East German Rose Garden Forst (Lausitz)

The big water features in the rose park

The East German rose garden in Forst (Lausitz) unites around 1000 rose varieties on tens of thousands of rose bushes on an area of 17 hectares . Originating from a rose and horticultural exhibition opened on the 25th anniversary of the throne of Kaiser Wilhelm II in June 1913, the gardens and parks located on the Neisse are characterized by a combination of garden art , landscape architecture and botanical diversity. Various themed gardens such as spring, heather or dahlia gardens complement the actual rose garden and, together with the English-style park on two former river islands, form an ensemble that is enriched by numerous sculptures , pergola courtyards , ornamental fountains and water features . In 2009 the park was named “Germany's most beautiful park” by an independent jury. In 2011, the rose garden in Forst was one of the five most popular excursion destinations in the state of Brandenburg, according to a survey by the RBB .

The annual highlight in the rose garden's calendar of events is the "rose garden festival" on the last weekend in June with a varied cultural program for all age groups, a cut rose show and a "night of 1000 lights" with fireworks . Every year since 1988, a “Forster Rose Queen” has been elected, who is chosen for the Rose Garden Festival.

The East German Rosengarten Forst (Lausitz) is a monument in Forst .

location

The East German Rosengarten Forst is located in the southeast of the city in the area between Wehrinselstraße, Paul-Högelheimer-Straße and Kegeldamm in the immediate vicinity of the Lausitzer Neisse . The gardens can be reached from Forst (Lausitz) train station or from Forster city center with the 854 bus operated by Neisseverkehr GmbH . The bus stop is in the immediate vicinity of the main entrance and the Oder-Neisse cycle path leads directly past the garden.

history

prehistory

Already before 1880, two islands, the weir island and the brush weir island, were created southeast of the Forster city center through regulations on the river bed of the Neisse. For the park, which was later laid out on the Wehrinsel, a competition was announced in 1906 to redesign it as a public park. Thirteen drafts were submitted. The first prize went to the Röthe brothers from Bonn , whose concept, however, was not carried out as planned. Nevertheless, the remodeling of the fortified island into a park in the style of an English landscape garden began in the same year . A restaurant was opened on March 10, 1910. For years it remained a popular excursion destination for foresters and their guests.

With a view to the 25th anniversary of the throne of Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1913, the Forster Association of Gardeners and Gardeners under the direction of Paul Engwicht developed the plan for an exhibition on the island at an early stage. The first ideas resulted at the beginning of 1912 in a resolution to hold a "Rose and Horticultural Exhibition" (RUGA), which was supported by the Association of German Rose Friends (VDR) and the "German Dahlia Society". After the provision of a guarantee by the town of Forst and the town council, the first work on the Wehrinsel began in the spring of 1912. In addition, a wasteland of 7 hectares off the island was leased by Count Brühl and included in the planning. Alfred Boese from Cottbus was appointed as exhibition manager and garden architect . Today, memorial stones in the Heidegarten commemorate Paul Engwicht and between the high trunk garden and the dwarf gall rose garden of Alfred Boese.

Rose and Garden Exhibition (RUGA) 1913

On June 14, 1913, the rose and garden exhibition was officially opened by Mayor Fischer and City Councilor Mohr. As the organizer, the Association of Gardeners and Gardening Friends of Forest signed with the participation of the VDR. Around 32,000 rose bushes and 2,600 dahlias were presented to RUGA visitors on an area of 14 hectares. Numerous garden architectural elements , mostly in Art Nouveau style , such as fountains, pergolas and sculptures complemented the show and were an additional point of attraction for the around 350,000 visitors that the organizers were able to record by the end of the exhibition in October. The rose and dahlia show was accompanied by 18 special exhibitions and many events with a folk festival character. One of the special attractions was the landing of the DELAG airship LZ 13 Hansa on August 24, 1913 on the edge of the exhibition grounds.

The exhibition closed on October 5, 1913. In the same month, the Forster city council met to discuss the future of the exhibition grounds. The decision to buy up the rose plantations and secure their preservation formed the basis for the conversion of the RUGA site into a permanent rose garden. At the beginning of 1914, the Association of German Rose Friends placed the site under the protection of honor and named it "East German Rose Garden".

1914 to 1945

Before it became quiet around the rose garden during the First World War , a second cut rose show took place on the garden grounds in July 1914.

In 1923, for the tenth anniversary of its existence, a rose show with a cut rose exhibition again attracted visitors to Forst. However, the economic crisis and inflation contributed to the fact that the number of exhibitors remained quite small. The main exhibitor was the rose grower Victor Teschendorff from Cossebaude . In his honor, a part of the garden that has been preserved from the founding years bears the name Teschendorffgarten.

