"Fairy Tale Forest" that inspired the Grimm Brothers to be cut down for wind turbines
9:07 AM EST, December 10, 2023
The German "Fairy Tale Forest", a source of inspiration for the famed Grimm Brothers, is dying to make way for towering 791-foot wind turbines - reports the "Bild" newspaper portal, chronicling the deforestation of the Reinhardswald forest in northern Hesse.
This course of action was sanctioned by the administrative court after months of construction suspension. Reportedly, animals, including rare and strictly protected lynxes, are now fleeing the forest.
"It's a gem among European forests, a category in its own right. You cannot simply sully it on behalf of the rapacious wind energy industry," states Hermann-Josef Rapp, an activist for nature conservation, in conversation with "Bild".
Fairy Tale 'Reinhardswald Forest' being cleared in Germany under the guise of nature conservation
An overwhelming majority of residents in the adjoining forest area of 77 square miles are against the wind turbine construction. Oliver Penner, one of the locals, says, "A large forest area is facing rampant devastation. The Reinhardswald forest is currently the biggest forest expanse in Germany. This is merely the beginning. Many Germans fear that their forests will soon meet a similar fate".
In Hesse, a staggering 86% of the planned wind power plants are sited within forests, most of which are state-owned. The project falls under the jurisdiction of the Minister of the Environment, Priska Hinz of the Green Party. While justifying the project to "Bild", the Minister noted that, "Wind energy is pivotal to the ongoing energy transition and nature conservation. It is the only feasible way to preserve our forests and crucial ecosystems".
The proposed wind turbines, as tall as Frankfurt’s trade tower at 791 feet, will have rotor blades with a massive diameter of 492 feet, as indicated by "Bild".
Opposing the wind turbines is Ottmar Barke, former chairperson of the Hessian Administrative Court in Kassel. Arguing that, "In the Renewable Energy Act of early 2023, the German government emphasized that wind turbines contribute to the predominant public interest and enhance national security. Unfortunately, key protected benefits such as landscape, monument conservation, nature preservation, and animal welfare have been downplayed", he says.
