For a long time, the lack of trees and green spaces was a peculiarity of the European city. After all, they were located behind the city walls and protected the inhabitants from wild nature and other enemies. In many old cities you can still feel this today when you walk through the narrow streets: geometry, order and stone – this was what people felt comfortable with for many centuries. It wasn’t until the 18th century that beautiful parks in Germany were created, and according to the Federal Statistical Office, there are increasing, due to public demand.

This underscores the importance of green spaces, especially for city dwellers. You may not realize it, but studies indicate that just a few minutes in nature can lift your spirits! When it’s too hot indoors, and you’re already starting to stick to the furniture, a park offers cool shade, wide vistas, scampering squirrels and chirping birds to enjoy.

“With more trees and less pavement, rainwater can soak into the ground and evaporate, keeping buildings cooler and the city less hot in the summer. And because greenery binds particulate matter, the air becomes cleaner.” – German Federal Ministry for the Environment and Nature Conservation

Aromatic garden in Erlangen

Erlangen is a large German city in Bavaria with several famous parks. Well known are for example the Schlossgarten Erlangen, a large baroque garden complex, or the Botanical Garden with its own stalactite cave. As a “secret tip” the Creativhotel Luise recommended the Aromatic Garden in Erlangen. “It keeps what it promises,” say the people of Erlangen. It houses more than 100 fragrant plants. Many of them contain essential oils. There are also regular guided tours and workshops (e.g. on the importance of aromatic plants in medicine).

Feeling stressed? Take a whiff of lemon balm – its scent is relaxing and calming.

Web link: Aroma Garden

Greenery and Pop Art in Freiburg

Residents of the university city of Freiburg im Breisgau have less green space than other large cities. About 18 square meters per inhabitant, compared to an average of about 23 square meters in the country Baden-Württemberg.

But there is a park with a sculpture by Claes Oldenburg! If you don’t know this Swedish-American artist, you should definitely Google him and visit an exhibition if possible. (I’m a huge fan!) Along with Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, he’s one of the greatest exponents of American Pop Art, and he just recently (2022) passed away.

Claes Oldenburg’s sculpture “Gartenschlauch mit Wasserhahn” (1983) is located in the Eschholzpark and is meant to remind us that 370 allotment gardens in the Stühlinger district were destroyed for urban development. In 1982 (three years after the demolition), the Eschholzpark gave the residents back some greenery.

In addition, Freiburg has the Stadtgarten and the Vauban district, which has no less than five green spaces that offer many opportunities for play, especially for children. The Green City Hotel Vauban, with its green façade, is located in this green and partially car-free district.

Web link: Landscape-architecture in Vauban

Shade trees in the Kurpark of Bad Herrenalb (Black Forest)

If you have a special love for trees, you will feel at home in the Kurpark Bad Herrenalb, which was recommended to us by SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA. Here you will find silver maples, weeping cherries, rock pears, flowering ashes and tulip trees. The spa gardeners have also taken climate change into account when planting. In 2021, for example, a prominent citizen wanted to donate a spruce to the park. The gardeners refused. Spruces, they said, could not withstand the stresses of climate change and could easily suffer from “drought stress”. In the end, they agreed on a hanging elm.

The Alb creek also flows through the Kurpark, and there is a special dahlia and peony garden, an eight-person tree house, and many hidden lawns and play areas.

Web link:  Kulturpark Bad Herrenalb

Wild and Beautiful Parks in Germany – Sunbeds Allowed

The English word “park” implies a fixed boundary (think of a parking lot, for example). Although city walls disappeared in the 19th century (they were no match for war technology anyway, and cities exploded), parks always had fences and gates. The same was true for the green spaces within the park. There were the paths – and to the left and right of them was a low fence. A beautifully landscaped pond – surrounded by hedges. A large meadow – just to look at! Lying down on the lawn was not intended in the old days. I learned this on a guided tour of the Volksgarten in Cologne. Visiting the park meant strolling along the paths and looking at nature.

Today, the behavior of park visitors has changed fundamentally. There are still a number of dos and don’ts (keep dogs on a leash, no fires, etc.), but you can feel free to play or picnic as you please.

20,000 square meter snack garden

In the 20,000-square-meter hotel garden that STURM has created in Mellrichstadt, Bavaria, you can snack on everything that grows here on the trees and bushes. A special stimulation for the senses is also the barefoot path.

The park without a fence is (or used to be) a Ha-Ha

Incidentally, the first parks without fences were developed in England, the mother of European parks. It was a “lowered fence” within a protected garden, where visitors could enjoy an unobstructed view of nature. When park visitors saw this, they would say “Ha-ha” or “Ah-ha.” Until now, Ha-Ha parks exist in England. Their most important feature: “The element of surprise”.

Save the parks as inspiration for your next sustainable city trip!