Parks & Open Spaces

Green campus Geisenheim

The Geisenheim university location has a lot to offer when it comes to greenery. In addition to the numerous courses on the subject of plants and green structures, the campus offers a wide range of green topics with its two historical parks and many planted areas.

Planning, development and maintenance of the outdoor facilities

The outdoor facilities at Geisenheim University are subject to different areas of competence. The management of park maintenance from the area of ​​competence of the Plant Use Professorship has an overview of most of the green areas and the parks. It surveys the green developments on the university campus and tries to bring them together in a meaningful way. Individual projects and general maintenance are then taken over by the park maintenance team, provided capacity permits. Larger projects or more specialist tasks, such as regular tree inspections and tree care measures, are also outsourced. In addition to these general topics, the various study areas also manage some of their own projects, research areas and areas of competence on the topic of green.

Head of park maintenance team

Manfred Müller
Manfred Müller
Building 6701
Room 019
Phone +49 6722 502 543
Manfred.Mueller(at)hs-gm.de Details

Park maintenance team

Martina Brendel
Martina Brendel
Building 6701
Room 110
Phone +49 6722 502 543
Martina.Kuttrus(at)hs-gm.de Details
Christof Dabisch
Christof Dabisch
Building 6701
Room 019
Phone über +49 6722 502 543
Christof.Dabisch(at)hs-gm.de Details
Klaus-Dieter Oppenhäuser
Klaus-Dieter Oppenhäuser
Building 6701
Room 019
Phone über +49 6722 502 543
Klaus-Dieter.Oppenhaeuser(at)hs-gm.de Details

management of park maintenance

Alexander von Birgelen
Prof. Dr. Alexander von Birgelen
Building 6701
Room 107
Phone +49 6722 502 773
Alexander.Birgelen(at)hs-gm.de Details
Campus with history

The historic parks Monrepospark on the South Campus and Rudolf-Goethe-Park on the North Campus are defining elements and deeply linked to the roots of the Geisenheim university location. Over time, a diverse and old tree population has developed there. The park and the trees it contains, like many of the university's buildings, are listed buildings. But here too, the effects of climate change are increasingly becoming apparent. Once very favorable in terms of climate, the mild warmth develops into summer heat. The Mediterranean-like climate develops persistent dry phases. The future of the university parks must now be well thought out and precisely planned so that the old trees can be largely preserved, renovated in a way that is compatible with monuments and the climate, and developed in a resilient manner.

 

An exciting task.

 

More about the history of the parks can be found on the following pages.

Beds & Plantings

There are beds and plantings of various ages throughout campus. As diverse as the choice of plants can be, the function of green elements is just as diverse. Plantings can separate or connect the room through their spatial effect. A certain character or atmosphere can be created with flowers, colors, structures and textures. Plants shape the space with their liveliness and also with their ecological benefits when people and animals benefit from them.

 

The skills of planning with plants are discussed and addressed in various subjects. The Plant Use Professorship has fully embraced this topic. She develops existing and designs new green elements on the grounds of Geisenheim University. Many beds are also used for teaching and are designed as display beds.

Professorship of Planting Design

Alexander von Birgelen
Prof. Dr. Alexander von Birgelen
Building 6701
Room 107
Phone +49 6722 502 773
Alexander.Birgelen(at)hs-gm.de Details
Habitat trees - old wood, new life

The university location is committed to preserving old, special habitat trees. Of course, parks should be attractive, vital and well maintained. Dying or already dead trees apparently do not belong in the picture. But these old "habitat trees" offer a particularly large amount of living space for a wide variety of creatures - from birds and bats that nest in tree hollows to special species of beetles that appropriate the wood. The decomposition processes may limit the stability of habitat trees and dead wood and are therefore particularly carefully monitored and checked. But not all habitat trees are dying or are already dead wood.

 

Healthy trees can also provide special habitats - which is why there are habitat trees in the park that have been awarded a plaque. The most important examples are explained here.

Competence Area Tree Nursery & Woody Physiology

Jörg Kunz
Dr. Jörg Kunz
Building 1000
Room 318
Phone +49 6722 502 538
Joerg.Kunz(at)hs-gm.de Details

PLANTINGS

The central campus is located to the east above the railway line. In addition to the historic Rudolf Goethe Park, important green structures here are often representative beds and edge plants.

The southern campus is below the railway line and is essentially characterized by the historic Monrepospark and its beds.

 


More about the Professorship for Planting Design

News

Germany's Second 'Climate Box' Set Up in Geisenheim

The Climate Box helps visitors cool off on hot days. Photo: Arif Türkmen

The reason behind the ominous green posters adorning Geisenheim's town center and the cryptic message in the local paper was finally revealed on August 9: a Climate Box has been constructed in Geisenheim, the second of its kind in Germany.

 

What if you could order climate adaptation as easily as an online product? That's the idea behind the Climate Box project, which equips German towns with large wooden crates packed with green oases that bring cool, fresh air and shade to hot town centers.

The Climate Box project began in the town of Hamelin in 2023 and was met with such success that a second box has now been constructed in Geisenheim just one year later. "This project is the result of close collaboration between Hamelin, the university town of Geisenheim, and Hochschule Geisenheim University and was made possible by funding from the LEADER program," says Christian Aßman, the mayor of Geisenheim. 

