Leipzig

Every individual living in urban centers dreams of owning a home with a small garden where one can come closer to the nature by growing a few plants. For many, this little dream remains a dream as they are forced to spend their lives in concrete jungles. In this case, Leipzigers are in an enviable position as most people living in high-rise apartments in this city have small gardens -- popularly called Schreber Gardens --in their neighbourhood.

When my friend, Leipziger Dr Konrad Kretschmar, first mentioned about Schreber Gardens as privately owned gardens right in the centre of the city, I imagined them to be more like public parks (in Bangalore, it is the city government that maintains some public gardens. Only in some exceptional cases, people with bigger houses can afford the luxury of owning a private garden.) Dr Konrad took me around one such beautiful community garden 'Kleingartenverein an der Dammstrate' located in the south-western part of Leipzig city and I could hardly believe that such a thing can be possible in a big city.

Schreber Gardens are a row of small (about 200 to 300 sq meters each) gardens aesthetically tended by individual or families to suit their tastes. Most people take these gardens on rent or lease from the owners. The rent is usual affordable for families with average income. Besides growing flowers, vegetables and fruits, all these gardens have a small cottage where a family can stay for a night. Many people spend their weekend in their gardens to have a real feel of the nature. I saw people harvesting vegetables and fruits, while their kids played in the gardens.

The concept of Schreber Gardens, I learnt, originated in 1860s when a group of like-minded people in Leipzig formed an educational association to encourage outdoor games to children. Then, this historical city was one of the big cities in Germany and children hardly had any space for outdoor games. The association later named itself after a physician Dr Daniel Moritz Schreber (1808-1861), who had strived to create green areas in the city for the children of the poor, and became Schreber Association. The association planted small flowerbeds on the edge of playgrounds, which were later called as Schreber Gardens. The concept became so popular over the years that it turned into what was called allotment movement, especially among the working class, and it spread across Germany and outside. Presently, there are an estimated one million Schreber Gardens across Germany and, of course, Leipzig has the highest per capita number of these Gardens.

There is also a Schreber Garden museum in Leipzig, which is world's first and only museum of the allotment movement. Located in the former association headquarters of the Schreber Association, which was built in 1896, the permanent exhibition provides a glimpse into the development of the German allotment movement from the beginning. Among the exhibits are original documents, association flags, photos or historical garden tools. An open-air exhibition presents a museum garden laid out in the style of the late 19th century, with an original garden hut dating back to 1880. There is also an exhibition of historical garden huts from 1890-1930.

The place where I come from, Bangalore, is also called the Garden City in India. But except for the famous Lal Bagh botanical gardens and Cubbon Park, there is hardly any green space left. I hope Bangaloreans will take a leaf out of the Leipzigers' book.