Schreber gardens are comparable to British allotment gardens; but then again – they’re not.

While English allotments are mainly places of production, German Schreber gardens are places of ornament.

In towns and cities throughout Germany Schreber garden colonies serve as a green oasis for many people living in flats without gardens.

Side by side these small gardens display fantastic flower beds and garden design, often combined with fruit and veg. Keen gardeners spend their weekends in the Schreber gardens, making their patch look its absolute best.

The original idea was quite a different one.

Dr Schreber, after whom the Schreber gardens are named, lived in Leipzig from 1808 - 1861. Working as a doctor and professor at Leipzig university, Dr Schreber had the health and well-being of young people at heart.

He dreamed of open and green spaces to give children room to breathe, play and develop in a more and more industrialized society.

After Dr Schreber’s death his son in law pursued his ideas and the “Schreber playground” was a successful project. The next step was the creation of small gardens for young people, where they could learn about nature and gardening.

This idea didn’t work so well. The youngsters didn’t show much interest in the gardens, and these soon were taken over by the parents, who took a special pride in maintaining and developping them. And thus the “Schreber gardens” became a playground for grown-ups rather than for children.

Schreber garden colonies can be found in towns and cities throughout Germany. Below we have listed just a few interesting examples.

The colonies are always open, and visitors are welcome to have a look around. The individual gardens, however, can only be entered with the owners permission.


Berlin

Berlin is home to 833 Schreber garden colonies, covering an amazing total area of 4%, in other words 4% of Berlin is covered with private gardens. 

Sonnenbad Schreber Garden Colony
Vorarlberger Damm 36
In the south of Berlin Schoenefeld lies the biggest colony of the area with 220 lots. Every once in a while the Schreber gardeners get together and organise flea markets, bowling nights and annual Christmas markets.

Oberspree Schreber Garden Colony
12459 Berlin Köpenick
Location: Schwarzer Wald / Weserweg
This colony, with a long old tradition is certainly worth a look, the area is surrounded by lots of wildlife, rivers and lakes. 

Schuessler Schreber Garden Colony
Schlossallee 2
13156 Berlin Pankow
Located close to the palace garden of Palace Schoenhausen, between Schlossalle and Galenusstrasse, this colony was founded in 1919 and consists of 118 lots. Just recently there was a big festival to celebrate 85 years of existence.

Canova Schreber Garden Colony
12157 Berlin Fridenau
Location: Parallel to Riemschneiderweg
Entrances at Grazer Platz, Peter-Vischer-Str., Bruggermannstraße and Prellerweg
This colony consists of 145 lots.


Dortmund

Auf der Lauke Schreber Garden Colony
Schafstallstr. 30
44320 Dortmund
In 2000 this colony won the “Golden Spade” for environmental friendly, natural and non-toxic gardening.

Am Nussbaumweg Schreber Garden Association
Akazienstr. 101
44143 Dortmund
Contains a playground and a private brewery.

Heideblick Schreber Garden Association
Spannstr. 22
44328 Dortmund
Founded in 1960, today this small colony consists of 64 lots.

Cologne

Blücherpark Schreber Garden Association 
Arnimstraße 100a
50825 Köln-Neuehrenfeld
Founded in 1917, this colony is the oldest and with 675 lots the biggest one in Cologne

Takufeld Schreber Garden Association
Wiethasestr. 62
50933 Köln
This small association was founded in 1938.

Volkhovener Weg Schreber Garden Association 
Volkhover Weg
50825 Köln
Not only lot holders but also visitors enjoy strolling through this colony to watch the growing and blossoming of the various plant types.

Stuttgart

Wangen Schreber Garden Association
Stuttgart
This small colony of 64 lots represents a place of peace and balance right in the heart of Stuttgart.

Gartenfreunde Heslach Schreber Garden Association
Kelterstr. 58,
70199 Stuttgart
This Schreber garden colony with its 144 lots was founded in 1946.

Kaltental Schreber Garden Association
Dachswaldweg 220
70569 Stuttgart
This colony is located in the border triangle of Gemarkungen Heslach, Kaltental and Vaihingen and is surrounded by woodlands.


German Allotment Garden Museum

The German Allotment Garden Museum features an exhibition on the history of the Schreber gardens and also covers more recent developments. A sample garden can also be visited. The exhibition is in German only. English tours can be arranged upon request.

Deutsches Kleingärtnermuseum
Aachener Straße 7
D-04109 Leipzig
Tel: 0049 341 211 1194
Fax: 0049 341 261 8697
E-mail: kleingaertnermuseum@t-online.de
www.kleingarten-museum.de (German only)