On Pannierstraße, amidst the chaos and concrete of inner-city berlin, there lies a little Garden of Eden. The high fences and shrubbery prevent you from getting a good look inside, which only increases the sense of mystery. What you can see are little wooden houses, well-tended vegetable patches and flower beds. The bizarre incongruity of this little garden community (Kleingartencolonie) against its city surroundings gives it a slightly creepy edge, particularly when they play medieval music. However, I've since come to realise that this is very much a foreigners response, as there seem to be quite a few of these garden communities in Berlin, and Germany at large. On a brief visit to the Ost-See I found myself a resident of once such community. It had the sweet little houses, blossoming flowers and abundant vegetable patches, I half expected to turn the corner and see a Hobbit pulling out potatoes. It was peaceful and idyllic, the anti-thesis of a big city. I think this stark opposition is totally intentional. The inhabitants seemed to want to return to a time of self-sufficiency and simple living, without the toxicity and distractions of the modern world. I admire the effort and the idea behind the effort. Yet it remains a strange concept to me. It seems like a wilful act of ignorance, to block out reality and the world around you and create one to your taste. But then, I suppose to a certain extent this is really a necessity, and something everyone does in their own particular way.
Pics from Ost-See garden community:
No comments:
Post a Comment