No more parking by the forest

Following a ruling by the Federal Court, the unofficial car park in the Schönegg area is now considered to be part of the forest. The authorities Zug will now have to take the appropriate action.
 

A ruling by the Federal Court (Bundesgericht) in August stated that the Schönegg forest car park on the Zugerberg must be considered to be a part of the forest, meaning that this area can no longer be used as a car park. The owner, the Zug Corporation, once used this space as a timber storage area, and it has since been used by visitors as a public car park.

This will no longer be possible following the ruling, as confirmed by the Zug Office for Forestry and Wildlife (Zuger Amt für Wald und Wild) in response to an enquiry from the Zuger Zeitung newspaper.

The forest car park is frequently well used             Photo: Stefan Kaiser
 

With this ruling by the Federal Court, the decision to close the car park now becomes legally binding, and the parties concerned were informed in a first step. These include the City of Zug and the owners of properties whose plots are located within twelve metres of the forest, explains Martin Ziegler, head of the forestry office. The legally defined situation must now be restored. ‘The aim now is to enforce the ban on motor vehicles in the forest in accordance with federal law,’ he says.

Driving ban and checks
It’s not yet clear when the closure will take effect. According to the Federal Forest Act (Bundesgesetz über den Wald), the cantons are responsible for signposting the ban on motor vehicles in the forest, and for carrying out the appropriate checks – all in consultation with the landowners.

‘These consultations with the corporation will take place shortly,’ continues Martin Ziegler. According to the corporation secretary Daniel Schwerzmann, the corporation will not continue to fight for the preservation of the car park.