The framework plan will develop the shores of the Lahn into a completely new and multifaceted inner-city recreational area. Implementation will proceed in phases, as soon as the various spaces become available. The river has long been thought of and used as a purely functional domain. The construction of the railroad — with its high embankment — alongside the river effectively severed any inner-city access to the Lahn. As a result, the river meadows now form an inner-city periphery comprising many inaccessible properties, some of which exhibit large-scale utilization, while others are used only in small fragments or as vast parking areas.
The long-term Lahnaue Framework Plan encompasses the entire inner-city river basin while dictated by the overall concept of connecting the Lahn to the city. The plan envisions six segments: from the open and extensive grassland park in the north, through the more densely urbanized areas in and around the inner city, and stretching to the natural ensemble of existing river meadows in the south.
The segments are connected by a new, continuous path running along both banks of the Lahn. The plan also entails the removal of parking along the riverside, unsealing the areas, as well as renewing and expanding the existing parks.
The idea is to develop connections between the segments, establish public squares and extend cross-regional bicycle paths to reach the Lahn.
Not least, the concept reclaims private property along the river for public use while initiating renaturation processes and measures for long-term preservation of the riverscape. The first project is the newly built entrance to the city in the central urban area of the framework plan. Across from the square lies the large meadow playground, which occupies the site of a former parking lot. The playground invites children of all ages to play and wreak havoc on four differentiated play terraces.
