35 years of Garden Friends Prignitz: Caring for the green lungs for everyone!

35 years of Garden Friends Prignitz: Caring for the green lungs for everyone!

The 35th anniversary of the Gartenfreunde e.V. was celebrated on Saturday in the picturesque Hotel Magdeburg. V. Prignitz celebrated. Club chairman Gerhard Bretschneider, who has been active since 1985 and has been on the district board since 2008, reviewed the founding of the club on September 5, 1990. This emerged from the “Association of Allotment Gardeners, Settlers and Small Animal Breeders” and has since developed into the home of around 2,300 members who are organized in 51 clubs at eight locations.

In his speech, Bretschneider emphasized the immense importance of allotment gardens for environmental protection and biodiversity. These green oases act as natural cooling systems, especially in urban areas. Many people not only find their gardens something to do, but also a place to retreat to with family and friends. As Salah Maala, a pensioner from Frankfurt, aptly describes, one's own garden is often a second home where life blooms and thrives. When the thermometer soars on hot summer days, an allotment garden can help cool you down by up to three degrees and thus dampen the heat in the surrounding area.

Sociability and social connections

However, the influence of gardening enthusiasts goes far beyond nature. Bretschneider emphasized that allotment gardens also play an important role in social interaction and people's quality of life. This was also recognized by the mayors present, Axel Schmidt from Perleberg and Oliver Hermann from Wittenberge. Hermann praised the free nature of the garden friends' work and underlined their value for the cityscape, especially with a view to the upcoming State Garden Show in 2027.

But the challenges for allotment gardeners should not be underestimated. State chairman Fred Schenk criticized the ongoing bureaucracy that often makes volunteer work difficult. The property tax reform in particular is seen as a burden for many lease agreements. In Brandenburg, of the former 78,000 allotment gardens, only around 59,000 are now in use, with around 5,000 areas remaining unused.

Promote biological diversity

The allotments are not only important for people, they are also true treasure troves of biodiversity. Professor Fritz Reusswig from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research emphasizes that allotment gardens contribute to biological diversity in cities by promoting air exchange and storing CO2 in the soil. Activities such as planting flowers, shrubs and trees create sustainable habitats for bees, butterflies and other animal species. Garden owners like Katrin Böhning-Gaese consciously make sure to transform their garden into a paradise for wildlife.

The popularity of allotment gardens is also reflected in the numbers: There are over 900,000 allotment gardens in Germany, many of which people use as green lungs for urban spaces. A rethink in urban planning is essential in order to preserve these green areas in the future and to do justice to their importance for the climate. In Frankfurt, for example, an allotment garden development concept was decided on to ensure the preservation of the areas.

Finally, it should be emphasized that the Prignitz Garden Friends not only celebrated their own anniversary, but also sent an important signal for the appreciation of nature and social interaction. Further information about biological diversity in allotments can be found on the website Allotments and biological diversity.