Garden of the Max Lingner House, Berlin-Niederschönhausen Restoration of the gardens of the Max Lingner House, Berlin-Pankow, for the preservation of historical gardens

The residential and studio house built for the painter and graphic artist Max Lingner is part of the Erich-Weinert-Siedlung, which was built in 1950/51 primarily for artists returning from exile. The garden belonging to it was designed by the garden architect Reinhold Lingner, who at the same time realized various projects in the immediate vicinity. His planning for Max Lingner's house garden is characterized by the contrast between a geometric patio, bordered by buildings and a pergola, and a landscaped garden space, which establishes a relationship to the adjacent Schönholzer Heide.
The aim of the 2011-12 garden conservation restoration was to return the garden as far as possible to this original conception, which, due to the state of preservation, could rely significantly on the conservation and renewal of the original stock. A further concern of the planning was the fitting in of today's use requirements in accordance with the monument.

In the entrance area of the garden, a new fence system was created according to the historical model and a Taxus planting running parallel to it as a privacy screen was replaced by a hornbeam hedge. The entrance staircase was rebuilt according to the original design using clinker bricks laid in a roll layer, and the staircase to the garage entrance was rebuilt using the material found in the existing structure. On the south side of the property, an additional barrier-free access was created, which is recognizable as a new insertion by its materiality (concrete block paving).
The landscaped garden space framing the residential building with the patio was developed in accordance with the original concept as a visually screening vegetation pattern from species typical of the site. In order to make the contrast to the garden courtyard more tangible again, subsequently created beds as well as woody growth were removed and the former pale grass meadow was newly laid out.
An important aspect of Reinhold Lingner's planning practice was the use of natural materials with break-rough surfaces. Since these are to be regarded as essential for the recovery of the design qualities of the garden complex, a path made of Rüdersdorf limestone running along the northeastern property boundary was uncovered and restored.
The restoration of the patio with its structural and plant features, which reflects Max Lingner's stay in exile, had a special status within the monument preservation measures. Here, the terrace was rebuilt using the existing floor covering of slate polygonal slabs, and the pergola framing the garden courtyard with the reed mats attached to it was rebuilt according to the historical model. The original planting of the beds assigned to the courtyard with blue grasses, delphiniums, speedwell, starflower, burning love and other perennials was restored. Through these measures, two contrasting seating areas, which Reinhold Lingner envisaged in the area of the patio, can once again be experienced in their situation: 'En Plein Soleil', located in the open courtyard area, and 'La S'Este Á Hombre', designed as an arbour covered with wild vines.