Європейська мережа піших маршрутів як система організації масової фізичної рекреації та спорту

Abstract

Розглянуто систему європейських піших маршрутів різних рівнів: міжнародні стежки E-Path; національні та регіональні стежки GR; локальні стежки PR, місцеві стежки SL та короткі маршрути Short E path. Виявлено характерні особливості побудови протяжних маршрутів у Європі. Вивчено мережу міжнародних стежок E-Path та їх локалізацію у різних країнах Європи. Вивчено особливості роботи Європейської федерації пішохідного туризму та національних федерацій з планування, облаштування, обслуговування та просування піших маршрутів як ефективної форми фізичної рекреації та спорту.

The European system of long-distance hiking trails differs from the rest of the world practice. Usually, national and international trails are located in the territories of large national parks. The vast territories of national parks with an area of from hundreds to 53 thousand sq. km and areas of "wild" nature in the USA have allowed to create a whole system of long-distance trails, the most popular of which are: Appalachian Trail (3500 km), Pacific Ridge Trail (4279 km) and Continental Divide Trail (5000 km). In the countries of Western and Central Europe with high population density, and territories that have undergone significant anthropogenic changes, the possibilities of creating large national parks are very limited, so the European system of national parks differs significantly from the system of the USA and other countries. European national parks usually have a small area and are located locally among economic or industrial areas. Therefore, national parks are not the basis for building a system of European international and regional hiking trails. It is this feature that has allowed Europe to create a developed network of international (E-Paths) and regional trails. In 1969, the European Hiking Association ERA was founded (from 2025, the European Hiking Federation), which began work on creating international long-distance trails. ERA's goals are to promote sustainable hiking, develop cross border hiking networks (E-routes) and protect Europe's cultural and natural heritage. Currently, a whole system of international long-distance trails E-Paths operates in the European Union. In total, this network includes 12 routes with a total length of over 55,000 km, which are designated by the letter "E". A separate area of activity of ERA is the promotion and advertising of the most interesting short segments (Short E-path) of international E-Paths trails, intended for one two-day walks on weekends (physical recreation) or hikes during short holidays (combination of sports and physical recreation). All European national and international trails are marked GR or E-Path. Local or local trails, which are relatively short in length, are marked PR or SL. Such a trail system allows you to choose routes for short walks to individual attractions that are not covered by E-Path trails, and also connects long routes. Planning, arrangement and maintenance of short PR and SL trails are carried out by regional hiking and mountain tourism federations, as well as local clubs. The study showed that: - an extensive network of marked hiking routes of various lengths has been created and operates in Europe: international E-Path trails (over 1000 km); national and regional GR trails (usually up to 1000 km); local PR trails (from 10 to 50 km) and local SL trails (up to 10 km). - the network of international E-Path trails consists of 12 E-routes with a length of from 1490 km (E12) to 12070 km (E4), passing through several countries (from 5 (E5) to 12 (E9) countries). A different number of E-routes has been laid through European countries (from 1 in Croatia, Ireland, Norway, Portugal and Slovakia to 9 in Germany), depending on landscape resources, the number of national parks and natural monuments. The European Hiking Federation (ERA) is responsible for the design, development and maintenance of E-Path and Short E-path trails. - National and regional hiking and mountaineering federations are responsible for the development and maintenance of national and regional GR trails. Local and regional hiking and mountaineering clubs are responsible for the local PR and SL trails. - In the context of physical activity, we can position the target orientation of short trails (Short E-path, PR, SL and individual segments of "long" trails) for mass and accessible physical recreation (active recreation), and long trails (E path and GR) for a combination of sports activities and physical recreation (hiking).