Prinzessinnengarten

Nomadisch Grün (Nomadic Green) Starting in the summer of 2009, the non-profit company „Nomadisch Grün“ has leased a site in Berlin/Kreuzberg in order to create a mobile urban farm: The Prinzessinnengarten.

Our fresh, organic, locally produced herbs and vegetables are grown in raised compost beds without using any pesticides or artificial fertilisers.

We temporarily transform unused spaces such as buildingsites, car parks and roofs into urban farmland and green meeting places.

The Prinzessinnengarten is a place of discovery where children, neighbours, experts and those curious about sustainable living can come together to about and explore alternative visions for our city.

The Prinzessinnengarten is an urban vegetable garden. Here in the city center, on a plot that lay disused for decades, vegetables are grown. The garden owes its existence to the commitment of countless neighbors, friends and interested people. In just a few summers, their work, their passion, their diverse skills and ideas have transformed this forgotten place into a new form of urban greenery. The people and motivations that make this place possible are as varied as the garden itself.

The Prinzessinnengarten is located in the Kreuzberg 36 district of Berlin, between Prinzenstraße, Oranienstraße and Prinzessinnenstraße, and is about the size of a soccer field. Here, exclusively agricultural crops are cultivated, locally and organically.

The garden as a whole is mobile. The bar, kitchen, workshop and storage facilities are located in disused and converted shipping containers. Crops are planted in raised beds made from stacked crates or in rice sacks.

A method of cultivation that is independent from the ground below, combined with the use of food-grade materials, allows for organic farming in a city where the lands available are usually either paved or contaminated. In addition, a mobile garden allows for the possibility of temporary use.

The Prinzessinnengarten rents the land at Moritzplatz from the city. The possible privatization of this land could lead to the relocation of the garden to a different site. Income is generated through the garden’s restaurant and the sale of vegetables, from funds that we acquire for the implementation of various educational projects, from the construction of other gardens, consulting services, fees for images, presentations and guided tours, as well as donations in form of planter and garden sponsorships. Nobody owns their own bed at the Prinzessinnengarten.

Many people are involved voluntarily in order to make a place like this possible. As a framework for the different social, educational and economic activities here, we have established a non-profit company called Nomadisch Grün (Nomadic Green), with the primary aim of making the garden a place of learning. Since we are mostly amateurs and beginners, the emphasis is mainly on informal learning. Skills are gained through practical experience and the sharing of knowledge.