Big companies and groups asked to help Rheinaue association in Bonn seeks supporters
BONN · To preserve the green spaces and flower beds in the Rheinaue in Bonn, a supporting association was founded two years ago. They have already collected 20,000 euros for new plantings in the rose garden. Now they are looking for more supporters.
Hans Daniels was Lord Mayor of Bonn 40 years ago when he opened the National Garden Show at the Rheinaue. Today the site is still a work of art for him. "The Rheinaue Park is a great asset for the people of Bonn and for the city. I have been here regularly for decades, with children and grandchildren. One could think that the park has always existed. But there was some resistance back then and it wasn't easy to get the project through," he told the GA.
At the summer party of the "Förderverein Freizeitpark Rheinaue" (“Association for the recreational Rheinaue Park”), Daniels met some of his former associates, including architect Gottfried Hansjakob, with whom he initiated the redesign of the floodplain forest and grasslands on both sides of the Rhine in the 1970s. Concerts on the lawn, balloon festival, beer exchange or flea market - the Rheinaue Park is a popular meeting place. "Several hundred thousand people come here every year," said Dirk Dötsch of the Park Restaurant. Not to mention the many walkers and joggers.
Praise for the city's gardeners
The Rheinaue association was founded more than two years ago to preserve flower beds, green spaces and lawns and to keep them attractive in the future. The supporting association was the result of an initiative by restaurateurs and festival organizers. "The park is a unique place. We want to make a contribution to ensuring that it does not lose its appeal and attractiveness," said Dötsch, who is also chairman of the association. In the meantime, 15 members have joined the group. "But we need more supporters. With this ambitious project, the team led by Dötsch and his deputy Jürgen Harder could use some assistance. With donations, they want to see that the Rheinaue does not appear tired and aging and lose its attractiveness.
The association has already collected 20,000 euros in donations towards this goal. "We will use it to replant the rose garden," Dötsch revealed. The initiative will provide the plants to the City Parks Bureau, which will then do the planting. "We do not take away work from the city, but we all know that the municipal funds are not there. We don't want to stand idly by and watch as public facilities are neglected," Dötsch explained.
Dötsch praises the cooperation with the city: "The gardeners are doing a great job, and our suggestions don’t fall on deaf ears within the city administration. But we only want to offer support. We all live from and with the park. It's time to give something back." He not only wishes for more members - information is available in the Park Restaurant - he would be happy if the "big neighbors" would also recognize the value the Rheinaue Park has for them. "Every lunchtime, countless employees of the Post and Deutsche Telekom spend their breaks here. It would be nice if the companies also committed themselves to conservation." Without this place, the city would be much poorer.
8Orig. text: Gabrielle Immenkeppel, Translation: ck)
