In memory of a humanist in psychiatry – Güntz Park

Let's begin in the 19th-century Leipzig district of Stötteritz, then still known as Thonberg, in the east of the city. The psychiatrist Dr. Eduard Wilhelm Güntz founded a psychiatric inpatient clinic there in 1839. Güntz targeted his private institution at well-off citizens who could afford the care. He wanted to offer an alternative to the public care available at the time, a comprehensive form of treatment and care that was more closely tailored to the needs of the patients. The feedback from the citizens who placed their trust in him seemed to be positive. In 1886, they donated an entire tower, complete with a gratitude stone, to him. Today, Güntz Park, also known as Thonberg Park, is located on the former site of the institution—its operations ceased in 1920. Both the park and the tower are now listed monuments and commemorate someone who stood up for humanism in psychiatry. Incidentally, another work commemorates Güntz, and the park with its tower also appears there. Leipzig author Clemens Meyer weaves the history of the institution and the tower's use in the 1990s, which was not exactly in keeping with its status as a historical monument, into his new novel "The Projectors."

THE cultural park named after one of the great feminists – Clara Zetkin Park

But let's stay in the 19th century for a moment and continue on to the largest park in central Leipzig. It is named after Clara Zetkin, born on July 5, 1857. Initially active in the SPD, then the USPD, and later in the KPD, she was one of the first women to call herself a "parliamentarian" after the introduction of women's suffrage in 1919 – by which time we are already in the 20th century. As such, she sat in the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic from 1920 to 1933. In addition to her advocacy of socialist and pacifist goals, Zetkin fought tirelessly for equal rights for women. Clara Zetkin Park, located in the heart of Leipzig, is a truly monumental monument to her work. The historic ground floor areas are a particular highlight of the park. Recently renovated, they were presented at the Architecture Day at the end of June this year . Planting strips and decorative beds were redesigned, and the planting was modernized to cope with longer periods of heat and drought. The results are impressive!

However, anyone who – quite naturally – thinks that the park was created during the GDR era is mistaken. Only the name was given to it in 1955. The fact that the park increasingly became a cultural park in the following years is due to the targeted promotion of a recreational area for the working population. The horse racing track, built in 1867 in what was then called the "Volksgarten im Scheibenholz" – only a part of today's Clara Zetkin Park – marked the beginning. The bandstand followed in 1912 and still hosts concerts or social gatherings in the beer garden. Since 1955, the park stage has attracted bands and fans to open-air events in the summer. The chess center, meanwhile, is still operating today in beautiful surroundings. However, its prominent location reveals a lot about the SED dictatorship. The GDR leadership's ambition was to rank among the world's leading figures in the game of kings and thus to distinguish itself. Its low-threshold accessibility shows that t he mental sport was also understood as a "socialist educational tool." The educational mission and instrumentalization have vanished, leaving Leipzig's most popular leisure, recreation, and cultural park, complete with numerous cultural offerings and the popular corner spot on the Sachsenbrücke. Clara Zetkin might have liked it as it is.

An "Uncomfortable" Memorial – Richard Wagner Grove

Just a short distance north of Clara Park, as it is colloquially known, lies a challenging monument. The city of Leipzig calls the grove, designed with a pergola, terraced walls, and water basin, an "uncomfortable" monument . It is named after Richard Wagner, the composer who regularly causes controversy due to his anti-Semitic views. The Richard Wagner Grove itself was built during the Nazi era, although conceived during the Weimar Republic. Gustav Allinger was the architect responsible for the design and construction of the grove. He himself made a career as president of the German Society for Garden Art, which brought together garden architects. In this position and dressed in SA uniform, he turned against colleagues he considered "politically unreliable."

The section of the Richard Wagner Grove located on the western bank of the Elster Flood Basin, with its pools, the large staircase leading down to the Elster Flood Basin, and the two viewing terraces, is now framed by weeping willows. Virginia creeper climbs the pergola. This section has been undergoing renovation since 2022. Measures are also planned for the east bank of the Elster Flood Basin. There, sections of wall and staircases need to be renovated to maintain traffic safety. When construction and renovation work isn't underway, the Richard Wagner Grove is used for yoga sessions or reading in a peaceful atmosphere, families and groups of friends gather for barbecues, and students from the neighboring Faculty of Sports Science compete against each other in soccer tennis or spikeball, bringing a festival atmosphere to the Elster Flood Basin.

From a communist memorial grove to an open space for thought – Mariannenpark

Back to the east of the city: In the heart of Leipzig's Schönefeld district lies a section of park that is far more than a place of recreation. Mariannenpark is a silent witness to political upheavals and social changes . Originally designed as a pathway for a planned road, the area initially served purely functional purposes when the park was built in 1913/14. However, in the 1970s, the tangent leading through the park was redesigned into a memorial grove for Ernst Thälmann, who served as chairman of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) until 1933 and was murdered in the Buchenwald concentration camp in 1944.

After 1989, the memorial lost its political significance; many elements were removed or fell into disrepair. The paths remained, and the site fell into obscurity – until new challenges such as heat, drought, and loss of use made a redesign necessary.

Starting in 2019, discussions about the future of the former memorial grove began with the participation of citizens. The result: a renovation that complies with the historic preservation requirements and simultaneously creates new qualities. Since 2024, seating, play areas, and flowering shrubs have been inviting visitors to linger. Particularly eye-catching are paving stones bearing the word "peace" in various languages. They symbolize Schönefeld's linguistic diversity. It is precisely the eastern part of the city that is inhabited by numerous people from different cultures and language areas. Today, they all use the park to relax or play with their children. The city, together with its citizens, has succeeded in meeting a true challenge: to free a place from its ideological overload while at the same time not forgetting its history.

But why is Mariannenpark called Mariannenpark? This is due to the decree of Baroness Clara Hedwig von Eberstein of Schönefeld. The Mariannen Foundation, established by her, supported "poor daughters" of civil servants and military personnel . Furthermore, the Baroness wished to see the field, which lay next to the then-existing linden avenue, transformed into a park. Three years after her death in 1900, the Schönefeld municipal council granted her wish. They concluded a hereditary lease with the Mariannenstiftung (Marianne Foundation), valid until December 31, 2010, to implement the project. However, the contract would not survive the turmoil of the 20th century; in 1949, the Mariannenstiftung's property was transferred to the city of Leipzig . Before that, however, in 1931, the "Volkspark Schönefeld" was given its current name: Mariannenpark.