Redevelopment Anton Saefkow Park Berlin Prenzlauer Berg

Anton Saefkow Park was laid out as a people's park in the early 1950s on rubble mounds up to 15 meters high and inaugurated on September 18, 1955 as "Park Gumbinner Grund". Three years later, the 13-hectare park was renamed after the communist and resistance fighter Anton Saefkow, who was murdered in the Brandenburg-Görden concentration camp in 1944. In the meantime, a heavily overgrown green space with paths and squares in need of renovation had developed in a poor state of maintenance with few offers for users.


Open Space and Development Concept / Participation

In 2016, the potentials and deficits of the park were examined, analyzed and elaborated in an open space and development concept with the participation of citizens. As a result, a sustainable upgrading and qualification of the park with its paths, entrances and park areas as well as its barrier-free development could be mutually agreed upon. On this basis, the park could be comprehensively renewed and renovated from 2017 to 2020 with funds from the urban redevelopment.


Qualification of the inner development (paths) and the park entrances

The inner development includes the barrier-free repair and addition of the paths and stairs including the accompanying natural stone walls and edgings. In order to be able to ensure the lowest possible barrier park use, the existing stairways were supplemented with ramps and handrails. The paths were largely restored with a water-bound surface. Yellow concrete paving was only used in the steeper sections to prevent erosion damage. The park entrances were renovated and extended. The striking entrance square on Greifswalder Strasse with its fountain and the "Boy with Fish" figurine by the artists' group Krause, Nolde, Damerow was also renovated, as was the pergola square on Kniprodestrasse. The access areas from the Anton-Saefkow-Straße neighborhood were redesigned to prevent collisions between park users and road users. All access points have been newly equipped with benches, bicycle stands, wastebaskets and signs.


Improvement of the recreational areas

In the interior of the park, two recreational areas and the area around the Anton Saefkow monument with the bust of Anton Saefkow created by the sculptor Hans Kies from Swedish granite have been renovated and qualified. The spacious lawns and meadows have been reseeded and the Tiergarten grid, which dates back to the park's origins, has been reconstructed. New play, sports and exercise facilities and benches are available to users. The playground has been supplemented by a large parcour facility and individual pieces of fitness equipment have been added to the circular path along the large sunbathing lawn. An area has also been fenced off and designated as a dog walking area. With the renovation of the park, more than 50 trees suitable for the location were planted. As a connecting element, uniform planting areas were created at entrances and squares with ground covers, roses, dwarf spireas and deutzias.


Care and Maintenance

Parallel to the construction work, a care and development concept was developed for the park. The "Good Care Manual" served as a basis, as did the intensive coordination with the specialist offices and the representatives of the local care association. To facilitate the maintenance work, a new irrigation system with underground hydrants was installed.


More.Value.Green.

- Sound basis for obtaining funding
- Park development from the time of origin to contemporary use
- Participation in workshops