History of Hambach Forest
Before RWE began to destroy the forest, it was still called Bürgewald, a “Commons” Forest administered by local municipalities. The change of name to Hambacher Forst by RWE also served to hide the long history of the forest and its importance as one of the oldest forests in Germany.[In german the word Forst indicates a planted, exploited industrial forest as opposed to the word Wald which indicates self-planted wilder ecosystem] Here follows a rough outline of the history of the Hambi:
12,000 years ago as the last ice age in Central Europe came to an end and the ice-cover retreated,