Schrebergartens, an oasis of green in Leipzig

In the past nine months I have lived in Leipzig, the second largest city in what was Eastern Germany, and I have tried my best to get to know the city as best as I could during cold months and under restrictions.

One of the biggest surprises and the most pleasant for sure were the Kleingaerten or Schrebergaerten. The latter is a name derived from the inventor and founder, while the first explains what they are: small gardens (in the US and elsewhere called allotment gardens). It also differs a bit in concept from the Kleingarten. The Schrebergarten, according to one interlocutor, was conceived with a lawn in the middle that would become a space of play and meeting for kids and adults. There are always playground toys free to use for kids from all walks of life. Gardens surround this lawn which becomes the center of the garden and invites the owners and lenders to meet and catch up, thus creating a feeling of community.

For both types of gardens, patches of unused land are bought by citizens associations or groups and then divided into smaller allotments. Rules are set up that dictate what each owner or lender of an allotment should plant and grow there. Often they are set up to ensure that the gardens do not fall into disuse. Most owners have a small shed or house in their garden.

I live near one such garden, that was actually the original Schrebergarden of Leipzig. There is also a museum of the movement and examples of the original small houses that were available to order specifically for Schrebergaerten in the early 1900s.

Talking about it with friends and co-workers, I found out that many young people own or plan on buying one. During the warm months, some go so far as to live in the small houses which often have a bucolic look and offer a perfectly idyllic aesthetic in the afternoon sun.

I see amazing benefits offered by the small gardens, first of all being that they are an oasis of nature, buzzing with bees on colourful flowers from spring to late autumn. One can grow vegetables and fruit, including fruit trees, and have even a small pond. By word of mouth I know of someone who has pigs in their garden, despite that being probably a bit frowned upon. In larger gardens there are often swings, mini-pools, a chilling hammock in the shade, or different games for kids. Friends gather for barbecues or picnics. The gardens are a break from the city without having to leave the city itself. They keep the area cooler, reduce criminality because they are usually in areas not favoured by investors, such as next to train tracks.

In Leipzig there are also several communal gardens within the Kleingaerten. They have employees and volunteers who take care of the place, then share produce. Sometimes they organise events, such as dinners and can be ‘rented’. That is, for a donation they will cook for a group of people, usually vegan food. They are also great places for kids and adults alike to learn about plants. One, in the east of the city, has an extensive collection of mint types, from the basic one to Moroccan mint and lemon flavoured ones.

What can I say, I kind of want one for myself now. Or at least I would love to see this practice implemented in my home countries and, in fact, everywhere where there is a need for democratising access to natural spaces.