Garden and landscape culture in the Harz Mountains of Lower Saxony

The Lower Saxon part of the Harz Mountains, with its mountain meadows and forests or its extensive system of ponds and canals of the Upper Harz water management system, has a special diversity of landscapes and biodiversity. It has developed over centuries in interaction with mining, spa operations and tourism and is also reflected in the architectural culture with its gardens and parks and regional building styles.

The Harz region is changing and adapting to changing economic, ecological, climatic and social conditions. This is also currently the case, for example, when you look at demographic developments, the upcoming transformation of the spruce forests or the burgeoning demand for tourism, which has certainly been boosted by the pandemic.

Against this backdrop, the project "Garden and landscape culture as a contribution to sustainable regional development - approaches, methods, transferability" was launched at the end of 2021 to positively support these changes.

The Niedersächsischer Heimatbund NHB e.V. and the freiraumforum schoelkopf office, which has been commissioned to implement the project until mid-2024, see themselves as moderators and catalysts for a sustainable development process. Following an assessment of the gardens, parks and landscape, a "Garden and Landscape Culture Western Harz" working group will form a picture of the historical and current significance of these open spaces for the region and what new images/ideas can be created for future use by and for the people of the Harz. Stimuli are also provided via established and social media in order to reach a diverse group of stakeholders and users. Civic engagement in particular will be activated in order to establish and develop new local and regional points of contact.

Emerging from the LEADER region Westharz, the project funded by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection offers the opportunity to realize individual projects with financial support in the new EU funding period 2023-2027.

As a result of this pilot project, other regions in Lower Saxony will also benefit from the study through transferable recommendations for action and networking with the state's Garden Horizons initiative.