Regional council celebrates anniversary in the Environmental Education Center Schatzinsel Kühkopf
The Environmental Education Center Schatzinsel Kühkopf (UBZ) celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2025. Since the opening in 1994, the center in the Hofgut Guntershausen has developed into a figurehead of environmental education in South Hesse - in the middle of the largest nature reserve in Hesse. President of the District Prof. Dr. Jan Hilligardt and President of the Government Dr. Stefan Fuhrmann was impressed by the holistic approach of the center, which relies on "experience - education - responsibility".
From the information center to the environmental education center
The first exhibition was originally housed in a converted fertilizer hall of the court goods-for pragmatic reasons, as forester and UBZ manager Ralph Baumgärtel reports. But soon there was no longer enough space and equipment. After the feasibility study and planning phase, the groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of the listed north wing took place in 2010. The new UBZ has been in operation since 2014, supported by the Darmstadt regional council , operated by Hessen-Forst .
Over 250,000 visitors since 2014
More than 250,000 visitors as well as 900 school classes and 350 daycare groups have visited the center since the reopening. The program includes tours, hands -on activities, the annual Hoffest on May 1st and the popular wine press festival in September. The UBZ sees itself as an educational partner of schools, daycare centers and local actors in the Groß-Gerau district and is part of the Geo-Nature Park Bergstrasse-Odenwald (UNESCO Global Geopark).
Learning with all your senses - experience nature on the Kühkopf
The focus is on emotional and sustainable nature agency - with a graded educational concept that accompanies children from daycare to school. On three floors, the exhibitions offer modern media, digital modules, apprenticeships and QR codes for direct knowledge transfer between interior and outdoor space. The topic of “nightlife on the Kühkopf” is the focus of the event program in 2025. Project weeks with schools are already planned for 2026.
Environmental education as a social mandate
The investments of around 1.6 million euros in modern exhibition modules as well as active networking with educational institutions, municipalities and associations make the UBZ a lighthouse project of education for sustainable development .
Further information and the current program are available online at
Schatzinsel-kuehkopf.hessen.de .
(Gross-Gerau-Red/RP)
Contribution picture: View of the permanent exhibition in the Environmental Education Center Schatzinsel Kühkopf. Photo: RP Darmstadt
