Federal Horticultural Show 2011

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Plan of the sites of the Federal Garden Show Gesamtubersicht BUGA-Gelande.jpg
Plan of the sites of the Federal Garden Show
Park at Ehrenbreitstein Koblenz im Buga-Jahr 2011 - Festung Ehrenbreitstein 06.jpg
Park at Ehrenbreitstein
Electoral Palace Koblenz im Buga-Jahr 2011 - Kurfurstliches Schloss 16.jpg
Electoral Palace
Blumenhof at Deutsches Eck Koblenz im Buga-Jahr 2011 - Blumenhof am Deutschen Eck 11.jpg
Blumenhof at Deutsches Eck
Koblenz Cable Car Koblenz im Buga-Jahr 2011 - Rheinseilbahn 03.jpg
Koblenz Cable Car
Aerial view of core area Ehrenbreitstein Koblenz im Buga-Jahr 2011 - Luftbilder 02.jpg
Aerial view of core area Ehrenbreitstein

The Federal Horticultural Show 2011 (German : Bundesgartenschau 2011) was held from 15 April to 16 October 2011 in Koblenz, Germany. It was the first Federal Horticultural Show in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Venues had been the plateau in front of the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, the square in front of the Electoral Palace and flower beds in the area around the Deutsches Eck. One of its attractions was the cable car over the Rhine, which was established as an ecologically sound transport connection. It connects the Rhine shores near the Basilica of St. Kastor with the plateau in front of the fortress. Unlike previous garden shows, the staging area in Koblenz was mainly in the centre of the city and directly affected the local population. In addition to the prestige of hosting a Federal Horticultural Show, Koblenz benefited to a much greater extent from the associated urban development.

German language West Germanic language

German is a West Germanic language that is mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol (Italy), the German-speaking Community of Belgium, and Liechtenstein. It is also one of the three official languages of Luxembourg and a co-official language in the Opole Voivodeship in Poland. The languages which are most similar to German are the other members of the West Germanic language branch: Afrikaans, Dutch, English, the Frisian languages, Low German/Low Saxon, Luxembourgish, and Yiddish. There are also strong similarities in vocabulary with Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, although those belong to the North Germanic group. German is the second most widely spoken Germanic language, after English.

The Bundesgartenschau is a biennial federal horticulture show in Germany. It also covers topics like landscaping. Taking place in different cities, the location changes in a two-year cycle.

Koblenz Place in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Koblenz, spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine where it is joined by the Moselle.

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Planning and funding

In 2001/2002, Koblenz applied to be a venue for a Federal Horticultural Show in 2013 or 2015. Duisburg had been awarded the show for 2011, but it withdrew from its commitment. In January 2004, the National Gardening Association (Zentralverband Gartenbau, ZVG) awarded the 2011 event to Koblenz. After discussions with the state of Rhineland-Palatinate on the financing of the project, the City Council made a final commitment on 27 January 2005 to host the Federal Garden Show in 2011.

Duisburg Place in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Duisburg is a city of about 500,000 inhabitants in Germany’s Rhineland, at the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr. In medieval times, it was a member of the powerful Hanseatic League, and later became a major centre of iron, steel, and chemicals. For this reason, it was heavily bombed in World War II. Today it boasts the world's largest inland port, with 21 docks and 40 kilometres of wharf. The city supports a large Turkish community.

The total budget had been expected to amount to € 102 million, of which € 49 million had been provided by the state and € 28 million by the city of Koblenz. The rest of the funds were to be raised from sponsorship and from the entry fees of the expected attendance of at least two million visitors. By the summer of 2007, ideas had been sought and a preliminary plan had been completed. The ground breaking ceremony was celebrated in the city at the Electoral Palace on 20 July 2008, 999 days before the start of the National Garden Festival.

Logo and slogan

The Logo of the Federal Horticultural Show 2011 presents a colourful kaleidoscope in the form of a twist, which is intended to represent intense viewing. It is meant to symbolise the city’s energy in its preparations for the Federal Horticultural Show, as well as referring to the playful elements of a happy and colourful festival. The garden show’s slogan is "Koblenz transformed".

Kaleidoscope cylinder with mirrors containing loose, colored objects such as beads or pebbles and bits of glass

A kaleidoscope is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces tilted to each other in an angle, so that one or more objects on one end of the mirrors are seen as a regular symmetrical pattern when viewed from the other end, due to repeated reflection. The reflectors are usually enclosed in a tube, often containing on one end a cell with loose, colored pieces of glass or other transparent materials to be reflected into the viewed pattern. Rotation of the cell causes motion of the materials, resulting in an ever-changing view being presented.

Core areas

There were three core areas for the Federal Horticultural Show 2011: In the inner city there was the area around the Electoral Palace, there had been flower beds at the Deutsches Eck, and on the right (eastern) bank there was the area located on the plateau of Ehrenbreitstein. These core areas had been fenced and were only accessible with a ticket.

The largest area of 27 hectares was located on the plateau in front of Ehrenbreitstein fortress. This was a large landscape garden and formed the entrance to the fortress. Historically this forecourt allowed a "free field of fire", which was needed to defend the fortress at that time. The main axis runs from the top station of the cable car to the entrance of Ehrenbreitstein fortress as a diagonal through the garden on the plateau. In this field, there was a forest of orchids, abandoned vineyards, an arid biotope, old orchards and gardens, rare species of bats and habitats for endangered species at the edges of the slope.

