Weiherpark Eppingen

Planorama Landschaftsarchitektur ：Over the summer of 2022, the idyllic half-timbered town of Eppingen in the Kraichgau region hosted the Baden-Württemberg Garden Show. Initiated by the garden show, a contemporary park close to the center was created for the citizens and visitors, which is characterized by a high diversity of design and use for all age groups. The sustainable concept created lasting elements that provide positive impulses for the quality of life, the social environment, the infrastructure and the urban climate in Eppingen. The approximately 5-hectare site already refers to the historical context through its course along the former city wall: the green structures of floodplain areas and kitchen gardens that were once so typical for Eppingen and located in front of the old city become visible and tangible again through the design. By cleverly connecting the sprawling areas, a continuous green park band was designed along the old town, which repeatedly widens out to the renaturalized streambed of the Elsenz. In addition to generous recreational spaces, this also created the long-desired, direct access to the water. By freeing the Elsenz and Hilsbach from their narrow, straightened corset and renaturalizing them, the lost relationship of the stream courses to their floodplains is restored and ecologically valuable retreats are created. The redesigned open space is accentuated by taking historical references into account, while climate and sustainability requirements are integrated into the concept as a matter of course. The permanent facility can be roughly divided into three areas: the so-called “Bachwegle” in the west, the centrally located Weiherpark and the estuary area of the Hilsbach and Elsenz rivers in the east. These very differently designed sub-areas are connected barrier-free by the new old town promenade. In the “Bachwegle” area, restored allotment garden structures along the old city wall bear witness to the former importance of supplying fruit and vegetables close to the city. Spacious park meadows extend to the Elsenz River with its now flat, green banks. In the “Weiherpark” (pond park), the heart of the area was created at the foot of the Gründerzeit station building with the new town pond including fountain. The large wooden terrace flanking the pond provides an appropriate stage for the magnificent half-timbered panorama of Epingen. A special detail was created at the site of the former mill canal, which diverted water from the Elsenz to power the town mill. For about 290 meters, 14 individually shaped fountains made of Portuguese granite line the old town promenade, recalling this historic element. Sometimes splashing, sometimes calmly reflecting, each of the fountains displays a different water feature. The large water playground on the edge of the old town also provides cooling and action. To the east of the “Weiherpark”, the confluence of the Hilsbach and Elsenz rivers has been given its own water feature by widening the estuary.