Image info: Ribbon cutting for the opening of the German Garden at Floriade Expo 2022 in Almere, Netherlands (from left to right): Dr. Karl Wessels, Generalkommissar des Deutschen Gartens (BMEL), Christiane Krüger, Direktorin des Deutschen Gartens, Heinrich Rohlfing, Erster Botschaftsrat der Botschaft der Bundesrepublik Deutschland Den Haag, und Britta DÖbert, Oberamtsrätin Referat 425 (BMEL). Gehalten wurde das Band von den beiden stellvertretenden Direktorinnen des Deutschen Gartens Yan Yin Chan (i.) und Christina Gaats. Credit: German Garden Floriade Expo.

Germany invites you to take a trip to the green city of the future

The International Horticultural Exhibition Floriade Expo 2022 in the Dutch city of Almere opens for the public today. With the name „BIOTOPIA – Growing Community“ Germany presents new ideas and future-oriented solutions for a sustainable interaction between nature and city. The heart of the German Garden is a green atrium in a wooden pavilion, two storeys high, with a roof garden as symbol for the growing city. King Willem-Alexander officially opened the Floriade Expo 2022, with its motto „Growing Green Cities“ the evening before.

When cutting the ribbon during the opening of the German Garden, the Commissioner General of the German participation, Mr Karl Wessels PhD of the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), responsible for the organisation, declared: “With a view to the climate crisis, the Floriade Expo 2022 gives an important impulse to sustainability, greening and with that, liveable cities. We’re looking forward to welcoming many interested visitors and we wish them a relaxing and inspiring visit to the German Garden.”

In the German Garden’s pavilion, examples of best practices, projects and up-to-date information about the four sub-themes of the Floriade Expo 2022 – ‘Green’, ‘Food’, ‘Health’ and ‘Energy’, are presented in an interactive exhibition. Many of the components of the exhibition also offer children the opportunity of discovering future issues through play. The German entry is accompanied by an extensive cultural programme.

Actively shaping the future together

On entering the German Garden, visitors are given a smart bracelet with which they can activate components of the exhibition and collect icons as a reward. The icons can be used at the end of the exhibition in the Main Show where a projection brings the personal vision of the green city of the future to life.

The concept of actively shaping the future together runs throughout the exhibition and is also central in the first theme room’Healthy Urban Living’. Here, the band of the green city presents organisations and projects that are actively committed to green spaces and social meeting points. Visitors can also lend a hand by watering water plant models installed in the ceiling by way of a pulley or activating energy wheels by pedalling a bike.

On top of that, visitors in the theme room ‘Green City’ can see which infrastructural measures are needed to deal with heavy rainfall, periods of drought and air pollution. In an interactive water feature garden with a pump, a water cycle can be set in motion, water wheels can be activated and visitors can put spillways (for overflow) under water.

The theme room ‘Regenerative Energy’ deals with the energy generation of the future, from the sun, wind and biomass. Visitors can join others in trying to find stability on the Balance Board. That way, there’s an equilibrium between the renewable energy sources for an environmentally friendly supply to the city of the future.

The theme room ‘Local Food’ revolves around innovative strategies for sustainable food production and conscious food consumption. And a connection is made between sustainable agriculture and alternative methods of growing in the city. Two periscopes help to demonstrate this. Visitors take a virtual trip from the traditional food production in rural areas to the future of food production in the cities. German restaurant EATTOPIA is serving vegan, vegetarian and traditional German dishes and drinks.

About the International Horticultural Exhibition – Floriade Expo 2022

Floriade Expo is a themed variant of the international horticultural exhibitions and has been held in the Netherlands every ten years for the last 60 years. Taking as its theme ‘Growing Green Cities’ and with the sub-themes ‘Green’, ‘Food’, ‘Health’ and ‘Energy’ the Floriade Expo, which takes place from 14 April through 9 October, aims to increase awareness of sustainability in cities and put forward appropriate solutions.

Organisation behind the implementation of the German Garden

The German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture is responsible for the German Garden at Floriade Expo. The ministry commissioned the Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH to carry out the implementation. The design and concept of the German Garden is in the hands of the consortium consisting of insglück Gesellschaft für Markeninszenierung mbH, gtp2 Architekten and studio grüngrau Landschaftsarchitektur GmbH.

You can read the press release of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture on the concept here.