geschichte.pfad
Historischer Wanderweg Sand
von Manfred Dasbach und Udo Harler
Kapitel 14
Der Lerbacher Wald
Seiten 40 - 42
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"geschichte.pfad Historischer Wanderweg Sand"
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 14: Lerbach ForestIn the beginning in the 16th century a lot of settlements and enterprises sprung up in the County of Berg. The number of farmyards and business enterprises increased to an astonishing degree. The wood from the local forests was used as building material and also provided the necessary energy. As early as the beginning of the 17th century there were complaints that the “bushes” were full of fortification lines formed by felled trees and that it was necessary to buy charcoal from abroad. In 1834 the County of Berg was described as follows: “Either the hilltops are deforested or they are covered with heather and small, crippled birch trees”. It was only in the mid 19th century that a gradual reforestation program set in which was brought about by government subsidies paid by the Prussian State. In the middle of what is today Lerbach Forest and for quite a long time there were several estates as well as ore mines and other business enterprises. Compact woodlands as we know them today were unknown in those days. Towards the end of the 19th century Richard and Anna Zanders bought Lerbach Manor. |
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In doing so they also became the owners of the forests of Lerbach and Gronau as they exist today. It was there that they later built the well-known garden settlement for the workers and the employees of their factories. Lerbach Forest however, was reforested on a big scale. It is not known if they received subsidies from Prussia for doing so. Their main concern was not landscape conservation or regional recreation: the trees were to provide the necessary raw material for paper-making in case of emergency. Fortunately the firm later opened up other sufficient sources so that the forest was preserved unharmed. After the death of her husband Anna Zanders liked to go for regular walks here.
In this quarry Richard Zanders was found lethally wounded by his own weapon in 1906. It was never publically established if he took his own life or if it was an accident.
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The upright stone in front of the bench on the edge of Lerbach forest was intended to mark the geographic centre of Bergisch Gladbach after its merger with Bensberg in 1975. In reality its place should be about a hundred meters further in the middle of the pasture. But as it would then be inaccessible to walkers in street shoes it now stands here by the way side.
When it was unveiled it caused quite a stir in the local press because the city centre of Bergisch Gladbach had been deprived of its central position by a small suburb.
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