observation deck Wannenmacher

Where the Thur flows into the Rhine, the Thurauen is the largest floodplain area in the Swiss Mittelland, covering an area of around 400 hectares. Between 2008 and 2017, significant renaturation measures were carried out with the aim of improving flood protection for Ellikon am Rhein and the Flaacherfeld, ecologically upgrading the floodplains in accordance with the Floodplain Protection Ordinance, and preserving the floodplains as a local recreation and nature observation area.

The latter meant that certain areas of the area were no longer accessible to the public in order to protect nature, but at the same time certain areas were made attractive as part of visitor management. For example, a bathing area was created at Eggrank and various protected observation points were created for ornithologists and nature observers. These mostly solid wooden structures were installed in attractive locations near Schöni or Wannenmacher.

Due to the high erosion dynamics on the banks of the Thur, which began after the removal of the hard structures on various impact slopes, the AWEL (Office for Water, Energy and Landscape) was forced to dismantle and move a solid wooden hide at the Wannenmacher in the summer of 2020. This threatened to be washed away during the next flood. However, since they wanted to hold on to this attractive observation point for as long as possible, we were commissioned by the Northeastern Switzerland Nature Network with our civil servants to build a "makeshift structure" set back a little using simple, natural means. With a few posts driven vertically into the ground and willow rods harvested from the Thur, which were woven around the posts, an inconspicuous observation hide was created that blends into nature. We are excited to see how long the hide, which was built with few resources, will last in its place.