Waldau, Bonn

The Waldau is part of the Bonn city forest. It is located in the Venusberg district on the southern slope of the mountain of the same name and forms the northernmost part of the Kottenforst. It is best known as a tourist destination.

In 1908, the city of Bonn bought the farm on the Waldau and a large part of the area. Numerous bomb craters in the area date back to the Second World War. After the war there was extensive deforestation, and later the reforestation of the forest areas lost as a result and through agriculture began. In 1961 a game reserve was set up where wild boar, red deer and fallow deer can be observed outdoors. In 1989 the House of Nature was opened, which provides information about the geology, animal and plant life of the area.

The Waldau consists largely of mixed forest. The original vegetation consisted mainly of oaks and hornbeams, with many pines added through forestry. The gnarled beeches or oak trees, which are up to 250 years old, are particularly striking. A type of wood harvesting practiced here in the past led to stunted growth in the beech trees and sometimes gave them a bizarre appearance (ghost forest). See information board "Head books - witnesses from the past". In the spring, wood anemones dominate the forest floor, and in the summer around St. John's Day, numerous glowworms catch the eye.

The wild animal species in the Waldau include the tawny owl, the Bechstein's bat, fallow deer, badgers, common toads and grass snakes.

The Waldau attracts visitors from Bonn and the surrounding area primarily with the game reserve, which is popular with children. The house of nature, designed as a "forest information center", consists of a natural history museum and a forest nature trail. Next to it is a restaurant in the old manor building with a modern extension.