From July 16 to 18, 1923, the general assembly of the Association of German Rose Friends took place in Forst, as a result of which a local group was founded, which now increasingly took part in the development of the rose garden. In 1930 an experimental garden was created. Another rose show took place from July 9th to 14th, 1933 to mark its 20th anniversary. In the same year, the assortment garden was built, which today presents new rose varieties from various German rose schools as a novelty section. With the organization of a "German Rose Show" on the occasion of its 25th anniversary, the East German Rose Garden experienced another high point in its history in 1938. Around 100,000 visitors visited the garden from the end of May to the beginning of September to view its facilities and the three cut rose shows. The general meeting of the VDR also took place in Forst. A year later, shortly before the start of the Second World War , the first "Rosengarten Festival" was held from July 20 to August 2, 1939.

The Teschendorffgarten in the Rosenpark

1945 to 1990

In the last months of the war, the East German Rose Garden was almost completely destroyed in bitter fighting for the town of Forst. Obeying the need, the area was first used after the end of the war to grow vegetables and potatoes. But already at the end of the 1940s, a new beginning was dared with the restoration of the existing garden architecture and the planting of rose bushes. The 40th anniversary of the founding could be celebrated again in 1953 with the Rosengarten Festival Weeks. The restaurant on the Wehrinsel, which was destroyed in the war, was rebuilt with the help of donations and voluntary construction hours. Another 20,000 roses bloomed in the rose garden. A novelty and cut rose show - presented in a tent - enriched the program of the festival weeks, which have since been an integral part of the annual event calendar of the garden and the city of Forst.

Under the direction of Werner Gottschalk (1920–1995), the "Forster Rosengarten", as it was now officially called, developed into a spacious complex until the 1980s. The rose planting was concentrated on the former forecourt, while the landscape park-like character of the defense island was retained. In this part, various buildings (open-air stage, music pavilion, exhibition hall) were erected in the 1950s, which were used intensively for events in the following years.

On the 50th anniversary of the foundation in 1963, the most urgent redesign work was completed. In 1965 the rose garden presented itself with an extensive program as part of the 700th anniversary of the city of Forst. Various maintenance and reconstruction work, u. a. the water features and the exhibition hall dominated the gardening in the 1970s and 1980s. On the occasion of the 75th anniversary in 1988, the dahlia garden was newly laid out. For the first time, the Forster rose queen was also elected.

Since 1990

Since 1990 the garden has been called "East German Rose Garden Forest (Lausitz)" again. In 2004, the town of Forst (Lausitz) has been prepared by the Association of German Rose Friends of the honorary title of " city of roses awarded Forest". This recognized an increase in the attractiveness of the entire complex through extensive renovation work, including the reconstruction of the main entrance based on templates from the year of foundation, the pergola courtyard and the water features. The new Rosenflair event center with restaurant (2008) and a new wedding room at the registry office play an additional role .

In November 2010, Forster Rosengarten was a founding member of the Lausitz Park Association . The East German Rose Garden celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2013 with many sustainable investments. For the first time since 1938 a "German Rose Show" was held.

The investments were continued in the following years and again supported by municipal funds.

Garden and park

The system consists of three parts: the Rose Park , the weir Island Park and the almost pristine brushwood weir island .

The rose park

The rose fountain at the main entrance

The rose park comprises various areas with tens of thousands of rose bushes in around 900 rose varieties. At the main entrance, visitors are greeted with a rose fountain , crowned by the statue of the goddess Flora and four seated putti as symbols of the seasons. This is followed by a main axis leading into the depths of the garden, accompanied by borders with ground cover , small shrub and shrub roses. Paths to the themed gardens branch off on both sides of the main axis.

The standard garden in the Rosenpark

This includes on the right side, the hybrid teas -Beet and the subsequent Standard tree garden with 300 rose bushes. These are mostly gifts from private individuals and companies, which are recognized in the annexed labels on the roses. The hybrid tea and high stem beds are complemented by colorful herbaceous borders . A small area with dwarf bengal roses and the heather garden lead over into the Teschendorff garden.

The right-angled Teschendorffgarten represents one of the most striking parts of the park in terms of design: borders are grouped around a large stone amphora on a base, framed by boxwood and surrounded by mighty topiary trees. This part of the garden has been preserved from the founding years and provides an original picture of the garden art of that time. On the occasion of the 90th anniversary in 2003, the varieties “Citrina” and “Contrast” - new breeds from the 1970s - were planted by Victor Teschendorff KG as souvenirs.

To the east of the main axis are the two fan-shaped rose-sighting gardens.

In the novelty section to the north, the new roses from the last 10 years are shown, mainly bed and hybrid tea roses in the middle sectors. There are shrub and climbing roses on the side beds. The main design focus is on the cascade fountain, which was restored for the 100th anniversary with substantial support from the "Förderverein Ostdeutscher Rosengarten 1913 Forst (Lausitz) eV".

South of the novelty section is the garden of the award-winning beauties . Over 100 different varieties are planted here, all of which bear the “ADR seal of approval” from the “General German Rose Novelty Test”.

The water features, which were rebuilt after the old system was demolished and opened to the public on May 1st, 2004, are a particular attraction. On hot summer days, this part of the garden invites you to linger and relax. A café awaits visitors in the immediate vicinity.

