The offer is still limited, and anyone who wanted to take part had to be quick.

But if the Hanau Marketing GmbH project is successful, it will be expanded.

Then even more Hanauer can take advantage of an opportunity that they have probably only dreamed of so far.

We are talking about urban gardening for everyone.

Luise Glaser-Lotz

Correspondent for the Rhein-Main-Zeitung for the Main-Kinzig district.

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To revitalize the inner city, the GmbH, together with the city's own Hanau Infrastructure Service (HIS), launched the first urban gardening project, and that in the Fronhof, in the middle of the old town.

Also on board are the operators of the “Wirtschaft im Hof” there, who make sure that everything is in order with the first 30 raised beds, even if the respective small gardeners don’t have time to take care of them.

The first vegetables, fruits and herbs are currently thriving there.

The project began in the spring at a gardeners' meeting.

Citizens who had applied to take part came together for the first time because they wanted to grow their own fruit and vegetables but did not have their own garden or large balcony.

In order to be able to offer enough space in the Fronhof for community gardening, according to Martin Bieberle, Managing Director of the marketing company, a neighboring property, which was previously used as a parking lot, was integrated.

This is how the “Urban Area” came about.

Garden can also serve as a social meeting place

The potato boxes were quickly booked up, reports Bieberle.

The HIS provided topsoil from a municipal composting plant free of charge, with which the raised beds were filled.

The HMG project received further support from a garden center and the weekly market's feeder association.

They donated many young plants.

A “quiet revitalization” is being initiated on the experimental field of the “Urban Area”, which brings green into the city, is particularly sustainable and, last but not least, offers a social meeting place in the middle of the city, says Bieberle.

"With the pilot project in the Fronhof, we want to gain experience so that we can then check in autumn and winter whether this is also possible in other places in the city.

Then the project in the Fronhof would be the blueprint, so to speak, for the possible implementation of many other urban gardening offers.” The participants were able to register for the project in spring for a participation fee of 20 euros.

Now the idea is to interest a beekeeper who should settle a bee colony in the Fronhof.

The bees would find enough food on a small natural flowering meadow.

The erection of "insect hotels" and the installation of a handle pump for irrigation water are also planned.

Urban gardening could not only bring new uses to the city, but also create social meeting places.

In addition to the individual supply of locally grown products, gardening in the city has other effects.

Bieberle mentions the improvement of the urban microclimate, the contribution to biodiversity, sustainable urban development and education and sensitization for sustainable lifestyles.