Garden Design in Ostwestfalen-Lippe

Garten_Landschaft OstWestfalenLippe is the new cultural trademark of the region between the rivers Weser and Ems and the mountains of the Wiehengebirge, Teutoburger Wald und Eggegebirge. The basis for Garten_Landschaft OstWestfalenLippe is the high concentration and quality of parks and gardens in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe. Castles and monasteries here are still surrounded by historical gardens with precious trees and plants, Baroque complexes and English landscape parks designed by important landscape gardeners of the 18th and 19th centuries.

In addition, the parks of five spas and the complexes of three Landesgartenschauen (regional garden shows) enhance the region.The art of gardening together with productions from the visual arts and the discovery of the special history of these places through art and music gives rise to "the linking of three art-forms". This is the special aspect of the cultural programme.

The content of Garten_Landschaft OstWestfalenLippe focuses on "Rauminszenierungen" (spatial creations of the visual arts) (curator Dr. Thomas Kellein), the literature festival "Wege durch das Land" ("Paths through the Landscape") (directorship Dr. Brigitte Labs-Ehlert) and the programme "Neue "Alte" Gärten" ("New "old" Gardens"). Gardens and parks are restored and enhanced under the direction of the Westfälisches Amt für Landschafts- und Baukultur des Landschaftsverbandes Westfalen-Lippe (project manager: Horst Gerbaulet).

Garten_Landschaft OstWestfalenLippe is a lasting product of the EXPO initiative known as the start of the bi-annual programme REGIONALE - Kultur- und Naturräume (REGIONALE - Cultural and Natural Areas) in North Rhine-Westphalia, which was managed by OstWestfalenLippe Marketing GmbH. It has been possible to continue the project up to the present day and it continues to be supported by the Ministerium für Städtebau und Wohnen, Kultur und Sport des Landes NRW (Ministry for Urban Development and Housing, Culture and Sport of North Rhine-Westphalia).

Apart from a strong economy, a location's potential for future sustainability depends to a large extent on the quality of life there. Alongside a strong infrastructure and good opportunities for education and further training, an attractive cultural offer is an important factor.

The Garten_Landschaft OstWestfalenLippe programme which has been developed in Ostwestfalen-Lippe does justice to the legacy of garden culture and simultaneously uses the gardens and parks as settings for literature, music and visual art. It is one of the first programmes of its kind. It is now a kind of benchmark and a best practice example, which international projects, such as the European Garden Heritage Network, can build on.