Urban development Eutin 2016 Restructuring of Stadtbucht and Seepark as part of the LGS Eurtin 2016

Eutin is a good example of how a city that already benefits from an extraordinary location between two lakes can clearly sharpen its identity through targeted interventions. Attractive, usable open spaces and new pathways along the Great Eutin Lake bring the city "back to the water". The rediscovery of the water locations has a profile-building effect for tourism and location marketing and increases the identification of the citizens with their city.

In spite of the favourable location, the urban open spaces along the lakeshore, with the exception of the historic castle garden, offered little design and recreational quality. The connection to the water was hardly noticeable, there were no pathways and, above all, no offers for families, children and young people, for sports and leisure. Opening up the city to the lake, making the water locations more accessible and experienceable, and creating new offers for activity and recreation were developed as concerns in the dialogue process with the citizens. Within the framework of the Landesgartenschau Eutin 2016, the competition design by A24 Landschaft was realised. A newly interpreted, visibly contemporary cultural landscape was created. The current design conceptually referred to the landscape garden of the 18th-19th century, which surrounds the baroque Eutin moated castle.

Integration of city and lake.
Eutin is regionally significant as a medium-sized center, residential and work location. The old and inner city, characterized by half-timbered and classicist buildings and the baroque moated castle, is picturesquely situated between the large and small Eutin Lake. Its privileged location in the Holstein Switzerland Nature Park makes it one of the most popular tourist regions in inland northern Germany. In this special location there were only few open spaces and recreational possibilities at the lakeside. The design conceptionally referred to the 18th-19th century landscape garden surrounding the baroque Eutin moated castle and reconnected the town with the water via the park. The handling of the existing buildings played a special role in the planning, so that a generous flight of steps opens the castle square to the lake. New pathways, which lie as visual axes between the new play and exercise areas and the lake, continue as wooden footbridges into the lake, widen at the end point as a platform with seating platforms and create attractive places to stay directly on the water. The accentuation and rediscovery of the extraordinary water locations has a profile-building effect for tourism and location marketing and promotes the self-identification of the citizens with the city.

City bay as a connecting bracket.
With views of the lake, the city bay and the castle, the water is now an integral part of the park. A newly interpreted, visibly contemporary cultural landscape has been created. In the immediate vicinity of the historic Old Town, the comprehensively redesigned City Bay represents the urban prelude to the new open space experience, acting as a hinge connecting the historic Castle Garden with the Lake Park. The extensive promenade of anthracite-coloured natural stone paving visually connects the town and the lake. One strolls through the bay on large-format pavement slabs to the lake park. A wooden deck follows the promenade and frames the city bay. Folded seating furniture creates lounging areas directly on the water's edge. A generously cut wooden deck extends the promenade into the lake and invites visitors to linger. Thus attractiveness as a residential area for young families, as well as tourist attractions could be created.

Reactivation of the lake park.
The lake park is developed as a counterpart to the historic castle garden and relieves this from the previous use pressure. The play activities are located along the new park axes to the water. The arrangement of the play activities both in the middle and at the edge of the lake park functions as a connecting element. The distribution over the area, especially the placements along the paths, aims at spontaneous use. In the northern area is the lake playground, which takes up the site-specific characteristics with the themes of lake and forest. Concrete waves, wobbly forest, tree houses that motivate shimmy and climb, a trap-like net tunnel and the abstract play ship integrate the iconic forms of the surroundings. With the forest garden ribbon at the development edge to the city, the lake park takes on the character of a city park. Under old trees there is boules, table tennis, swings, fitness equipment: offers for all generations. Adjacent to a sandy beach are sports areas for beach volleyball and streetball as well as a sunbathing lawn and rest areas.

Award Historic FacilitiesGerman Landscape Architecture Award 2021

Jury verdict:
Eutin used the 2016 State Garden Show as an opportunity to move the city closer to the water. Between Schlosspark and Seepark, on the shore of the Großer Eutiner See, close to the old town, the new city bay was created, which connects the existing green spaces on Lake Eutin.

Consistent in design and cautious at the same time, the landscape architects inserted the striking new lake promenade into the historic cultural landscape of Eutin. They transferred the concept of the visual axes of the 200-year-old landscape garden of the baroque moated castle to their planning. Thus, with new lake axes, they interwove the historic grounds with the lake park opposite, as well as the old town with the water. The lake park, which is being developed as a modern, playable leisure landscape as a counterpart to the castle park, interprets the landscape park: as a quotation of the historic linden avenue, the landscape architects designed park axes that represent paths and visual axes at the same time. These axes are bordered by varied play areas that are skilfully integrated into the landscape. Wooden footbridges project into the water as a continuation of the park axes. Path loops break the axiality and open up the lush rhododendron grove in the park, which was upgraded with new plantings.

Overall, this work is characterized by a very sensitive handling of the existing structure and a skilful reinterpretation of historical stylistic devices. In this way, the planners provide new impulses for a future urban development of Eutin, with which the city can work out its identity as a city on the water and sharpen its profile.