Japanese Garden Bonn

Rheinaue Leisure Park

Bonn, Germany Established: 1979

Photo: Wolkenkratzer / CC BY-SA 4.0, modified.

Overview

The Bonn Japanese Garden is a Japanese garden in the Freizeitpark Rheinaue, created for the Bundesgartenschau 1979. Visit Bonn states that the Japanese government commissioned Dr. Akira Sato, president of the Japanese landscape-design association, to create the garden as Japan’s contribution to the 1979 garden show.

History

The garden opened on 27 April 1979 during the Bundesgartenschau. It is one of the few national contributions from the exhibition that were preserved permanently in the Rheinauenpark. Since 2001, local citizens and the Bonsai-Team Bonn have been involved in garden care, and an annual bonsai exhibition has been held there during the Whitsun weekend since 2002.

Design features

The garden was created in tsukiyama-sensai style, structured around a pond, island and small hill. Features include two waterfalls, a lake, bridges, an azumaya-style pavilion, stepping stones, a stone lantern, a pagoda and carefully composed rock and water scenery. The garden uses a sequence of paths and viewpoints to frame changing views across the water and planted landscape.

Garden elements

Bridges

Wooden bridge
Rustic bridge

Buildings

Pavilion

Enclosures

Bamboo Fences
Gateways

Waters and islands

Lake
Waterfall
Island

Stones

Vertical Stone
Recumbent stone
Stepping stone

Shinto elements

Shrine

Other elements

Lantern
Pagoda

Current status

Extant public Japanese garden within Freizeitpark Rheinaue. It is one of the lasting national garden contributions from the 1979 Bundesgartenschau and remains freely accessible as part of the municipal park.

Video

Youtube