Veg replaces concrete: gardening together

Situated between disused railway lines, cobblestones and an old train carriage, tomatoes, fruit trees and fragrant herbs grow in the Hildegarten in Leipzig. These days,volunteers can be seen bending over their vegetable patches, watering, hoeing and enjoying themselves at this former goods depot. Children let off steam at the nearby adventure playground, and cinema films are screened on balmy summer nights.  

“For us it’s about more than just fruit and veg,” says Friederike Christoph. She runs the Hildegarten, which will be celebrating its tenth anniversary in September 2025. “On hot days, many people come here to enjoy the shade and good company - it’s a place where all kinds of different people come together.”  

Green meeting places 

Community gardens have been established in almost all German cities - there are 137 in Berlin alone. Volunteers turn wasteland into green meeting places. For the most part, these gardens are funded by non-profit associations, municipal authorities or foundations. 

The foundation anstiftung is one of the key actors. Christa Müller, its chairwoman, describes how this developing is bearing fruit: “As more and more land is used for community gardening initiatives in urban neighbourhoods, an increasingly diverse group of people become involved.” 

Müller talks of a cultural shift, with city governments these days viewing this trend as an opportunity: “At first, some municipalities were sceptical about community gardens, especially when ‘guerilla gardeners’ would just plant their vegetables on public land without permission.” Now, however, local governments have long been cooperating closely with those in charge of the gardens. 

Climate action and diversity 

Intercultural gardens give people with a migration background the chance to contribute their specific knowledge, get to know local people - and put down roots in both senses. In this way, urban gardens are also gaining social significance.  

Meanwhile, back in Leipzig. The railway carriage at the Hildegarten is to be renovated and turned into a space for learning and socialising. “It’s not just veg that is growing here, but something that is even more important: community,” is how Friederike Christoph sums it up.