Play pergola castle garden

As part of the redesign of the Osnabrück castle gardens, the playground in the eastern campus area had to make way for a student center. Instead, the "play pergola" in the center of the castle garden now offers an even larger space to play: This climbing frame frames an "open-air playroom", similar to the way meter-high hedges used to enclose small play and theater cabinets in baroque gardens, known as hedge bosquets.



The play pergola is a new interpretation of this special form of historical garden art, as Jörg Michel, owner of POLA Landschaftsarchitekten, explains: "As the name 'Spielboskett' suggests, the design clearly borrows from the archetype of baroque palace gardens, where these green 'rooms' were located in strict geometric architecture in the immediate vicinity of the palace. In the past, the green bosquets were used like interior rooms and served as places of retreat or for the playful enjoyment of castle residents and visitors."



The almost intimate playground in the middle of the castle garden offers a wide range of activities for children of all ages: In addition to a sand play area and several trampolines on colorful play hills, there are opportunities for climbing, sliding, jumping, swinging and running. Together with an adjoining lawn area, the children have an area of approx. 1,400 square meters within the garden to play, run and romp around.