The term “Schrebergarten” (known in English as allotments or community gardens) was coined during the second half of the 19th century in Leipzig, Germany. It refers to a small plot of land in the outskirts of the city, where city dwellers can dig in the dirt to their heart’s content. Because many live in apartments or condominiums without yards, a Schrebergarten gives them an outdoor space of their own. The “Schreber movement,” as it came to be called, spread across Germany and then out to other countries in Europe.
German Schrebergarten colonies are particularly obvious when traveling by train because they are often located along the rail lines. Flanked by neat flowerbeds, well-tended fruit trees and small patches of grass, small sheds or cottages are often tucked in next to the train tracks as far as the eye can see.
History of the Schrebergarten
The garden movement was not invented by Moritz Schreber, as is commonly assumed, but by a Leipzig school principal. In 1864, Ernst Innozenz Hauschild established the first Schrebergarten by starting a club in cooperation with parents and students and leasing land to provide a playground for the children of factory workers. The children could play and perform gymnastics under the supervision of a teacher. Moritz Schreber had long championed playgrounds for children. Since Hausschild did not want to name the club after the school, he decided to name it in honor of Schreber who had passed away three years earlier. A teacher by the name of Heinrich Karl Gesell planted the first garden.
Initially, parents gardened while the children played, but eventually the use shifted. Fences went up, and parents created individual garden plots. By the start of World War I, most of the garden plots had already been converted to Schrebergarten plots. During the two World Wars, they became spaces where families could grow badly needed food. The small sheds, initially erected for storage and shelter from the elements served as temporary housing. For many, the gardens were all that kept them from starvation. Later, in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, the Schrebergarten became a weekend destination.
Berlin Schrebergarten in the 1950’s with garden cottage. Photo © Karl Umbach. www. walled-in-berlin.com
No Schrebergarten without rules
Owning a Schrebergarten, like anything else in Germany, involves rules. The Bundeskleingartengesetz (Federal Small Garden Law) regulates how large a Schrebergarten can be – the garden plot may not exceed 4,305 S.F. and the shed/cottage, which you may not live in, cannot exceed 258 S.F. – and describes in nine pages every aspect of what is and what isn’t allowed. In addition, there are Garden Club Committees (similar to homeowners’ associations) that set local rules for how high the hedge may be, how often you may grill, etc.
Today’s Schrebergarten
Today, there are more than one million such gardens in Germany. Together, they cover an area of over 175 square miles. The plots are leased and cost about $1.25/day. They are in high demand, and demand often exceeds supply. Although the Schreber movement started in Leipzig, it is very visible in Berlin where, at the end of the 19th century, workers were granted access to land along railway lines to plant potato patches. These Schrebergarten colonies still exist, and the Berlin association has 500,000 environment-conscious members with 97% using only rainwater for irrigation, 96% composting, 61% refraining from the use of artificial fertilizers and 82% from using chemical pest control. There’s even a move afoot to transform the vast acreage of the decommissioned Tempelhof Airport into a Schrebergarten colony.
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Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.
