Volksgarten Kray

Volksgarten in Essen-Kray

The Volksgarten Kray is a park in the eastern part of the city of Essen . Contrary to its name, it is cartographically exactly to the east of the Kray district in the Leithe district .

history

In the area of today's Volksgarten, a part of the Schulte-Brüning court was located until 1896, the history of which can be traced back to 1327 as the former feudal court of Deutz Abbey . At that time this area was still predominantly agricultural. The Gelsenkirchen factory owner Wilhelm Munscheid had offered to create a recreational area in the rapidly growing Kray, where many workers for the booming hard coal mining and the up-and-coming steel industry settled. In 1896 Heinrich Theodor Brüning sold his farm to Wilhelm Munscheid. However, the then mayor of Kray-Leithe hesitated, but finally bought around ten hectares of the area in 1912, when Munscheid also wanted to take over the costs for the development of the future park. The total costs for building the Volksgarten amounted to 208,000 marks , including the land purchase, extensive earthworks, the construction of the ponds and the horticultural design.

Building of the former restaurant to the Volksgarten

On June 22, 1913, for the 25-year reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II , the Volksgarten with its natural hills and fish ponds was inaugurated. A building of the former Schulte-Brüning court, which was built in the middle of the 19th century, was converted into a restaurant for the Volksgarten . It has changed hands several times to this day and has been a listed building since 1991. Since the Volksgarten was cut up by the A 40 in the 1950s, the former restaurant has been located south of the motorway and thus outside of today's Volksgarten.

In the 1980s, the park now remaining north of the A 40 was extended to the residential areas and better connected to the surrounding residential areas. There were also playgrounds including a football field.

The two ponds have been made more accessible to park visitors through extensive clearing and wood cutting work in 2006, so that the benches and viewpoints can be used again.

The Volksgarten Nature Conservation Association was founded in January 2008 to maintain the facility, maintain and improve biotopes, protect species and develop sustainable and environmentally friendly concepts .

In 2011 the Volksgarten was extensively renovated. In particular, the ponds were renatured and the old fountain replaced by a new one.

character

Predominantly old trees and extensive meadows on gentle slopes characterize the approximately ten hectare large Volkspark. These include four trees designated as natural monuments : a Caucasian wingnut , a linden , a tree hazel and a ginkgo . The park also has two ponds and a children's playground. Several larger festivals take place in the Volksgarten every year, such as the Spring Festival and the Children's Festival, the proceeds of which always benefit the children in the district.