The historic garden monument has been renovated
- The renovation work at Kaiser-Friedrich-Park has been completed.
- Together with the sponsor Dr. Eckhard Schulz, Aachener Stadtbetrieb and the Department of the Environment developed a comprehensive package of measures.
- "An impetus for others to get involved in civic engagement," said Eckhard Schulz.
6,120 square meters of renewed water-bound path surface, 3,000 planted shrubs and grasses, 43 new benches: after around four months, the renovation work in Kaiser-Friedrich-Park has been completed. Planning began in 2015 thanks to the commitment of Dr. Eckhard Schulz. With him as a sponsor, the Aachen municipal utility and the Environment Department, with the landscape architecture firm 3Plus Freiraumplaner as the coordinating body, worked closely together to develop a package of measures. The aim was to restore the historic garden monument to its original design. In order to ensure this, the conservation authorities and the Rhineland Regional Council were also involved.
A park for generations
"This park is special. Generations meet here," said Dr. Eckhard Schulz about the Kaiser-Friedrich-Park, which was laid out between 1907 and 1910 in the style of an English landscape park according to plans by the then city garden director Weßberge.
At the beginning of the work in August, the asphalt surface courses were renewed, new kerbstones laid and drainage channels installed. This was followed by the water-bound path surfaces around the Hangeweiher pond. These were renovated in two sections so that one side of the lake remained accessible at all times during the work. "The water-bound path surface always has to be left for a while before it can be walked on, as it has to be rolled and watered several times before it is tread-proof," explained Karen Roß-Kark from the Environment Department. When the paths were reworked, wheelchair access was also restored.
"Exceptional support"
"I would like to thank Eckhard Schulz, his wife and the employees of DSA for this extraordinary support," said Lord Mayor Marcel Philipp on Thursday morning (December 8). To mark the completion of the renovation work, he and Eckhard Schulz planted a birch tree at the upper entrance. The three new birch trees planted there will restore the original character of the avenue.
At this upper entrance, between the streets Am Hangeweiher and Kaiser-Friedrich-Allee, Aachen's municipal services had also started maintenance work at the time. "We have cleared the first lines of sight here," said Anette Sommer, north-west team leader for green space maintenance at the municipal company. This allows the view from the entrance avenue to glide unhindered to the other side of the park. "This visual axis was already planned when the park was designed," said Sommer.
Anyone can get involved
During a walk through the 67,000 square meter park, it became clear how the park has changed in recent months. As part of the measures, the city also resealed and resurfaced the small bridge at the inflow of the Hangeweiher pond. The remaining construction costs of around 285,000 euros were covered by sponsorship.
"I really enjoyed working with them," said Schulz and thanked Karen Roß-Kark and Anette Sommer, who had been instrumental in driving the project forward on behalf of the City of Aachen. "I hope that this is also an incentive for others to get involved in civic engagement. Everyone in whatever way they can."