Kleingartens are a staple of Berlin garden culture providing cozy summer shacks and a little plot of earth for flowers, veggies, dozing under the sun and relaxing. These tranquil seasonal communities allow cityfolk a complete escape from the city within the city and a chance to enjoy the fruits of tending the earth.
Many Kleingartens date back to the early 1900’s and were originally formed by neighbors and neighborhood groups with an environmental or social agenda. Purchasing a plot means paying a one-time fee plus necessary upkeep costs to a Kleingarten association which in turn leases the land from the city.
Thumbing through listings is a bit overwhelming and it’s hard not to want them all: would you rather doze by a lake, sit high in a multi-story bungalow or carry your basket and trowel just a few blocks from your apartment? Kleingartens start for as little as 2500 euros.
If you interested in purchasing a Kleingarten, listings can be found here:
http://kleinanzeigen.ebay.de/anzeigen/s-berlin/kleingarten/k0l3331
Across from a very misplaced seafood restaurant in the depths of Neukölln stand a group of Kleingartens abandoned since late 2010. Nine Gartens were slated for demolition in order to build a highway, the A100, to connect Treptow to the southeastern end of Neukolln. However, as with most development projects in Berlin, the plan was derailed by concerned citizens and in true Berlin style the lots were left abandoned, already partially demolished.
While the group Aktionsbündnis A100 stoppen keeps up the good fight, the rest of us can pause a moment and enjoy this paradise of ruin and natural beauty.
One of my favorite summer time memories of this year was being introduced to this abandoned Kleingarten, wandering through the fallen cottages and picking wildflowers. Where else in Berlin can a person could go to enjoy complete solitude and pick flowers under the sun?
The Gartens are not exactly open to the public but they are open for exploration. Just be careful as the police circle this area frequently and the Gartens now house various squatters, so don’t go alone if you can. And of course, remember to bring a basket for flowers.
Erigeron grows prolifically throughout the Kolonie
A Clematis vine reclaims an armchair
A room with a view
A beautiful Echinops enjoys growing wild
Apple tree saplings sprout up
The Miscanthus in the bottom right hand corner would make a damn fine feature in a home garden
A Hops vine pops through a window above a thicket of Blackberry
Daisy Dukes Gardens 