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By Ralph Klein & Kerstin Glathe
In the heart of Witten, a small German city on the Ruhr, lies the Breddegarten — a green space with a turbulent past and an uncertain future. Once a patchwork of neglected allotments, later a contested playground, and now the focus of a major urban redevelopment plan, the Breddegarten has become a mirror of the city’s struggles with modernization, memory, and community life.
A Podcast Sparks Renewed Debate
The latest season of the Breddeviertel Podcast — aptly titled Breddeviertel Podcast aktuell — has reignited public conversation about the garden. Hosts Kerstin and Ralph Klein recently recorded an episode while sitting among the construction works, reflecting on how the area is changing once again.
For Ralph, a historian with a passion for local archives, the Breddegarten is more than a park. “I wanted to know what was here before the Breddegarten,” he explained. “Why does it have this name? Who decided on it? What stories lie beneath its lawns?” His research led him deep into Witten’s postwar urban history — a tale of bomb damage, controversial redevelopment, grassroots resistance, and contested visions of public space.
From Rubble to Green Space
After World War II, Witten’s city center was devastated — more than 80 percent destroyed by Allied bombing. The land where the Breddegarten now stands was, for decades, little more than a wasteland: a dumping ground, an informal playground, and, as one local put it, “a dead place.”
In the 1970s, like many West German towns, Witten embarked on a sweeping Innenstadtsanierung (urban renewal) program. Across the country, historic buildings were demolished to make way for car-friendly infrastructure. Witten lost architectural gems, including a former mansion on Steinstraße, replaced by the modern Targobank branch.
Yet resistance grew. The occupation of Bahnhofstraße 54 by activists brought public attention to the destructive consequences of redevelopment. According to Ralph, it was partly thanks to these protests — and the vision of city planner Jochen Bültmann — that the Breddegarten was born in 1975 as a compromise: a public green area amid concrete and traffic.
A Contested Playground
The early years of the Breddegarten were far from peaceful. The city envisioned allotment gardens for tenants, a school garden for the nearby Breddeschule, and new play areas for children. But neighbors objected — most notably the Boecker Foundation, which argued that children’s noise would disturb elderly residents in its adjacent care home. Archival records even reveal discriminatory complaints about the rising number of “guest worker children” using the space.
The city pushed back. Despite legal challenges, construction moved forward. By October 1985, the “Volksgarten” — later firmly known as the Breddegarten — officially opened.
Decline and Renewal
For a time, the concept worked. Allotments were cultivated, families gathered under trees, and children enjoyed swings and play structures. But as the decades passed, maintenance dwindled. Aging gardeners gave up their plots, litter accumulated, and the space once again gained a reputation as neglected.
Today, bulldozers have returned. The City of Witten, supported by state funds under the Lebendige Zentren program, has announced a comprehensive redesign. The plans include:
- A modernized, expanded children’s playground
- Community areas for creative and educational activities
- A redesigned pedestrian route known as the “Bürgerachse,” linking the train station to Breite Straße
- Additional lighting and, potentially, a public toilet
Completion is scheduled for 2027.
Between Vision and Reality
Not everyone is convinced. Critics highlight the vagueness of official language — buzzwords like “urban laboratory” and “creative projects” — while locals worry about long-term maintenance. As Ralph put it: “The city doesn’t have the funds to keep this space in good condition. It’s cleaned up now, but will it be cared for in ten years?”
At the same time, many residents welcome the idea of revitalization. Families already picnic on the lawns, and springtime birdsong still fills the air. If properly maintained, the Breddegarten could once again serve as what planners in the 1980s promised: a safe, central, child-friendly green oasis.
A Symbol of Witten’s Urban Story
The history of the Breddegarten is more than the story of one park. It reflects broader themes in Witten’s development: the scars of war, the controversial modernism of the 1970s, the clash between old and young, and the ongoing struggle to balance progress with preservation.
As Kerstin remarked during the podcast: “It would be wonderful if children could read stories to older people here — and in turn hear stories from the past.” Whether Witten’s urban planners can finally achieve that vision of intergenerational harmony remains to be seen.
