Around 30 tourism professionals from southern Hesse explore Dornberg Castle, Kühkopf and Gernsheim – the goal is to provide better advice to guests
What destinations does the Groß-Gerau district offer for day trips? Where can you find interesting guided tours, special sights, or leisure activities? Around 30 tourism industry employees received answers to these questions during a training tour organized by the Darmstadt Rhine Main Neckar Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK).
This year's autumn tour, themed "From Castle to Harbor," through the Groß-Gerau district. It was jointly organized by the Darmstadt Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the district administration. Participants came from the Odenwald region, the Bergstrasse region, the Darmstadt area, and the Groß-Gerau district itself.
Discover tourist offers firsthand
With its regular training tours, the Darmstadt Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK Darmstadt) aims to support people who work with guests. The tours are specifically aimed at employees in hotels, restaurants, and tourist information centers, as well as holiday apartment owners.
They are frequently asked about excursion options and sights in the area. The training tours are therefore designed to provide them with practical information about tourist offers, guided tours, restaurants, and the local infrastructure.
The most recent tour focused on the Groß-Gerau district with its mix of historical buildings, nature experiences and cultural institutions.
Opening event at Dornberg Castle
The first stop was Dornberg Castle in Groß-Gerau. There, Dr. Stefan Hebenstreit, head of the district adult education center (KVHS), welcomed the participants and gave an insight into the history of the building.
He also presented various leisure activities available in the district. The flat landscape of the Rhine plain, in particular, offers excellent conditions for cycling tours.
The educational and event offerings of the district adult education center, which is located in Dornberg Castle, were also a topic of the tour.
Bettina Krauß, head of the department for politics, society, environment and voluntary work at the KVHS, then showed the escape room in the former forester's lodge.
The premises can be used for smaller celebrations and team-building events, among other things.
Nature and history on the Kühkopf
From Groß-Gerau, the tour continued to Kühkopf near Stockstadt on the Rhine. There, Susanne Brendle from the Bergstraße-Odenwald Geo-Nature Park, Ralph Baumgärtel from HessenForst, and Jörg Hartung, director of the Stockstadt Museum in the former administration building of the Guntershausen estate, welcomed the group.
Susanne Brendle began by introducing the Geo-Nature Park and its offerings. The Kühkopf, with its environmental education center, forms the western gateway to the UNESCO Bergstraße-Odenwald Geo-Nature Park.
Afterwards, the participants received insights into the exhibitions of the environmental education center Schatzinsel Kühkopf and the museum during two guided tours.
Topics discussed included life on the Rhine, the effects of high and low water levels, the development of the floodplain landscape, and the influence of humans on nature.
The history of Kühkopf and the Guntershausen estate was also explored. Other topics included historical events such as a Zeppelin emergency landing, as well as rotating special exhibitions.
Some participants were surprised to learn that Kühkopf, in addition to its nature and educational offerings, also provides opportunities for weddings and gastronomic visits.
End at Gernsheim harbor
After a lunch break at the Gernsheim ferry house at the harbor, the last leg led to the museum of the Schöffer town of Gernsheim.
There, Klaus Müller from the Art and Cultural History Association provided an insight into the history of the city on the Rhine and the various departments of the museum.
At the time of the visit, a traveling exhibition about the resistance fighter Georg Elser was also on display there. Elser had attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler in November 1939, but the attempt failed.
The exhibition complemented the museum's historical themes with an insight into the resistance against National Socialism.
New ideas for guest services
According to the organizers, the participants gave a positive assessment of the several-hour training tour.
They were able to explore various destinations in the Groß-Gerau district and gather information that they can pass on when advising their guests in the future.
The tour also highlighted the diverse range of tourist opportunities in the district – from historical buildings and nature experiences to museums and leisure activities.
(DISTRICT OF GROSS-GERAU – RED/PSKGG)
Featured image: Commemorative photo on the Kühkopf: Participants of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) training tour at the Guntershausen estate.
Photo: Groß-Gerau District Administration
