The Leonhard-Eißnert-Park on Bieberer Berg, right next to the Offenbacher Kickers stadium, offers space for recreation, sport and other leisure activities in a green setting. Neither sophisticated garden architecture nor accurate flowerbeds characterize the park. The idea is for the people of Offenbach to use the park in a varied and informal way. - This was the vision of the park's namesake, Leonhard Eißnert (1866 - 1949), who had the park laid out from 1911 onwards as a municipal department head. He wanted to offer the city's population a balance to the sometimes very cramped living conditions.
Named after a mayor
Waldpark was the name of Offenbach's largest park (22 hectares) before it was given the name of the future mayor. Even today, a large part of the park still consists of a forest interspersed with walking paths. The tree species found in Leonhard-Eißnert-Park are diverse: in addition to beeches, pines and oaks, there are also unusual species such as the sequoia, the tree of life and the red-leaved sycamore maple.
It was not until the 1960s that the park became a real public park. A leisure park with a mini-golf course, refreshment kiosk and water spray field was created on a tenth of the area, a total of 2.5 hectares.
Since then, the youth traffic school has also been part of the park's image. Generations of Offenbach residents have learned how to behave in traffic here. This is still the case today: the primary school children are a little wobbly on the bicycles at the traffic school. They practise riding with one hand while holding out their other arm to indicate that they want to turn. Two police officers direct the young cyclists through the course, which features miniature roads, signs and crosswalks.
History of the bicycle
The pavilion of the youth traffic school is painted with colorful graffiti. Both medieval houses and a metropolitan skyline illustrate the history of the bicycle. Three pupils from the August-Bebel-Schule painted the graffiti on the wall in 2003.
Right next to the pavilion is the skate park, which was opened in 2001 to replace a barely used, covered table tennis hall. The skate park is equipped with a halfpipe and two other elements.
Water: a fascinating element
Every child in Offenbach knows the water spray field, where countless droplets conjure up colorful rainbows on sunny days. The Offenbach painter and sculptor Ludwig Plaueln created the sandstone-colored, spraying concrete sculptures. In summer, the spray field becomes a playground when children seek to cool off under the water fountains.
The adjoining, extensive lawn offers space for play and relaxation. At the back of the long, tree-lined lawn is the memorial to Offenbach's fallen soldiers from the two world wars.
In the wooded part of the park there are - somewhat hidden - badminton courts. The surfaces were renewed by the city in 2005 and 2010. Players must bring their own rackets, shuttlecocks and net. The so-called "soup bowl", a meadow depression, has served as a backdrop for concerts in the past.
On the road from tree to tree
The history of the Leonhard-Eißnert-Park also reflects the changing leisure trends: one new attraction is the "Fun Forest". On the adventure climbing trail, visitors - equipped with a helmet and climbing harness - can scale various climbing stations connected by steel cables. Rope and beam constructions are used to climb between the trees to a height of five to 15 meters.
The high ropes course offers various levels of difficulty. Children from the age of five can climb the "Fun Forest", as can more experienced adults. The concept of the operators, the "Fun Forest" company, also includes a restaurant to replace the refreshment kiosk and a new playground.
Every year in late summer, there is a special attraction for children: games and crafts, performances by clowns and jugglers, music and a mini Olympics are all part of the colourful offerings at the "Children's Festival in the Park", which is organized by the city's youth welfare office and the parents' council of the daycare centres.
Enjoying bushes and trees
A "green lung" for the city's population - this was the purpose of the park as envisioned by Leonhard Eißnert, the "father of Offenbach's parks". The man who gave the park its name later wrote: workers, children, the elderly and the sick "should have the opportunity to enjoy the fresh air after work, to delight in the bushes and trees and colorful flowers and to rest and relax in the numerous resting places."
After more than 100 years, the park is still a popular leisure and recreation area for the people of Offenbach. Leonhard-Eißnert-Park on Bieberer Straße is freely accessible all year round.