However, as the residents of Welzow know, the past cannot simply be forgotten or suppressed. It is part of the identity of a community that has been shaped over generations. Therefore, the community decided not only to look forward but also to keep history alive, especially for the young residents.

This is how the idea of a playground was born, serving not only as a place of entertainment but also as an educational experience. Here, fun and learning come together as children immerse themselves in the world of lignite mining and mining. But that’s not all.

The playground in Welzow is also a place of cultural diversity, honoring and integrating the Sorbian history of the region. Thus, children are presented with not only a past but also an understanding of the cultural diversity and Sorbian roots of their homeland.

Under the watchful eyes of the Lutki, small Sorbian mythical creatures that watch over the playground, children can embark on an adventure that offers both fun and education. They can climb, balance, and slide on the hoist tower and conveyor bridge while playfully exploring the history of lignite mining. Additionally, a concrete climbing rock integrated into the playground conveys the feeling of mining in a unique way. On it, they can demonstrate their climbing skills and simultaneously experience the atmosphere of mining up close.

For younger children, there are also plenty of opportunities for development. A small construction helmet area offers them the chance to play, climb, and experiment in the sand to their heart’s content, letting their imaginations run wild and immersing themselves in exciting role-playing games.

Throughout the playground, QR codes are attached to some posts of the play equipment, allowing the playground to be augmented with virtual objects via smartphone. For example, early mining tools appear on the sand play area, fitting the theme of the playground. These artifacts impressively illustrate the hard and arduous work of the miners, who had to cope without modern technical aids. The small Lutki also appear virtually on the playground. They greet the visitors and invite them to play. Prehistoric dinosaurs can also be brought to life. The overwhelming size of the animals is depicted realistically. Thus, the fascination of the past meets the technology of the modern age, supporting the learning experience.

Generous seating areas invite parents and other adults to relax and interact while their children enjoy the various play offerings. A meeting place has been created here, bringing the community together and offering a place of encounter.

Overall, this playground offers not only a journey into the past but also a wealth of opportunities for children of all ages to experiment, play, and learn. It is a place that honors history while shaping the future by inspiring the next generation to look to the future with courage and hope.

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Cheerful sheep with thick wool welcome visitors and form the beginning of the playground. On the woolly companions, children can play to their heart’s content and hop imaginatively with them over green meadows. The wool obtained from the sheep undergoes the essential step of cleaning and processing, which is vividly represented by a water play area. On particularly hot summer days, this part of the facility is very popular, as children can experience the cool water as a playful element under the warming sun.

The elevation profile of the play landscape gradually develops starting from a low rope course, on whose posts colorful balls of wool rest. These were previously spun into fine yarn on the spinning wheel. The ropes, winding like fine thread between the posts of the climbing landscape, show the process of interweaving threads into diverse fabrics. Brave adventurers who skillfully dance over the ropes can experience the process of fabric formation up close.

The factory, taking the shape of the wall behind it, represents the industrial part of textile production and modernity. On several floors, children can explore, climb, and dream. The continuously growing climbing units challenge even the less vertigo-resistant explorers.

The last stop before the top of the elevation profile is the dyeing manufactory with its colorful roof. At more than five meters in height, lovingly carved laundry dries on the line and is literally woven into the fabric from which children’s dreams are made. Pants, T-shirts, and shorts connect the highest climbing towers and guide the way to the playground from a distance. The winding tube slide is the reward for the demanding climb to the top and offers adrenaline kicks for the little guests of the play oasis. Alternatively, there is a high-speed descent via the slide or, for double climbing fun, the way back to the dyeing manufactory.

In addition to the playground, new cafes and other leisure facilities have been built on the “Alte Weberei” site to create a space for everyone, so that not only children would like to explore this place.

SIK-Holz^® wishes you a lot of fun climbing, playing, and dreaming.

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The entertainment value of this playground is the most significant part of this project. The trail along the shore of Lake Tiefwaren marks the beginning of a prehistoric safari, encouraging children to learn more about the undisputed rulers of the Ice Age. The mammoth playground then serves as a stop to playfully immerse oneself in that time and explore what has just been read on the equipment. The mammoth’s trunk invites everyone to slide and linger. To reach it, however, the back must first be climbed via various paths. The versatile playground offers more than just the slide and two tusks. There is plenty of space for building sandcastles or snowmen. A small mammoth calf as a spring rocker is the undisputed favorite among the audience. With its childlike charm and sweet eyes, everyone melts at first sight. Whether real mammoth calves had the same effect on the early humans of the time remains a fascinating question.

Back in the Ice Age, the little mammoth was already accompanied by huge glacial erratics in the cold steppes, which also found their place on the playground. But even the vegetation seems to come directly from the Ice Age. To create an even more authentic environment, hazelnut trees were planted. They serve more than one purpose – whether as a shade provider, a backdrop, or for a small snack break. All senses are involved here.

The playground arouses the desire for more snow and the icy season. We wish you a lot of fun on your trip to the Ice Age, whether in the cool winter air or on a hot summer day.

