Farmer wood
The Weitmarer wood is a 80-acre forest and a popular recreational area in the south of Bochum district Weitmar with a stock of oak, beech and occasionally conifers. In addition to several game enclosures with fallow deer and wild boar, some hiking trails and riding trails there is in the immediate vicinity also the Institute for Environmental and Futures Research (IUZ) at the observatory Bochum, and the German Forum for puppet theater and puppetry (dfp).
Historically, this forest area was many times larger. The "Weitmarer Mark" was co-operated under the chairmanship of the wood judge, who was based at Haus Weitmar. With a royal decree of June 12, 1756, the forest was privatized and distributed from 1817 to 1829 to 21 peers. The majority was then cut down and colonized. During this period the Markstraße was built.
Until the time of World War II there should have been a lion enclosure here.
Thousands of people from Bochum use the forest area between Weitmar and Sundern every week with extensive hiking trails for hobbies, such as jogging, walking, biking or simply taking a walk in the forest. In addition, hard coal was mined here in Weitmarer wood early on. Legend has it that a swineherd by the name of Jorgen found her by chance, as the fire that he lit in the evening in a cave still smoldered and gave off heat in the morning. He was on the way to the Blies a monument set, the so-called "Jörgenstein".
On 18 January 2007, the Weitmarer wood, especially the northern part, was badly affected by the storm Kyrill. Great damage also occurred on 9 and 10 June 2014 through the low-pressure area Ela.