Orchidaceae family of plants

The Orchidaceae are a diverse and widespread family of flowering plants, with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant, commonly known as the orchid family.

Arid severe lack of available water

A region is arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. Environments subject to arid climates tend to lack vegetation and are called xeric or desertic. Most "arid" climates straddle the Equator; these places include most of Africa and parts of South America, Central America, and Australia.

Biotope An area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals

A biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals. Biotope is almost synonymous with the term habitat, which is more commonly used in English-speaking countries. However, in some countries these two terms are distinguished: the subject of a habitat is a population, the subject of a biotope is a biocoenosis or biological community.

The grounds around the Electoral Palace has an area of 8.6 hectares. It is the largest palace complex in the Middle Rhine area and its garden is integrated into the city. There is a restaurant in the castle. The garden behind the palace was restored to the historical Lenné scheme. The entire complex had been made up of diverse species of plants, water features, fountains, radial steps and walls for sitting on. It reflects the glory of the rulers who once resided here.

Peter Joseph Lenné Prussian gardener and landscape architect

Peter Joseph Lenné was a Prussian gardener and landscape architect. As director general of the Royal Prussian palaces and parks in Potsdam and Berlin, his work shaped the development of 19th-century German garden design in the Neoclassical style. Laid-out according to the principles of the English landscape garden, his parks are today part of the UNESCO World Heritage.

The flower beds on the Deutsches Eck had been the smallest area with 2.2 hectares. They had been located behind the Deutsches Eck between Deutschherrenhaus and St. Kastor’s church. It was intended as a peaceful area for the enjoyment of secular and religious art. Art exhibitions and cultural events with sculptures and flower beds dominated this area, which was divided into three approximately equal-sized fields. In 2008, preparation of this site found the first archaeological evidence for a Roman settlement at Koblenz, following 150 years of fruitless searches.

Religious art art that is religious in theme

Religious art or sacred art is artistic imagery using religious inspiration and motifs and is often intended to uplift the mind to the spiritual. Sacred art involves the ritual and cultic practices and practical and operative aspects of the path of the spiritual realization within the artist's religious tradition.

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Rhineland-Palatinate State in Germany

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Rhine Gorge cultural landscape in the Middle Rhine, part of the World Heritage of UNESCO

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Ehrenbreitstein Fortress German fortress

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress is a fortress in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, on the east bank of the Rhine where it is joined by the Moselle, overlooking the town of Koblenz.

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Electorate of Trier

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Deutsches Eck

Deutsches Eck is the name of a headland in Koblenz, Germany, where the Mosel river joins the Rhine. Named after a local commandry of the Teutonic Order, it became known for a monumental equestrian statue of William I, first German Emperor, erected in 1897 in appreciation of his merits in the unification of Germany. One of many Emperor William monuments raised in the Prussian Rhine Province, it was destroyed in World War II and only the plinth was preserved as a memorial. Following German reunification, a replica of the statue was erected on the pedestal after controversial discussions in 1993. It is today a Koblenz landmark and a popular tourist destination.

Bingen (Rhein) Hauptbahnhof

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Boppard Hauptbahnhof railway station in Boppard, Germany

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Koblenz Hauptbahnhof railway station in Koblenz, Germany

Koblenz Hauptbahnhof is a railway station in the city of Koblenz in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is the focal point of rail transport in the Rhine-Moselle-Lahn area. It is a through station in southern Koblenz built below Fort Großfürst Konstantin and opened in 1902 in the Neustadt, which was built after the demolition of the city walls in 1890. The station replaced two former stations on the Left Rhine railway, which were only 900 m apart, and the former Moselle line station. Koblenz-Stadtmitte station opened in April 2011 in the old centre of Koblenz. Koblenz Hauptbahnhof is on the West Rhine Railway and connects to the Moselle line, the East Rhine Railway and to the Lahn Valley Railway. It is used daily by about 40,000 travelers and visitors. In the station forecourt are a bus station and a pavilion.

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Electoral Palace, Koblenz palace

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Basilica of St. Castor parish church

The Basilica of St. Castor is the oldest church in Koblenz in the German state of Rhineland Palatinate. It is located near Deutsches Eck at the confluence of the Rhine and the Moselle. A fountain called Kastorbrunnen was built in front of the basilica during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812. Pope John Paul II raised St. Castor to a basilica minor on 30 July 1991. This church is worth seeing for the historical events that have occurred in it, its extensive Romanesque construction and its largely traditional furnishings.

Koblenz-Ehrenbreitstein station railway station in Koblenz, Germany

Koblenz-Ehrenbreitstein station is the only station on the right (eastern) bank in the city of Koblenz in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is on the East Rhine railway at the foot of Ehrenbreitstein hill in Ehrenbreitstein district, next to the Rhine.

The following is a timeline of the history of Koblenz, Germany.

Koblenz cable car

The Koblenz cable car is an aerial lift that was opened in 2010 in Koblenz, Germany for the Bundesgartenschau the following year. It connects the banks of the river Rhine and the hill plateau next to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. The cable car system has an 890m length and elevates 112m.

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