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But it’s not just panning for gold that will fascinate you. The playground knows how to impress with its high climbing and slide towers. The play landscape is thematically based on distant past and picks up the atmosphere right in every small detail. The typical wooden buildings of the time were implemented in two play towers and attract from afar due to their height. They encourage children and adults alike to climb atop platforms and enjoy the exciting views of the park. Animals, which are huge standing on the ground, now appear tiny. Here there is room for role-playing games in a somewhat quieter atmosphere. The long, curved tunnel slides provide an additional adrenaline rush when you go back down after a short breather.

Gold panning is particularly popular on hot days. Sand and water can be dammed up or diverted in endless water-mud systems or simply trickle and flow freely. A circulating system pumps the water into the water tank on the roof of the play tower and directs it back to the large pools via funnels and channels. The little visitors experience the elements and learn about their physical properties in a playful way. Actual gold has not yet been found here – but lucky children have.

The Adventure Zoo with its gold panning playground is definitely worth a visit. It offers exciting adventures, especially for history and animal enthusiasts. But everyone else will also get their money’s worth there and leave the park richer in many beautiful memories.

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New ideas and concepts were also developed especially for the LAGA (garden show). The main focus of the design was to offer a maximum of pleasure for the residents and visitors of Beelitz. Thus, the region is also enriched in terms of tourism. Long before the official opening of the playground, there was great interest in the resulting equipment, which reflects that our goals have been achieved. With a variety of playing ideas, everyone will find the right thing without feeling bored. A ten meter high slide tower forms the center of this diverse play landscape. Designed as a bunch of white asparagus, it invites the visitor to come closer. A playing landscape spreads out around it, which appeals to a wide variety of skills. Whether big or small, old or young, with or without disabilities, everyone is involved in the game. Climbing, swinging, see-sawing, sliding, turning, jumping, doing sports, diving into fantasy worlds, everything is available. But not only asparagus was staged thematically. Other special features of the city of Beelitz should also be included in the design. Historically, the city has been a Slavic settlement. Their origin is based on those and therefore cultural elements of the Slavs have found their way into the design of both the toddler and the sports area. In addition, there is a little herbalism on the swing pergola to discover with its many different swing options. When it comes to music, visitors may explore the adjoining playgrounds. There are also balancing structures and sculptures, that simply blend in with the environment in their naturalness. These can be found at various points on the LAGA site. Because it is hard to put all the things in words that could be seen at the LAGA in Beelitz, wesuggest to visit it and get your very own impression of our play structures and all the other interesting things to see there. Enjoy!

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On an area of approx. 11 x 6 m, this compact play unit offers many climbing and sliding options. Ascents over climbing walls, ropes and network tunnels open up new play and movement sequences around the play equipment. Only sand is conveyed here, which the children can load into two lorries. A special feature are the many sensory games within the play unit. In addition to a feeling road beneath the platform, through which one can move like a labyrinth, and various sound games, it is especially the coloured light games that open up a new field of experience for visitors. When the sun is bright shining, the coloured Plexiglas panes in the roof and in the wall of the play unit create a wonderful play of colours. Just as the sun moves, so moves the coloured shadows inside and outside the Headframe too. A beautiful future-oriented image between tradition and modernity.

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The ship offers many climbing, balancing and hiding opportunities outside and inside, designed for older children and combined with role-playing games. Even from afar you can hear their commands, which conclude a turbulent seafaring. Two approximately 6 m long rope bridges connect the ship with a slide tower. The location of the tower on a hill extends the slide and increases its appeal. Behind the hill is a small settlement with the typical dragon’s heads, the play combination for small children, who should protect the Vikings from their enemies far from home. Even as a small whiptail the dragon can be found in the small settlement. Role and sand playing, but also slides and climbing between dried fishes are offered here. Seating places for adults around the house also serves as a baking area for the children.

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At the center of the plant is an approx. 9 m high conveyor tower. Water and sand can be transported up and down over 4 levels, from the basement to the second floor, via lifts, trolleys, channels, funnels and sieves. An intercom is used to coordinate the work between the «little buddies». The basement and the ground floor are wheelchair accessible, giving children with restricted mobility the opportunity to actively participate in the game. A horizontal network tunnel leads from the first floor to the «Little Grove» area. This consists of high, sometimes dodgy posts, which are connected by various woods, ropes and bridges and invite you to acrobatic balancing and climbing exercises. At the end of this path, away from the hustle and bustle around the «old mine», there is a hermit hut. Here is room for role playing in a somewhat quieter atmosphere. The second and last floor offers a wonderful view of the area. Remote points in the park can also be observed through a telescope. If you don’t want to go back to the first floor, you can leave the winding tower via a steep tunnel slide that ends in an underground tunnel system. This area is characterized by different passages and levels through which water channels also lead. Above the gallery, sand can be transported into the terrain via a transport track. Another slide leads to a sand area shaded by an awning, which continues into a water-mud area. Here, too, there are many options for varied play with the elements of water and sand.

Overall, this new play area offers versatile and creative play offers for girls and boys, with and without physical restrictions. Adults can also take a walk through the «Old Mine» and occasionally try the «free fall» through the tunnel slide. The Maximilian Park in Hamm – it’s worth a visit!

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