A great small miracle
The Schulgarten is more than a park. It is a place that connects people without having to make any special effort. This green area does not need any effects, people come here – just because they love nature, peace and greenery. Here you can meet those who like to stroll and those who settle down for a while on a bench in the greenery with a book in hand. Parents with their young children and school classes who want to learn about bees. Kindergarten groups come regularly because they not only want to look at native plants, but also wish to plant a small field themselves and learn something about what needs to be done to turn a seedling into a magnificent large plant. This is where those with green thumbs meet to talk shop about how best to plant, nurture and care for a particular rose species, and some come here to play chess. Others are passionate about the fine events, like readings and concerts in the golden warm evening hours.
In peace and yet right In the middle of it all
What they all have in common is that, away from Lübeck’s Old Town, they cherish a gem whose visit has a soothing and inspiring effect on the soul. Finding leisure away from the daily grind, yet being right in the middle of it all and listening to life – birds chirping, bells ringing, the startled shouts of parents on the neighbouring playground admonishing their little ones to just not climb too high. The commands of the soccer coach wafting from the sports field next door and those of the paddlers on the Wakenitz. How precious are such moments of contemplation, which belong entirely to one’s own self, to one’s hobby or to a chat with a dear person.
Cultural monument school garden
The school garden was developed after 1913, having already existed previously at the end of the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century the then Lübeck city gardeners had made several suggestions to create a place that would teach biology in a practical and natural way. During World War I and also later during the World War II, vegetables were grown on the area to feed the hungry. However, from 1949 onwards, the revival of the area as educational and show garden took place. In 2019, the Hanseatic City of Lübeck designated the site as a cultural monument – a crucial prerequisite for preserving the school garden as a place of learning and encounter for future generations. Without the tireless commitment of the association for the “Promotion of the Lübeck School Garden” and its volunteer members, the Grüner Kreis Lübeck e. V. ( the green circle Lübeck e. V.) and without the financial project support of, among others, the Gemeinnützige Sparkassenstifung zu Lübeck, this lively green wonderous place would not exist.
Sweet temptations in the coffee house
Fortunately, you don’t have to do without little delicacies. The Kaffeehäuschen at the Schulgarten spoils you with hearty treats and of course cake & more daily from 10.00 – 18.00 From Fridays to Sundays, you can have breakfast in this green paradise – including vegan and vegetarian options. Unbeatable for me here are the Pasteis de Nata. In terms of taste, they come pretty close to the unsurpassed Pastéis de Belém from Lisbon. Egg cream happiness on crispy puff pastry. So good!
Reading in the green
My personal favourite spot is the little octagonal garden shed by the wildflower meadow, which houses a garden book exchange. Searching and browsing the pages I like to sit comfortably indoors on the white bench or outside on a garden chair I brought along. With a coffee in hand, it is even nicer to sit in the glow of the setting sun and with a view of one or the other church spire in the Old Town. How wonderful it is to be carried by the conviction that it is quite simple to feel oneself as part of nature.
