 per cent of the original area will be retained." In addition, the land consumption for the trails has resulted in a protected area of 1285 hectares (in the General ruling) was set. In other words, 840 times the area!
As was announced on 12 August, the Landesbund für Vogelschutz (LBV) has now also filed an appeal against the building permit with the Bayreuth Administrative Court. The conservationists' reasoning: the bike park planning permission granted by the Wunsiedel district office contains several significant procedural errors.
After all these gruelling years, we can only hope that the construction of the bike park will not be delayed any further and that the first bikers, children and riding technique courses will be able to ride the trails for the first time next spring. After all, the positive examples throughout Germany - e.g. in the Franconian Rhön, in Alzenau or in the Southern Palatinate - show that it is possible for hikers, bikers and other nature visitors to co-exist without any problems.
