New playground in Ebersberg: Children create their dream landscape!

New playground in Ebersberg: Children create their dream landscape!

On July 4, 2025, a new playground on Karwendelstrasse was ceremoniously opened in Ebersberg. Mayor Ulrich Proske cut the opening ribbon together with many beaming children and their parents. Around 60 little visitors were there that day to receive their new play paradise and celebrate together. The special thing about this playground: the children themselves played a key role in the planning. Their ideas and suggestions were already heard at the first children's meeting in November 2023, where the school children got creative and collected numerous suggestions for design. This initiative is reflected not only in a new playground, but also in the city's firm will to take the voice of the youngest into account in the planning of public facilities. Merkur reports that ....

What does the process look like before a playground finally opens? In the case of the new Karwendel playground, the city's youth welfare service was active in September 2024 when it organized a planning campaign directly at the playground. The children had the opportunity to express their wishes and implement their ideas through drawings. These suggestions were then evaluated by a commission of experts consisting of the children themselves and the head of the city gardening center. Based on these assessments, the technical committee received a selection recommendation for the companies that should take on the construction of the playground. A further step in sustainable and child-friendly planning is the systematic inclusion of children in decision-making processes, as the city of Ebersberg has demonstrated with its annual children's meeting since 2023. Ebersberg.de reports that ....

The importance of participation

Children are not just passive users, but active co-creators of their play environment. This commitment is not new in Ebersberg. The Ebersberg children's assembly aims to make the needs and wishes of the children visible. Here, school children develop proposals about their concerns and present them to political committees. The city administration also supports these concerns by providing the children with adult sponsors who help them to be heard and to implement their ideas.

The design of the new playground follows modern standards that go beyond traditional playground equipment. Materials such as wood and metal, as well as natural design elements, help ensure that the playground is not only a place for exercise, but also a space for creative development and shared play. The design is based on the needs of different age groups and promotes innovative play offerings that are exciting for children aged 1 to over 12. City marketing highlights that….

From the idea to implementation

Important steps in planning a playground are budget assessment and defining the target group. Not only do equipment costs need to be considered, installation, site preparation and maintenance also play a role. It is all the more pleasing that Ebersberg is taking a pioneering role in the participation of children. This model could serve as an example for other communities to integrate the voices of younger people and create playgrounds that meet the real needs of their users.

With the opening of the new playground on Karwendelstrasse, Ebersberg not only shows that fun and safety can go hand in hand, but also that children's opinions can make a valuable contribution to the city's design. A good way to build a strong community for the future.