Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will open the Federal Garden Show (Buga 23) in Mannheim on Friday. Around 1,700 guests have been invited, including Baden-Württemberg’s Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens), Mannheim’s Lord Mayor Peter Kurz (SPD), State President Muhterem Aras (Greens) and members of the state and federal parliaments.
The prelude will be musically accompanied by a world premiere by the Haifa Symphony Orchestra and the musicians Ziggy Has Ardeur and Konstantin Gropper (Get Well Soon). Afterwards, Buga 23 Managing Director Michael Schnellbach and Mayor Kurz will guide the Federal President and Prime Minister Kretschmann around the site.
“Green oases that will last forever”
Steinmeier had previously described the flower and garden show as a great opportunity for Mannheim. “Green oases are created that will remain in the city in the long term,” he said. The Federal Garden Show, which is held every two years, creates public places “where people can meet and exchange ideas, where families and friends can spend their free time together and relax”.
After 1975, Mannheim is hosting the Buga for the second time; the last one took place in Erfurt. Until October 8th, not only flowers and gardens should be in the foreground in Mannheim, but also the future topics of climate, energy, environment and food security.
Over 58,000 season tickets have been sold so far. “It exceeded our expectations,” said a spokeswoman. In addition, 87,000 day tickets have already been sold. In total, more than two million visitors are expected.
Cable car runs on green electricity
The people of Mannheim have made it their mission to become the most sustainable of all Bugas. The highlight is a cable car that runs on green electricity and can be reused in other places, which connects the two parts of the Buga: an 80-hectare site around the former American Spinelli barracks and the Luisenpark, designed according to the English model. The journey takes eight minutes and is free.
A South America house with tropical butterflies, marmosets and iguanas as well as a new underwater world and a new penguin enclosure await visitors in the Luisenpark. In the largest original Chinese tea house in Europe, guests can relax. The award-winning camellia garden set against the backdrop of the pagoda invites you to stroll in a splendor of pink, red and white blooms.
The so-called U-Hall, which was once used by the US Army as a storage facility, is the heart of the Buga, where 19 flower hall shows address various topics, including the history of Americans in the city, a vision of happiness and memories of the 90s . The chemical group BASF from Mannheim’s neighboring city of Ludwigshafen invites you to an interactive exhibition in Spinelli Park, where you can learn more about food packaging, yoga mats and tiles made from recycled material.
Focus on sustainability and climate protection
The panoramic footbridge in Spinelli Park is considered an architectural highlight. From the 81 meter long and 12 meter high footbridge you can see over the city and the entire Buga area. On an experimental field there are 2023 climate-resilient trees of the future, which will be distributed throughout the city after the Buga. In addition, 17 gardens there deal with sustainability goals such as climate protection. The PeePower project researches electricity generation from urine.
Culture fans also get their money’s worth: the program includes around 5,000 different events, including concerts and a specially produced musical about the life of Mannheim soul singer Joy Fleming (1944 to 2017). The Buga itself cost around 60 million euros, which should be recouped through ticket sales, sponsorship and leasing. There are also 135 million euros for various urban development projects that were planned in connection with the mega event.
