Waldhochseilgarten Jungfernheide

Fourteen Courses Amidst Beeches, Birches, and Black Locusts

At 144 hectares, Jungfernheide Volkspark is one of the largest forests in western Berlin, and right in the middle, next to the old water tower, hangs the climbing park. Fourteen courses lead at heights between three and seventeen meters through beeches, birches, oaks, and black locusts, which grow up to thirty meters tall. The routes are marked like ski slopes: Green for beginners, Blue and Red for those with some experience, Black for people who are truly confident. There are also four separate children’s courses, for which a reach height of 1.45 meters is sufficient; for the larger routes, 1.90 meters is required. Several courses end in a zipline. The astonishing thing about climbing to relieve stress is how quickly your mind clears: if you’re clipping a carabiner four meters above the ground, you think of nothing else. All routes are inspected by TÜV before each operation, a visual check is performed every morning, and a tree expert examines the trees. The forest itself does some of the work: under thirty-meter-high canopies, the city’s sounds are merely muffled.

Explor Games on the Ground and a Beer Garden at the Water Tower

Those who don’t want to go up can stay on the ground and play one of the three Explor Games, a mix of treasure hunt and escape room, which guides players through the forest with a tablet and GPS. Jack and Ollie is playable from six years old and lasts about 75 minutes; The Last Signal is designed for ages thirteen and up, and the new Sherlock Holmes case, at around two hours, is the longest. Two to sixteen people can compete together, with prices ranging between 14 and 17 Euros. Right next door is the summer garden around the water tower, a beach bar with deck chairs, beer garden benches, and stone oven pizza, which can be visited without a climbing ticket and is wheelchair accessible. Spectators pay nothing, climbing equipment is provided, but sturdy closed shoes must be brought. Bookings are made online in advance, preceded by a short instructional video. Dogs on a leash are allowed on the main paths, and the dog exercise area starts right next door. Those who take the U7 to Jakob-Kaiser-Platz or Halemweg will already be walking the last meters through the forest.