A stone pergola from the founding years borders the water garden in the east. The pergola leads over to the pillared courtyard, which is only a few steps higher and leads to the Jubilee Garden. The name Jubilee Garden refers to the redesign for the 100th anniversary of the facility. Here the rose was used sparingly and combined all the more luxuriantly in the color gradients between blue and white flower color. Various exotic trees, including a trumpet tree ( Catalpa bignonioides ), the Caucasian wingnut ( Pterocarya fraxinifolia ) and a ginkgo tree ( Ginkgo biloba ) are testimony to the dendrological activities of Werner Gottschalk, the long-standing head of the facility.

The Pergolenhof on the Wehrinsel

The defense island

A bridge over the artificially created defensive moat ( Entengraben ), which was renewed in 2004, connects the actual rose garden with the English-style landscape park on the defensive island. Many groups of trees and trees in combination with wide lawns determine this part of the garden. A solitary, towering Serbian spruce ( Picea omorika ) is striking .

Almost hidden in the middle of the park is the Pergolenhof, which is also one of the historical landscape-architectural elements of the garden. In addition to the eponymous pergolas, this also houses historical fountains, the frog fountain and the lion fountain, which was restored in 2013 based on the historical model. A fragrant garden presents various fragrant summer flowers and herbs in combination with fragrant roses from spring to autumn.

With the bear fountain and the snake fountain, two further historical fountains from the founding time can be found on the defense island.

The "Rosenflair" event center with a restaurant and wedding room, an exhibition hall, an open-air stage (Schillerbühne), a music pavilion and a children's playground can be found on the Wehrinsel . This part of the rose garden is freely accessible during the opening times of the facility and is therefore often used for excursions and walks.

The brushwood island

The Reisigwehrinsel, which was inaccessible for a long time, has been part of the park again since 2005. The park administration is based on the island, which has been largely left in its natural state to this day. The renovation of the building and the establishment of a circular path (now a sculpture path ) took place as part of the preparations for the 100th anniversary with EU funds. In contrast to the other two parts of the park, the Reisigwehrinsel is not a listed building. A number of new wooden sculptures from various Forster art symposia have found their place here.

The lion fountain on the weir island

Frog fountain on the Wehrinsel
more fountain pictures

Fountains, sculptures, sculptures

In addition to the large water features and the rose fountain in the entrance area of the rose garden, other concrete fountains enrich the facility. In addition to the cascade fountain in the novelty section, four more fountains can be found on the weir island. The most popular photo motif is the bear fountain, which should not be missing in any Forster family album. Four small bear figures are grouped around the fountain basin, looking up at a fifth bear sitting on a column, from whose mouth a jet of water pours out. The frog fountain integrated in the Pergolenhof is reminiscent of the fairy tale of the frog king . Both fountains come from the original garden, as does the snake fountain integrated into the fragrance garden.

Also in the Pergolenhof is the lion fountain , which also found a place in the garden for the 100th anniversary in 2013.

On his tour through the garden and park landscape, the visitor encounters various sculptures and sculptures. Particular mention should be made of the bronze sculptures Girl Nude and Crane Group by the sculptor Jürgen von Woyski from 1966, as well as the relief wall Life on the Oder-Neisse Peace Border from 1967 by the same artist . The circular path on the Reisigwehrinsel has been located since the anniversary year 2013 a sculpture path , on which wooden sculptures from two art symposia in 2013 and 2018 were placed. These sculptures come mainly from the chestnuts of the Kegeldamm, which died due to age, and were funded with the help of the EU and the state of Brandenburg.

literature

- chronological -

Werner Gottschalk: East German rose garden and Wehrinselpark 1913–1953. Edited on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the East German Rose Garden by the City Council of Forst (Lausitz) in 1953.
Werner Gottschalk: Forster rose garden. Edited on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Forster rose garden. With photos and drawings by Lothar Pfeiffer and a plan. Council of the City of Forst (Lausitz) 1963.
Hermann Schüttauf (with the assistance of Christa Bretschneider and Harri Günther): Parks and Gardens in the GDR. Art history city books. With numerous illustrations and site plans. VEB EA Seemann Verlag, Leipzig 1973.
City of Forst (Lausitz) (Hrsg.): East German Rosengarten Forst (Lausitz) since 1913. Geiger-Verlag, Horb 2003, ISBN 3-89570-852-6 .
City of Forst (Lausitz) (Hrsg.): East German Rosengarten Forst (Lausitz). Walk, festivals & exhibitions, story (s), service & information. Regia-Verlag, Cottbus 2005, ISBN 3-937899-32-4 .
Jan Klußmann (Ed.): The East German Rose Garden. A unique park since 1913. be.bra-Verlag, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-86124-675-6 .

Movie

No flower like any other. The East German rose garden in Forst. Documentary, Germany, 2013, 27:30 min., Script and direction: Konstanze Weidhaas, production: rbb , first broadcast: July 21, 2013 by rbb, summary by rbb, ( memento from September 13, 2016 in the Internet Archive ). Documentation on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Forster rose garden.