Climate Adaptation in a Box

Resilience to heat is becoming an increasingly urgent issue as climate change continues to impact our planet. Taking a walk through the Climate Box allows passers-by on Geisenheim's central square a chance to cool off, a significant relief in light of rising summer temperatures. Trees and shrubs inside the box provide fresh air, and a water atomization system creates a noticeably cooler atmosphere than that of the urban environment outside. Hochschule Geisenheim University sponsored the interior decoration of the Climate Box, and all plants were provided by the university's Department of Urban Horticulture and Planting Design. "With sustainability in mind, we selected particularly robust trees and shrubs for the Climate Box to ensure that the greenery is well-equipped for the future," says Dr. Alexander von Birgelen, who holds the Professorship for Plant Use at Hochschule Geisenheim University and who supported the design of the Climate Box with his expansive knowledge of plant science.  

The project has been well-received throughout Germany, with other towns and cities already registering their interest in receiving a Climate Box of their own. The Climate Box project is also featured as one of the entries to the German Tourism Award 2024, the winner of which will be decided by a public vote held on September 3, 2024.

Another Successful Collaboration with the Town of Geisenheim

The Climate Box is the second project that Hochschule Geisenheim University and the town of Geisenheim have realized together in the last few months. The first was the complete redesign of the Park am Blaubach as part of the Green Geisenheim cooperation project. The new park opened at the end of May and now offers Geisenheim residents another pleasant, cool green space in the town center, which has been designed according to their needs. 

Developing high-quality urban green spaces is at the core of the Green Geisenheim project. 

Further Information 

Images

Geisenheim's Climate Box viewed from above. Photo: Arif Türkmen
The Climate Box in Geisenheim is part of the Green Geisenheim project. Photo: Marilena Schulte/Hochschule Geisenheim
From left to right: Professor Hans Reiner, President of Hochschule Geisenheim; Christian Aßmann, Mayor of Geisenheim; Professor Alexander von Birgelen, Deputy Head of the Department of Urban Horticulture and Planting Design; and Stephanie Braun. Photo: Marilena Schulte/Hochschule Geisenheim
Inside, the box is filled with plants grown at the university. Photo: Marilena Schulte/Hochschule Geisenheim
Archive

Germany's Second 'Climate Box' Set Up in Geisenheim

The Climate Box helps visitors cool off on hot days. Photo: Arif Türkmen

The reason behind the ominous green posters adorning Geisenheim's town center and the cryptic message in the local paper was finally revealed on August 9: a Climate Box has been constructed in Geisenheim, the second of its kind in Germany.

 

What if you could order climate adaptation as easily as an online product? That's the idea behind the Climate Box project, which equips German towns with large wooden crates packed with green oases that bring cool, fresh air and shade to hot town centers.

The Climate Box project began in the town of Hamelin in 2023 and was met with such success that a second box has now been constructed in Geisenheim just one year later. "This project is the result of close collaboration between Hamelin, the university town of Geisenheim, and Hochschule Geisenheim University and was made possible by funding from the LEADER program," says Christian Aßman, the mayor of Geisenheim. 

Climate Adaptation in a Box

Resilience to heat is becoming an increasingly urgent issue as climate change continues to impact our planet. Taking a walk through the Climate Box allows passers-by on Geisenheim's central square a chance to cool off, a significant relief in light of rising summer temperatures. Trees and shrubs inside the box provide fresh air, and a water atomization system creates a noticeably cooler atmosphere than that of the urban environment outside. Hochschule Geisenheim University sponsored the interior decoration of the Climate Box, and all plants were provided by the university's Department of Urban Horticulture and Planting Design. "With sustainability in mind, we selected particularly robust trees and shrubs for the Climate Box to ensure that the greenery is well-equipped for the future," says Dr. Alexander von Birgelen, who holds the Professorship for Plant Use at Hochschule Geisenheim University and who supported the design of the Climate Box with his expansive knowledge of plant science.  

The project has been well-received throughout Germany, with other towns and cities already registering their interest in receiving a Climate Box of their own. The Climate Box project is also featured as one of the entries to the German Tourism Award 2024, the winner of which will be decided by a public vote held on September 3, 2024.

Another Successful Collaboration with the Town of Geisenheim

The Climate Box is the second project that Hochschule Geisenheim University and the town of Geisenheim have realized together in the last few months. The first was the complete redesign of the Park am Blaubach as part of the Green Geisenheim cooperation project. The new park opened at the end of May and now offers Geisenheim residents another pleasant, cool green space in the town center, which has been designed according to their needs. 

Developing high-quality urban green spaces is at the core of the Green Geisenheim project. 

Further Information 

Images

Geisenheim's Climate Box viewed from above. Photo: Arif Türkmen
The Climate Box in Geisenheim is part of the Green Geisenheim project. Photo: Marilena Schulte/Hochschule Geisenheim
From left to right: Professor Hans Reiner, President of Hochschule Geisenheim; Christian Aßmann, Mayor of Geisenheim; Professor Alexander von Birgelen, Deputy Head of the Department of Urban Horticulture and Planting Design; and Stephanie Braun. Photo: Marilena Schulte/Hochschule Geisenheim
Inside, the box is filled with plants grown at the university. Photo: Marilena Schulte/Hochschule Geisenheim
Do you already know PLANT.ed?

PLANT.ed is a learning platform of the Professorship for planting design and represents a first point of contact for students who want to deal with planting design and planning. When looking for suitable information on these topics, one can quickly "get lost" in the "shoals" of an as yet undefined quantity and variety. On the one hand, PLANT.ed is intended to help with orientation in the subject area and, on the other hand, to support the teaching content of the various lectures and seminars. PLANT.ed is located on the ILIAS learning platform of Hochschule Geisenheim University and can be viewed by students and employees of HGU at any time.