On 23 June 2021, the city council decided to submit an expression of interest for an “Urban Garden Show” in the Stadtgraben and adjacent areas as a 50th anniversary show in 2030.
“A Bavarian State Garden Show in the middle of Nuremberg’s city centre will be quite different from what has been done before – a garden show in the middle of the city! Not only will the area in the city moat be permanently made green and beautiful, but it will also have an impact on square and street spaces,” says Mayor Marcus König, explaining the idea. “With the Garden Show in Nuremberg, we want to develop ideas and solutions and not only make the densely built-up Old Town greener and make better use of existing green spaces – neighbouring districts beyond the city walls should also be included.”
The plan concept of “Green Fingers”.
Image: Mayor’s Office / Urban Development Team
Even though it is centrally located, the Stadtgraben area is scarcely used as a recreational area. There are hardly any flowering plants here and, in some sections, there are rather few people around. But the potential for improvement is high. An “Urban Garden Show Nuremberg 2030” is intended to enhance these treasures and create a long-term green oasis in the middle of the city.
With its five kilometres in length and about 13.5 hectares, the Stadtgraben area is smaller than many previous State Garden Show sites. The challenges of the future thus become the central theme: how do I make the city more climate-resistant? What do we need in the city centre for climate protection? So the goal is not only to upgrade the moat, but also to include neighbouring squares and street spaces and to let the greenery radiate into the old town. It is also important to bring more biodiversity into the moat and get people excited about it. This could happen, for example, through “urban gardening” in small spaces, green roofs and facades, hanging gardens and fruit trees along the sandstone walls, green city squares and much more.
By June 2022, the City of Nuremberg will know whether the application was successful. After that, there will be eight years for tending, planning and execution. The city expects its own contribution to be around 20 million euros. Subsidies and sponsorships complete the financing of the garden show costs.
“The application as the Urban Garden Show 2030 not only brings new usable open spaces and possibilities for climate adaptation, but also advances the topic of sustainable mobility in the city centre. In the mobility resolution of January this year, we committed ourselves to a fundamental change in transport. Networking and linking in and across the city moat can bring lasting benefits for the people in the city centre,” says planning and building officer Daniel Ulrich.
“I am looking forward to the development process because we can try out quite a lot, incorporate citizen ideas and create a real benefit for the whole of Nuremberg that starts before 2030 and will last for a long time,” concludes Mayor Marcus König.
Further information on application formalities, contents and benefits of Bavarian State Garden Shows can be found at https://www.lgs.de. Initial information on a possible Urban Garden Show Nuremberg 2030 can be found at Urbane Gartenschau Nürnberg 2030 – Stadtportal Nürnberg (www.nuernberg.de). The information there will be supplemented step by step.
