Welcome to "Berlin Hidden Places"

                        

Neukölln
and 
Tempelhof
Comenius Garden

Index

Comenius Garden

Körnerpark Gallery

Marienfelde Green

 

Johann Amos Comenius (1592-1670) is behind both the name and the ideas of the little theme garden in the Böhmisches Dorf (Bohemian Village) in Neukölln. The three-dimensional garden creations follow quotes from the Bohemian educationalist’s work. They can be seen as poetic symbols, drawn from nature, of the tasks that man faces at different stages of his life cycle. In the western part of the garden, a patch of violets, a lawn, a maze or a fountain of life represent such ideas for children of primary school age. Enchanting water features and dense mysterious groups of plants have developed here. A more figurative part is connected to the summer house, which itself has been endowed with the qualities of a soulful paradise. The scholar’s teaching tools make an appearance next to his statue. A platform represents his idea of “school as play“ and a gallery at the northern boundary wall stands for a “world in pictures.” Rows of fruit trees characterize and describe the last cycle of education in the Richardstrasse direction, that of college. It will be a while before the tops of the young trees meet and the arboreal halls of learning come into being. At both sides of the garden the sequence of the life cycle, as Comenius taught it, continues in the arrangement of the Bohemian village. The walnut tree of life at Karl-Marx-Platz with its semicircle of benches constitutes the beginning. The Bohemian graveyard in the Kirchhofstrasse is the end. Contrary to its thematic course, the garden can only be entered from Richardstrasse. It is locked and a bell and a garden plan have been attached to the fence. A small side gate leads from the garden path to the office of the scholarly garden attendants. Once a month, from spring to autumn, they give guided tours on the botanical, historical, philosophical and theological aspects of the ideas and design of the Comenius Garden.

 

 

 

 

 

     

Address: Richardstr. 35  12043 Berlin
Tel: +49 030 - 686 61 06  Fax: +49 030 - 682 37 303
Bus, Tube, Tram: U 7 Karl-Marx-Straße
Hours of opening: variable, please inquire by phone 
E-Mail: comenius-garten@t-online.de
Map
Next