72 hours without a compromise

High school students lend a hand to nature

In October 2018, the Purkersdorf Nature Park organized the 72-hour project "Challenge your Limits" with the Purkersdorf high school and their Polish partner school from Pszczyna. The young people planted trees, tended hedges and helped to improve a nature playground.

In the nature park, the students of the BG/BRG Purkersdorf and their Polish partner school from Pszczyna, under the guidance of our forester, planted 330 young European common oaks and silver firs near the "Blätterdach-Lichtblick" area to increase biodiversity. In addition, the oaks planted in 2012 in the "Generationenwald" area were cleared of the faster-growing goat willows to increase the necessary light for the oaks.

In the Kellerwiese resting area, the young people built a comfortable bench from EPAL-pallets in the playground area and maintained the hornbeam labyrinth of and the adjacent fruit hedge.

The necessary materials and tools were provided by the nature park. 

The work took place under the direction of their teacher Stefan Sampt in four groups from October 18 to 20, 2018. The students from Purkersdorf and Pszczyna stayed overnight in the school building, the culinary supply was provided by the Catholic parish.

The next activity, which followed on from the 72-hour project, was carried out in the fall of 2023 as part of the Pilgrim project. PILGRIM combines education for sustainable development with a religious, ethical and philosophical educational dimension with the motto "Living consciously - creating future".

Around 25 students from the BG/BRG Purkersdorf and the partner school Pszcynic in Poland visited the nature park together. During the project, they renovated the wooden bench created in 2018 and expanded it by planting numerous willows. The group also replaced several fence posts at the donkey enclosure and re-stretched the fence. The project made it possible to combine social engagement and international exchange with practical work.