Lennépark Frankfurt (Oder)

We have one of the city's early citizens' movements to thank for this beautiful garden area in the heart of Frankfurt (Oder), which was launched in 1834 by wealthy residents to prevent the demolition of the no longer necessary historic ramparts. They found an ally in Peter Joseph Lenné, the Prussian Royal Garden Director, who also developed the plans for the park's design. This is how Germany's second oldest citizens' park came into being.

Public construction projects took more time even then, as the construction of the park was delayed by various interests in the city and financed by the citizens of Frankfurt. After more than ten years of construction, it was opened to the public in 1845. Lenné was constantly checking on the progress of the work and on compliance with his landscape plans. The large gradient of Lenné Park in Frankfurt (Oder) is remarkable. It is 35 meters from north to south. The area stretches for a total length of around one kilometer along Karl-Marx-Straße, one of the Oder city's largest traffic arteries. The elongated extension with an unusual length-to-width ratio of the complex is also striking. Several artificial water features, such as a waterfall, a fountain, streams and ponds, run through the gradient, allowing a harmonious interplay of water and nature to be experienced. Even today, the park reveals the master's signature: curved paths, staged groups of trees, wide meadows and the aforementioned watercourses. What is particularly surprising for park visitors, however, is the wide variety of trees that have been planted along the paths. There are a whole range of exotic tree species here. A group of ginkgo trees, a North American hackberry, young primeval redwoods and even a mulberry tree can be discovered here. Fifty different species also make Lenné Park a botanical experience.

In the heart of the city, visitors find a relaxing place for rest and relaxation, which in summer forms a harmonious symbiosis with the alternating light and shadow of the treetops and the shallow play of the water. Lenné would still be happy for the citizens of Frankfurt (Oder) today.