The enclosure, the oldest nature park in Nordhausen, extends over around 16 hectares in the centre of the town.
It has served the locals as a place of entertainment and recreation for centuries. The hilly terrain was bare until the middle of the 18th century; the only shade was provided by the single Merwigslinde (lime tree), planted on the highest elevation at the start of the 14th century. The Nordhausen shoemakers celebrated their festivals under the tree until 1736. After 1738, the area began to be reforested. At that time, the municipal authorities decreed that every newly married resident of the town had to plant at least six trees there. Over the decades, this resulted in a high forest with a large stock of oak and beech trees. In 1892, the enclosure was laid out in its present form and the first few inns were built around it.
