Dirk Waterman (Nature Park), Oliver Schmidt (Volksbank Schlangen), Friedel Heuwinkel (Chief of the Lippe district), Wolfgang Hackauf (Volksbank Schlangen) and Henning Schwarze (INTEWO) during the presentation of the new flyer
With the beginning of this year’s hiking season a new edition of the Nature Park brochure “Hiking trail in Schlangen” has been published. The circular hiking route in the village of Schlangen is providing good insights and great views in the diverse landscapes of the Nature Park Teutoburger Wald / Eggegebirge.
With a length of 21 km the hiking tour is surrounding the village of Schlangen with its two districts, Kohlstädt and Oesterholz-Haustenbeck. On its way the tour is touching the Sennelandschaft, a unique nature reserve in North Rhine-Westphalia, continues into the forests of the Teutoburger Wald, finally climbing up to the Eggegebirge mountain range. One can discover the natural and cultural heritage of the area, while trekking on this challenging route.
Design and cartography has been implemented by INTEWO | World Habitat Society GmbH. The production of 10.000 copies has received funds from the Nature Park administration and from the Volksbank in Schlangen. The brochure is available for free in the tourist information center in Schlangen and at various tourist attractions in the region.
"touristinfo2go" - an innovative concept to provide tourist information
INTEWO | World Habitat Society GmbH has developed a new, innovative tourist information system for the project “Exquisite Nature” in the Hoexter district, Germany.
At so-called “Gates into the region” a wealth of information about the European natural heritage in the Hoexter district will be provided. Made of solid wood and equipped with high quality printed information elements (nature photography, maps) the new information desk installations are real eye-catchers at their respective locations, e.g. being an integral part of existing tourist information centers.
The central element of the information desk is an embedded iPad, hosting an exclusive application for the „Exquisite Nature“, providing a range of multimedia information. In addition to texts, news, events and galleries, in particular videos, audio stories and interactive maps are providing an innovative multimedia experience and offer impressive insights into the project. The self-explanatory handling of the iPad provides easy access to information for the visitors. Integrated sound showers ensure the audio experience.
Further more, tourists and visitors to the “Exquisite Nature” can download an application for personal iPads or iPhones for free. This can be done at home in preparation to a visit or with the use of QR-Codes being at a one of the information desks, which provide a free WiFi network. This enables tourists to have their “personal guide” and access to information, wherever and whenever needed. The application, with support of the GPS system, is providing orientation on detailed maps and offers multimedia location-based-services, for the various nature reserves and attractions. The comprehensive range of digital information is stored offline in the application, to avoid additional costs from tariff rates and poor 3G networks in remote areas.
The modern and technologically advanced tourist portal, a combination of traditional and innovative information sources, enhances the professional capability, visibility and service. Barrier free, multi touch experience, live information and multimedia data are all integrated aspects of this visionary concept. Finally this will enhance the visitor experience, and at the same time boost young and old people’s enthusiasm for understanding their surroundings in a way that is both fun and instructive. “Gates into the region” have been installed at seven locations within the “Exquisite Nature” region.
