![\"orient1.JPG\"](\"http:\/\/www.randform.org\/blog\/wp-content\/2006\/11\/orient1.JPG\")
\n“Garten der vier Ströme”, (garden of the four streams) Erholungspark Marzahn<\/p>\n
\n“Garten der vier Ströme”, (garden of the four streams) Erholungspark Marzahn<\/p>\n
Berlins most beautiful garden is not – as one could imagine – a castle garden<\/a> or the botanical garden, no it is the Erholungspark Marzahn<\/a>. The Erholungspark Marzahn doesn’t provide a spectacular view onto Berlins rivers Spree or Dahme – often reserved only to Berlins “(economic) elite” – but provides instead of a view onto the old eastgerman claddings of Marzahn<\/a>.<\/p>\n The garden is relatively new and part of a project which is intended to ameliorate the living conditions of Marzahn-Hellersdorf. In the last elections for the parliament of Berlin<\/a> the NPD – a party which is extremely right wing managed to gain enough votes to join the city parliament of Marzahn-Hellersdorf. So there is not only need for nature but also for education. <\/p>\n The Erholungspark Marzahn hosts – by now – already 5 little international gardens:<\/p>\n The japanese garden by the way was designed by the same Zen monk (I cant find his name right now), who already did the design of the garden of the metropolitan university in Tokyo, located at Minami Osawa<\/a>.<\/p>\n However the park\/garden is not only a museum but hosts -among others- (see images below) : <\/p>\n and finally – very important – <\/p>\n update 27.2.2016: update 19.4.2016: The hill had been used for hiking and skiing and it hosted Marzahns most popular and basically one and only big sledging hill.<\/p>\n update 28.1.2018:
\n![\"orient2.JPG\"](\"http:\/\/www.randform.org\/blog\/wp-content\/2006\/11\/orient2.JPG\")
\n![\"orient3.JPG\"](\"http:\/\/www.randform.org\/blog\/wp-content\/2006\/11\/orient3.JPG\")
<\/p>\n\n
![\"chin1.JPG\"](\"http:\/\/www.randform.org\/blog\/wp-content\/2006\/11\/chin1.JPG\")
\n![\"chin2.JPG\"](\"http:\/\/www.randform.org\/blog\/wp-content\/2006\/11\/chin2.JPG\")
\n![\"chin3.JPG\"](\"http:\/\/www.randform.org\/blog\/wp-content\/2006\/11\/chin3.JPG\")
\n(as one can see the chinese garden is a popular background for film crews)<\/p>\n![\"japanGarten.JPG\"](\"http:\/\/www.randform.org\/blog\/wp-content\/2006\/11\/japanGarten.JPG\")
<\/p>\n![\"balinesisch1.JPG\"](\"http:\/\/www.randform.org\/blog\/wp-content\/2006\/11\/balinesisch1.JPG\")
\n![\"balinesisch2.JPG\"](\"http:\/\/www.randform.org\/blog\/wp-content\/2006\/11\/balinesisch2.JPG\")
\n(currently the socalled Fledermauslilie or Teufelsblume (bat-lily or devils flower) is in full bloom)<\/p>\n![\"seoul.JPG\"](\"http:\/\/www.randform.org\/blog\/wp-content\/2006\/11\/seoul.JPG\")
<\/p>\n\n
![\"irrgarten.JPG\"](\"http:\/\/www.randform.org\/blog\/wp-content\/2006\/11\/irrgarten.JPG\")
\n![\"karussel224.JPG\"](\"http:\/\/www.randform.org\/blog\/wp-content\/2006\/11\/karussel224.JPG\")
![\"reck224.JPG\"](\"http:\/\/www.randform.org\/blog\/wp-content\/2006\/11\/reck224.JPG\")
\n![\"teufelchen.JPG\"](\"http:\/\/www.randform.org\/blog\/wp-content\/2006\/11\/teufelchen.JPG\")
\n![\"auxfleurs.JPG\"](\"http:\/\/www.randform.org\/blog\/wp-content\/2006\/11\/auxfleurs.JPG\")
<\/p>\n
\nIts been about ten years since this entry had been written. Meanwhile Erholungspark Marzahn had turned kind of ugly Disney park like companion piece. I have basically ceased to go there.<\/p>\n
\nIt should also be mentioned that the current operator Berlin Gr\u00fcn GmbH is involved in a questionable deal in the context of Schloss Biesdorf (public funding of 500.000 Euro per year by the district of Marzahn-Hellersdorf). Moreover there is unfortunately an unclear connection of Gr\u00fcn GmbH and the destruction of a 120 year old pub building – an important community space<\/a>.
\nIn addition allegedly for the International garden exhibition (IGA) the territory of the Erholungspark was enlarged and last year a huge recreational public space (a whole hill) was fenced. There are two protest initiatives against this fencing off of free of entry public space (links: here <\/a>and here<\/a>). It is apparently not clear (?) wether this fencing will be taken back after the IGA is over. A main sponsor of IGA is the company Nestle.<\/a><\/p>\n
\nI meanwhile had visited the IGA.
\nA lot of my “Disney park like companion piece” impression (see above) was probably due to the fact that some of that “Disney park like”-structures (which looked like some knockoff imitations that didn’t really pay much tribute to the originals (like the monastery garden or the english farm house)), were already built with the goal to fill a big area for the IGA.<\/p>\n