State Garden Show Höxter 2023

The North Rhine-Westphalian State Garden Show Höxter 2023 provided the occasion for the redesign of almost the entire ramparts around the half-timbered old town of Höxter and along the Weser. The areas of the deserted town in the Weserbogen Corvey and the abandoned convent garden of the former monastery were also included. The aim was to redesign the existing facilities with a view to improving their usability for recreation and leisure activities. Furthermore, the history of the spatially different and historically significant four sub-areas is to be made legible.



The ramparts adjacent to the historic old town will be freed up and the characteristic city wall will be made much more visible while preserving the existing trees. The historical relief will be largely preserved. The Weser promenade will also be designed from the existing structure: the dominant existing trees and the characteristic 'warm' wall of the railroad embankment in the vicinity of the city bridge will be retained. The elongated horizon bench in front of the wall will become a meeting point between the city and the Weser, citizens and visitors to the city. Up to 100,000 people cycle along here every year. Liquidambar styraciflua provide shade for the promenade and create an accent against the city skyline in the fall. The Weser steps offer seating close to the water. New recreational and play areas have been created in the landscaped section of the Weser promenade. The links between the city and the river are emphasized by widened squares. Informal access via paths, as well as the narrow paths to the rear and in front, complement the network of paths and provide alternatives to the promenade.

In the Weserbogen, the archaeology park on the site of the former Corvey sawmill will bring the history of the deserted town of Corvey to life and make its dimensions comprehensible. An approx. 550m long footbridge acts as an archaeological window, enclosing the central excavation area from the comprehensive investigation of Corvey in the 1970s. The traces of the Marktkirche, the Hellweg and the house of the Surgeon of the Weser are traced on the surface. Around the window, the Weserbogen is being developed as an extensive landscape park.

The Remtergarten, in the direct field of vision and close to the former Benedictine monastery, is a complete reinterpretation of the monastery garden motif and shows its horticultural diversity in harmony with the neighboring World Heritage Site. Before the garden show, there was a Christmas tree plantation on a wild meadow here. With the careful and precise reinterpretation of the basic baroque structure, the area enclosed by high, historic walls has been rediscovered and redesigned to reflect its significance. The cultivation of herbs, vegetables, fruit and medicinal plants will shape the character of the grounds in future. The contemplative aspect is enriched by a few accents, such as rare woody rarities in the geophyte meadow, trellises in the rose garden and small squares in the garden sections. In each of the squares in the three characteristic gardens and in the meadow, a simple water bowl forms the focal point. The four bowls are made of Obernkirchen sandstone. Inspired by the slightly unrounded shape of drops, pebbles and stones, the objects have a simple, high-quality design.



The project aimed to achieve a sustainable and contemporary upgrade of the almost entirely historically relevant open spaces. The improved connection between the rampart and the Weser, as well as the redesign of the Weser promenade, brings the historic old town closer to the river. The promenade is very important for the city: cycling tourism and a wide range of activities along an impressive watercourse. Overall, the horticultural show has enhanced Höxter's open spaces, contributing to a liveable and attractive city. The more than significant history of Corvey and the monastery has also been taken into account.

First prizeGerman Landscape Architecture Award 2025

Jury verdict:
With the State Garden Show as a driving force, Höxter has succeeded in comprehensively upgrading the existing open space elements that characterise the town, such as the historic ramparts around the half-timbered old town, the Weser promenade and the gardens of the Corvey Monastery World Heritage Site, as well as developing and linking them with additional elements - such as the archaeological park embedded in an extensive landscape park to create an open space framework for the entire town. The result is a coherent framework that offers local people added value on a daily basis and guests a reason to stay or return.

Particularly noteworthy are the extremely sensitive and precisely tailored settings developed for these different locations and sceneries: the tourist magnet Corvey Monastery on the outskirts of the city has been enriched with a new attraction in the form of the newly created monastery garden. The spacious garden, enclosed by high historic walls, reinterprets the basic baroque structure and calmly interweaves areas for growing vegetables, herbs and fruit with contemplative elements to create a high level of biodiversity. The archaeologically documented relics of the neighbouring town of Corvey, which was destroyed in the Middle Ages and has not been rebuilt since, can now be traced as a formative part of history through an archaeological window and discreet tracings. The area can be authentically experienced as a deserted site thanks to its landscape setting.

The connecting Weser promenade is developing as a central cycling and walking route from the monastery at the gates of the city to the high-density city centre with its naturally increasing urbanity. The extra-long bench at the gateway to the historic city centre offers a perfect place to pause for a moment by the water.

The ramparts can now be experienced throughout, the basic structure, including defining elements such as the relief and existing trees, has been renovated and supplemented for the future and thus secured in the long term as a usable and urban-climatically effective green oasis in the high-density historic city centre.

An individual, self-evident, unpretentious solution was developed for each location, which responds precisely to the expected intensity of use and at the same time develops historical and ecological qualities in an atmospherically harmonious way, while at the same time retaining value down to the last detail in terms of craftsmanship: a fine art in our world flooded with stimuli and trends.