Wind Turbines in Naturpark Sauerland-Rothaargebirge

Wind power is great. But the effort and interventions in nature are considerable. The wind turbines are here in man-made forests along man-made roads.

The real highlight here is a little further up the path: there is a wide square with an information board and a picnic bench.

What hikers encounter off the trail here are the modern heirs of the historic windmills, because centuries ago our ancestors were clever enough to harness the power of the elements for their own purposes. They used the wind captured in the blades to drive the heavy millstones, so that grain could be ground into flour, for example. While in the past, care was taken with the architecture of each individual mill, this modern and unaesthetic variant - which is used to generate electricity - has simply been placed in the landscape en masse. These wind farms, which are designed for efficiency, are not without controversy, because on the one hand, no consideration is given to the landscape when they are built, and above all, the slender blades become a death trap for birds.