European Award for Ecological Gardening 2017
In total, seven projects have been awarded during the Prize Award Ceremony at the IGA Berlin 2017.
A total of 52 projects from 11 countries have been submitted for the European Award for Ecological Gardening 2017 of the campaign “Natur im Garten“ (“Nature in the Garden“). It was quite a difficult task for the Expert Jury to select the winning projects in the three categories. In the category “Gardening without a Garden“, the project named “Vilnius Botanical Garden“ from Lithuania convinced the Jury. The winning project of the category “Gardens for Visitors“ are the “Kittenberger Erlebnisgärten“ (“The Kittenberger Adventure Gardens“) from Lower Austria. In the same category, the Jury additionally awarded two recognition prizes to Lu & Tiree Chemlar Herb Garden from Valtice, Czech Republic, as well as to Gunnebo – Riviving the 18th Century from Sweden. As for the category “Community Gardens“, the Berlin project “Interkultureller Gemeinschaftsgarten Himmelbeet“ (“Intercultural Community Garden Himmelbeet“) was awarded with the European Award for Ecological Gardening 2017. Also in this category, the projects “Ortoalto Le Fonderie Ozanam“, Turin, Italy and “Interkultureller Gemeinschaftsgarten Greifenstein“ (“Intercultural Natural Garden Greifenstein“), Lower Austria won two recognition awards.
Category „Gardening without a garden“
1. Place: Vilnius Botanical Garden (LTU, 2015/16)
Vilnius University, Audrius Skridaila
A former lab building in Vilnius was transformed into a green oasis with the help of indigenous plants grown on pillars of the façade and on a roof garden.
Category „Gardens for visitors“
1. Place: The Kittenberger Adventure Gardens (AUT, since 1995)
Kittenberger Erlebnisgärten GmbH,
Reinhard Kittenberger
In 40 different theme gardens, visitors to this project launched in Lower Austria experience possibilities of near-natural gardening as an inspiration for their own green spaces.
Recognition-Award
Lu & Tiree Chemlar Herb GArden (CZE, since 2010)
Premysl Krejcirik, Bylinková zahrada Lu a Tiree Chemlar z.S.
Next to Valtice Castle, a variety of herbs and other plants is growing harmonically side by side, the purpose being to familiarise visitors with them and their ecological cultivation.
Gunnebo – Reviving the 18th century (SWE, 1996/2006)
Gunnebo House and Gardens, Lena Vikström
At this estate located in Southern Sweden, the public can experience the potential of historic garden care and enjoy foods from ecological production.
Category „Community gardens“
1. Place: Intercultural Community Garden Himmelbeet (GER, 2013)
himmelbeet GmbH, Anja Rillcke
In this intercultural community garden, which serves as a place for urban living and for events, young and old learn how to produce healthy foods together on a former fallow land in Berlin.
Recognition-Award
Ortoalto Le Fonderie Ozanam (ITA, 2016)
OrtiAlti, Elena Carmagnani
This community roof garden in Turin serves as a social urban meeting point where edible and beneficial-creature-promoting plants are cultivated.
Intercultural Natural Garden Greifenstein (AUT, 2007)
ÖJAB-Haus Greifenstein, Österreichische Jugendarbeiterbewegung
The basic idea of this project is to work with asylum seekers in the garden, thereby using a multicultural meeting place for people, animals and plants.
f.l.t.r.: Jury Chairman Karl Ploberger, Reinhard Kittenberger (“Kittenberger Erlebnisgärten“ - “The Kittenberger Adventure Gardens“), Provincial Counsellor Karl Wilfing, Manuela Murth-Menhardt (“Kittenberger Erlebnisgärten“), Hermann Onko Aikens (State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture), Romain Elleboudt, Jonathan Kuhlberger (both “Interkultureller Gemeinschaftsgarten Himmelbeet“ – “Intercultural Community Garden himmelbeet“), Christa Ringkamp (President of the European Garden Association / “Natur im Garten“ International) and Audrius Skridaila (“Vilnius Botanical Garden“)
f.l.t.r.: Jury Chairman Karl Ploberger and Provincial Counsellor Karl Wilfing congratulate Manuela Murth-Menhardt (Authorised Representative of “Kittenberger Erlebnisgärten“) and Reinhard Kittenberger on the “European Award for Ecological Gardening 2017“ in the category ´Gardens for Visitors‘