"Waldesluft Grüna" wins the 3rd Chemnitz allotment garden competition
The allotment garden association "Waldesluft Grüna" is the winner of this year's competition for the most beautiful allotment garden site in Chemnitz. The association achieved first place with 94 out of 100 points and received prize money totalling 1,500 euros at the award ceremony this evening in the city council chamber of the town hall.
The Grüna site took part in this competition between allotment garden associations for the first time and immediately came out on top with a seven-point lead over the "Sachses Ruh" allotment garden association (winner of the 2019 competition) and the "Hammerfrieden" allotment garden association with a total of 81 points. The allotment garden associations "Deutsche Scholle" and "Am Bornaer Hang" also successfully took part in this year's competition.
The runner-up received 1,000 euros and the third place 500 euros in prize money. All other participants received a prize from the Stadtverband Chemnitz der Kleingärtner e. V. and a certificate of participation, which was presented by the patron of the competition, Lord Mayor Sven Schulze.
The motto of this year's competition was "Allotment gardens - for a good climate in our city". Because allotment gardens create a good climate in Chemnitz in many different ways. In this year's competition, the judges paid particular attention to climate-friendly, near-natural and ecological gardening in addition to the experience of the sites for visitors and social interaction.
Protecting the soil, home composting, humus management, collecting and using rainwater from the roof of the arbour and creating small wetland biotopes, mulching, preserving old fruit trees to provide shade, windbreak hedges, green manure and intercropping as well as growing your own fruit and vegetables have a direct impact on the climate in the city and the microclimate in a garden site. Allotment gardens thus have a climate-improving effect in the city. In addition, allotment gardens have a high biological diversity, high biodiversity and are ecologically effective areas.
The five allotment garden associations were assessed and evaluated by the jury during an inspection in June of this year. The jury consists of members of the allotment garden advisory board, representatives of the allotment garden associations and the green space office of the city of Chemnitz.
The winning association will take part in the state competition in 2025. For the first time, the second and third place winners will also have the opportunity to take part in the state competition in 2025.
The competition for the "Most beautiful Chemnitz allotment garden site 2023" was organised by the city of Chemnitz, the Chemnitz allotment gardeners' association and the Chemnitz/Land allotment gardeners' association. Participation was open to every allotment garden association in Chemnitz.
The background
Allotment garden sites in Chemnitz can gradually develop in line with current needs on the basis of the allotment garden concept approved by the city council, the association's own concepts and the municipal allotment garden funding.
Inspired by the city's allotment garden concept, the first municipal allotment garden competition was organised in 2016. As a result, the allotment garden site "Sonnige Höhe" won the gold medal at the 24th national competition "Gardens in Urban Development" in 2018.
Competitions provide motivation to showcase the achievements of allotment gardeners and are a source of inspiration and incentive for the contemporary design of allotment garden sites. The Chemnitz allotment garden competition takes place every four years as a preliminary competition for the state competition two years later and the national competition one year later.