It all started with a visit to my brother. He lives in Bubenreuth near Erlangen, and just before the autobahn exit there, a chic new building towered up, clad in sloping wooden slats. Research from my relatives revealed: It was Europe's largest bouldering hall. Bouldering is a variant of climbing - without a rope, but only at the jump height - and it is no coincidence that the large hall is located at the gates of Franconian Switzerland, one of the climbing paradises of the republic.

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