Schönegge Nature Garden: Moving is in danger – residents fear chaos!

Schönegge Nature Garden: Moving is in danger – residents fear chaos!

The Schönegge Nature Garden in Viehhausen near Kranzberg is faced with another setback. The third planning application to relocate the popular natural garden was rejected, as was the case South German newspaper reported. The main reasons for the rejection are an unresolved access issue. Residents from neighboring towns fear an increase in traffic volume due to the many visitors that the natural garden would attract.

The Schönegge Nature Garden has made a name for itself in the region through its social farming, organic vegetable and fruit cultivation, and therapeutic horse riding. He also runs an integrative kindergarten and an outdoor class at Lebenshilfe Freising. Around 5.5 hectares of the area are leased, while only around 1 hectare is owned by the Schönegge family, who recently bought a remote property in Kranzberg. Two thirds of the 18 hectares were also purchased by the Naturland cooperative.

The planned move and the citizens' initiative

The Schönegge family plans to move the natural garden to Viehhausen by the end of the year. The current planning application envisages the establishment of a horse boarding facility with stables, riding arena and riding arena. Despite the general approval from the district office, which was promised for the gardening business and the horse boarding house, the development of the access road remains unclear. Proposals from the Schönegge family to partially expand the access road were rejected by the community as inadequate, which sparked new discussions that led to the founding of a citizens' initiative.

Particular focus is on the fundraising festival, which took place in May and attracted 2,000 visitors to help finance the dismantling of the leased areas. The move and the dismantling of the natural garden are scheduled for next August in the annual calendar.

Horses and social projects in the natural garden

Another important part of the natural garden are the horses, which are housed in a spacious open stable. This stable promotes social contact between the animals and offers space for exercise. Hay is available to the horses 24 hours a day and they have access to a paddock in the summer months. Since 2013 there has also been a small riding arena that is used for training. The horses are described as individual personalities, which strengthens the bond between humans and animals, as on the website Natural garden experience can be read.

Social projects are also very important. Sophia Sedlmaier, Erhard Schönegge's daughter and second chairwoman of the Erlebnis Naturgarten e.V. association, highlights how the social sector has developed in recent years. There has been a project with Lebenshilfe Freising since 2011, where around ten young people with disabilities work on the farm. A nature kindergarten, which was founded in 2016, is also very popular and is attended by around 55 children Weekly newspaper DLV reported.

The current challenges show that the Schönegge family still has many hurdles to overcome before the natural garden can actually be moved. The efforts around social farming and the important work with young people and children are likely to continue to play a key role in the spirit of the natural garden.