The Prinzessinnengarten is an urban vegetable garden. Here in the city center, on a plot that lay disused for decades, vegetables are grown. The garden owes its existence to the commitment of countless neighbors, friends and interested people. In just a few summers, their work, their passion, their diverse skills and ideas have transformed this forgotten place into a new form of urban greenery. The people and motivations that make this place possible are as varied as the garden itself.
The Prinzessinnengarten is located in the Kreuzberg 36 district of Berlin, between Prinzenstraße, Oranienstraße and Prinzessinnenstraße, and is about the size of a soccer field. Here, exclusively agricultural crops are cultivated, locally and organically. The garden as a whole is mobile. The bar, kitchen, workshop and storage facilities are located in disused and converted shipping containers. Crops are planted in raised beds made from stacked crates or in rice sacks. A method of cultivation that is independent from the ground below, combined with the use of food-grade materials, allows for organic farming in a city where the lands available are usually either paved or contaminated. In addition, a mobile garden allows for the possibility of temporary use. The Prinzessinnengarten rents the land at Moritzplatz from the city. The possible privatization of this land could lead to the relocation of the garden to a different site. Income is generated through the garden’s restaurant and the sale of vegetables, from funds that we acquire for the implementation of various educational projects, from the construction of other gardens, consulting services, fees for images, presentations and guided tours, as well as donations in form of planter and garden sponsorships. Nobody owns their own bed at the Prinzessinnengarten. Many people are involved voluntarily in order to make a place like this possible. As a framework for the different social, educational and economic activities here, we have established a non-profit company called Nomadisch Grün (Nomadic Green), with the primary aim of making the garden a place of learning. Since we are mostly amateurs and beginners, the emphasis is mainly on informal learning. Skills are gained through practical experience and the sharing of knowledge.
The Prinzessinnengarten is more than just a place to grow vegetables in the city. It is a space for diverse activities. Through the opportunity to contribute and to participate in open workshops, through the garden café and a variety of cultural events, the Prinzessinnengarten has become a lively meeting place with appeal far beyond the neighborhood. At the same time, it is an example of a new type of gardening in the city. Lately, more and more is being heard about gardens that have little to do with the typical ideas of green in the city or with parks, front gardens or allotments. Through such gardens and their participants, terms such as urban gardening, urban agriculture, community gardens, city farms or guerrilla gardening have found their way into common usage. This phenomenon can be observed in the most varied of forms in many cities around the world. Community gardens and urban farming projects are especially widespread in North America. The appearance and size of these gardens as well as the motivations and ideas of the gardeners may vary greatly in detail. What these gardens have in common, alongside the focus on local food production, is that they are developed as community projects and on their own initiative. In addition, gardening is not only understood as a pleasant pastime, with the garden as a private retreat. The alternative use of urban land, self-sufficiency and community work are also generally associated with wider societal issues. Through practical activity, this new garden movement takes up issues like biodiversity, healthy eating, recycling, environmental justice, climate change and food sovereignty. Urban gardens practically demonstrate an ecologically and socially different approach to urban spaces and their inhabitants, enable the social empowerment of marginalized communities, and are places where opportunities for local micro-economies and other economic models are being tested. In an unobtrusive and pragmatic way, such gardens raise the question of how we want to live in our cities in the future.
derivas utópicas 