U Raku En
Overview
U Raku En is a Japanese garden within Petrispark on the Petrisberg in Trier. Created for the 2004 Rhineland-Palatinate State Garden Show, it combines three distinct Japanese garden traditions: a dry landscape garden, a tea-garden section and a strolling garden. The composition links Japanese coastal imagery with references to the local Moselle landscape, presenting the garden as both a cultural encounter and a place of rest and contemplation.
History
The garden originated from a long-standing initiative of the German–Japanese Society of Trier and was realised for the Landesgartenschau Trier 2004. It opened in April 2004 as one of the international and partner-city gardens retained on the former exhibition grounds.
The design was prepared by Japanese architect and garden designer Shigeichi Suzuki, working with a team of specialists from Japan, Germany and Belgium. Construction materials included Japanese stone imported specifically for the project, while the garden combined Japanese craftsmanship with planting adapted to the exposed conditions of the Petrisberg.
The project was jointly realised by the City of Nagaoka, the German–Japanese Society of Trier, Landesgartenschau Trier GmbH, the City of Trier and numerous sponsors. The garden later became associated with the formal partnership between Trier and Nagaoka, established in 2006.
Design features
Visitors enter through a gate onto a broad surface of hand-worked rectangular granite slabs, which also provides space for small cultural events and tea ceremonies. A low bamboo fence separates this entrance area from a large expanse of white gravel representing the sea. Within it, moss-covered islands and massive stones evoke the coastal island landscape of Japan through the conventions of karesansui.
A tsukubai water basin, placed beneath a Japanese maple, introduces the garden’s tea-garden references. Although such basins originally served the ritual cleansing of guests approaching a tea room, here it functions as an independent contemplative feature accompanied by bamboo water elements.
From the granite terrace, a curving path of dark basalt gravel passes between low planted mounds. The route symbolises the River Moselle winding through green hills, connecting the Japanese composition with the landscape of Trier. The path and its changing viewpoints give this section the character of a compact strolling garden.
The original design proposed clipped azalea mounds displaying the Japanese karikomi technique. Because the exposed Petrisberg site proved unsuitable for Japanese azaleas, they were replaced with Rhododendron yakushimanum, which is maintained through repeated pruning at a low, rounded height. The completed garden therefore combines traditional Japanese forms with horticultural adaptation to local conditions.
Garden elements
Enclosures
Stones
Other elements
Current status
U Raku En remains preserved as one of the permanent partner-city gardens in Petrispark. It is maintained within Trier’s municipal green-space system and is generally accessible daily during the park’s seasonal opening hours without an admission charge.