Bogenhausen: Idyllic villages between culture and new construction risks!

Bogenhausen: Idyllic villages between culture and new construction risks!

One often wonders what makes Munich so lovely. About eight kilometers from the old town, in Bogenhausen, you can still find this village idyll. The district, the third largest in the state capital, has almost 100,000 inhabitants and is known for its beautiful corners, Lund for the Angel of Peace and the charming Altbogenhausen. Meadows, fields and even farm animals characterize the northeastern part of the region. For example, Walter Bichler keeps nine goats in Daglfing, which are not used for milk production but are kept for personal interest.

In the midst of this rural atmosphere, a new district and service center is being built in Prinz-Eugen-Park. The Evening newspaper reports that the “New Brickworks” will open there in the fall. For this purpose, around 1,800 new apartments were built in the new building district, which replaces the old barracks. The surrounding green areas are characterized by old trees, which gives the district a special charm.

Conflicts over green spaces

But with new construction projects come conflicts. The residents in Prinz-Eugen-Park have founded the citizens' initiative “Saving the old trees in the green middle” to protest against the planned felling of numerous trees. Loud Federal Nature Conservation Association The assumption was confirmed that a number of old trees were intended to make way for the building. Relationships are also being sharpened, as the initiative has already collected 200 signatures and presented its demands to city planning officer Prof. Elisabeth Merk.

At an information meeting in January 2020, it was said that final plans had not yet been determined. Residents questioned which trees needed to come down and whether lowering the site was really necessary for a planned playground. This is where it gets exciting: Would more than 20 trees be felled for this?

Urban development and civic engagement

The theme of urban development runs through Munich. While events in the Citizens' Hall in Forstenried bring together 30 citizens' initiatives and discuss the topic of "green spaces versus building", Jürgen Müller, chairman of the Bund Munich Citizens' Initiatives, criticizes the metropolis's unchecked growth. Sustainable urban development requires a balance between new buildings and the preservation of green spaces.

Loud South German newspaper The impact of trees should not be underestimated: almost 100,000 trees were felled between 2011 and 2022, while only 76,000 were newly planted. This leads to a negative trend, which the city wants to counteract with the goal of planting 3,500 new trees for over 50 million euros, but the question remains: is that enough?

The situation in Bogenhausen and the growing conflicts surrounding green spaces show that civic engagement is needed more than ever. The initiatives on this topic are seen not only as an important mouthpiece, but also as active designers of an urban landscape worth living in.

It turns out: Bogenhausen's rural charm is not only a heritage, but also a challenge in times of change.