Tourist-Info Schöningen now also information point for the Geopark
Schöningen, 22 June 2018. Information material about the Geopark Harz. Brunswick Land. Ostfalen has been around for some time in the voluntary tourist information office of the city of Schöningen. But now the point of contact for tourists and locals is also the official information point of the Geopark.
Today, office manager Dr. Henning Zellmer presented mayor Henry Bäsecke and the chairwoman of the Schöningen Transport Association To Elke Stern with the corresponding sign, which is now installed in the entrance area. “The region’s tourist potential can be exploited much more strongly through joint marketing as a UNESCO Global Geopark,” says Zellmer. “I am all the more pleased that Schöningen now offers another information point in addition to the paleon.” The Schöninger Speere Paleon Research and Experience Centre has been a Geopark information centre since 2013.
The Geopark Harz. Brunswick Land. Ostfalen is a 9,650 square metre area with an astonishing geological, historical and cultural diversity and a variety of attractions. It is the largest geopark in Germany. Schöningen is a member of the Geopark Trägerverein, whose aim is to network the individual attractions in the Geopark beyond municipal boundaries and thus to develop attractive day or weekend tours.
“The tourist information on Burgplatz is now expanding its offer by another milestone,” agree Mayor Henry Bäsecke and Elke Stern.
The tours are based on a so-called landmark concept. This is a special comprehensive information system aimed at both visitors and locals: a prominent point (= landmark) is the name of one of the 34 sub-areas of the nearly 10,000 square kilometres of geopark. Around it, various “points of interest” (monuments, outcrops, show mines, museums, educational trails, etc.) are grouped around each landmark, which can be explored on one-day or multi-day tours. The basic idea is to work out and present the connections between animated and inanimate nature as well as the culture and history of a region in a general way. The Geopark thus makes a significant contribution to regional identity. The integration of the Geopark into the European and UNESCO Geopark networks ensures a transfer of information on regional cultural assets to other European countries and beyond.
The Tourist-Information Schöningen (Burgplatz 2) is available to all interested parties on Wednesdays from 3 pm to 5 pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 12 pm.
Press contact City of Schöningen
Anke Grundmann, phone 05352.512 196, mail: anke.grundmann@schoeningen.de