Inside Berlin’s ‘Monk’ garden that grows edible and medicinal plants

Published on 23/08/2025 - 8:01 GMT+2

While astir of america deliberation parsley, basil, and rosemary are arsenic acold arsenic herbs go, this monolithic works nursery adjacent Berlin wants to show group nan forgotten traditions successful nan era of mass-produced food.

Nestled successful Marienfelde, a suburb successful southwest Berlin, nan Monk Garden houses astir 200 types of uncommon herbs, leaves and trees.

From galore varieties of mint, oregano and cilantro to New Zealand spinach and Syrian achromatic cumin, plants housed present would person been acquainted to monks successful monasteries, but today, galore of them are seldom recovered astatine a regular supermarket successful Germany.

Martin Rötzel, nan proprietor of nan Monk Garden, fears that overmuch of this knowledge has fallen by nan wayside, peculiarly arsenic nutrient accumulation has go ever much industrialised and hopes his plot tin summation people's knowing of plants.

“At immoderate point, nan knowledge was lost,” said Rötzel.

“[These days,] thing for illustration 99 per cent  of group don't cognize a azygous sanction of a plant," he added.

He organises agelong array dinners prepared by a good eating chef, workshops and seminars wherever group tin effort and study astir edible and medicinal plants.

“We are trying to supply entree to this ancient knowledge done formats specified arsenic this one, Reficio (the eating experience), because fundamentally you tin explicate a batch to people, but if they don't effort it, if they don't sensation it and if they don't cognize really to hole it successful a delicious way, they won't prosecute it anyway," Rötzel said.

Curious visitors

As a kid, he was ever willing successful plants and herbs. When he fell sick 13 years ago, he deepened his knowledge of herbs and made teas that he said helped him regain his health.

He started collecting uncommon plants and propagating them successful an allocated garden. Now, he owns nan 2,000 quadrate metre ancient plot and a medicinal monastic plot adjacent to a religion successful nan German capital, reflecting those grown successful nan Middle Ages to supply plants for nutrient and healing.

Both reflector nan greenish sanctuaries erstwhile cultivated by monks to provender and heal their communities.

Curious visitors travel to study much astir nan plants here.

They tin besides study to beryllium “a small much adventurous erstwhile it comes to preparing food, successful position of products, not ever relying connected pepper, salt, and paprika, but besides utilizing thing greenish and fresh, and possibly I'll works thing successful nan garden,” said Britta Rosenthal, a impermanent astatine nan Monk Garden.

Another guest, Angela Merscher-Harms, said nan sojourn had already fixed her nutrient for thought.

“I americium a nurse, truthful I people find it very absorbing and breathtaking to study what tin beryllium healed and achieved pinch quality arsenic opposed to medicine,” said Merscher-Harms, a impermanent astatine nan Monk Garden.

“I americium besides fortunate that my hubby is simply a talented amateur chef. And of course, I dream that he will prime up a fewer tips and tricks present to navigator moreover much delicious things for me”.

For much connected this story, watch nan video successful nan media subordinate above.

Video editor • Roselyne Min