Berlin 2022

A little Trip around the World in the Heart of Berlin

  About a year after the wedding in the Spreewald region, I was able to visit my friends Carina and Martin in Berlin again. For the Saturday, I made the sightseeing plan and so, we planned to visit the Gardens of the World (Gärten der Welt). Somehow our trip around the world on one day started there. After almost 1.5 hours of taking the S-Bahn and the bus, we reached the gardens in Marzahn-Hellersdorf. At first, we thought of a leisurely tour and a subsequent journey to Köpenick, since I've never visited this area. However, the various gardens and the nice weather enchanted us so much that we spent almost four hours there. But in my opinion, it was better to admire and enjoy the wonderful gardens than just having a rush and feeling stressed by walking around. 

 Together with the adjacent freely accessible recreational areas of the Kienberg and the Wuhletal directly to the east, this results in a total area of more than 100 hectares. The large fenced complex includes several gardens that show typical plants and designs from different parts of the world. In addition to the themed gardens, which had been further developed since it was founded, further parts were added to the overall complex. 

  How is it possible to admit and travel through six continents during one day? After entering the gardens, there were some smaller gardens showing classical elements of Australian, Lebanese, British, Thai, Chinese, South African, Chilean, Brazilian and US-American gardens. Then, the next garden was the Renaissance Garden called "Giardino della Bobolina" which is referred to a 1.30 metres high marble figure in the Boboli Gardens in Florence, one of the Italian gardens of the 16th century. Characteristic are the limitation of stylistic devices, its manageable size and the clear forms. It is intended to convey the impression of the villa gardens of Tuscany with stone fountains, terracottas and antique sculptures. 

  The Oriental Garden is splitted in two parts - the "Hall of Receptions" and the "Garden of the Four Streams" referring to a Chahar Bagh, a Persian and Indo-Persian quadrilateral garden layout based on the four gardens of Paradise mentioned in the Quran. The quadrilateral garden is divided by walkways and flowing water into four smaller parts combined with ornamental and useful plants which accomplish the need for shade, colour, scent and taste in the desert. The rectangular garden courtyard is surrounded by a wall which - in accordance with oriental tradition - initially hides the oasis from the visitor.     

  This was just the start of on Asian adventure in the form of the various cultural gardens. For me, the tropical Indonesian Garden, the Korean Garden, the Japanese Garden and the bigger Chinese Garden were a bit more common than the Oriental Garden, because I have seen such gardens before. Nevertheless, these weren't less fascinating for me with their beautiful sea of ​​colours of the autumn. Especially, the colours in the Korean Garden came to the fore. Moreover, the orchids in the tropical garden, combined with the design of an old temple complex, are always a highlight for me anyway.

  When we finished the tour around the Gardens of the World, we took the cable car to the Wolkenhain, a viewing platform on the summit of the Kienberg. From there, we had a beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding forest and Marzahn-Hellersdorf. Moreover, we could see the Berlin TV tower - Germany's tallest building - in the distance. After we allowed ourselves a short break with cappuccino and hot cocoa, we left the gardens and took the subway back to Berlin-Mitte. To complete the trip around the world, we went to a Nepalese restaurant called "Mitho Cha!". Our highlight there were the momos, a kind of steamed Tibetan-Nepalese dumplings filled with spinach and cheese.