Pflanzstelle Self-Understanding
The Pflanzstelle is an open, solidarity-based, self-organised, and non-commercial community garden.
Political events, readings, and concerts take place at the Pflanzstelle. Here, people can garden, meet, cook and eat, beekeep, and celebrate parties together (and much more). It is a place to meet, exchange ideas, and learn (from one another). A place to collaborate or simply enjoy and hang out.
The Pflanzstelle can be used for open meetings, celebrations, workshops and much more. It is a place for big and small, young and old, and for all people who are open to all people. You may also use the Pflanzstelle as a group for closed events for specific target groups by prior arrangement. Among other things, we want to enable safer space events.
The Pflanzstelle should be a place for all people that is as sensitive as possible to diversity and discrimination. There is no room here for discriminatory behaviour, including racism, anti-Semitism, queer and trans hostility, sexism, ableism, classism, and any form of misanthropy. The aim should be for everyone to feel as comfortable and as safe as possible. It is therefore important that everyone who uses or visits the Pflanzstelle takes responsibility for their actions and is open to change and self-reflection.
At the Pflanzstelle, there are people with different positions and experiences. Power relations also characterise our interactions. We try to think about, reflect on, and dismantle power relations. There is room for mistakes and criticism at the Pflanzstelle. We are open to criticism and change, and willing to learn together and practise a constructive culture of error and conflict.
We try to create as much transparency as possible for everyone and to share knowledge.
Everyone is invited to participate. The Pflanzstelle is shaped and designed by all the people who use it. Everyone can use the Pflanzstelle, regardless of how much they contribute. It’s also okay to just hang out at the Pflanzstelle. Because everyone has very different resources, privileges, and ways of contributing. Our aim is to break down as many barriers as possible. At the same time, we are aware that there are still many barriers at the Pflanzstelle.
We make decisions together by consensus at the monthly plenary meeting and not by majority vote. There are working groups that do different things (e.g. gardening, designing structures, Bücher_Ei, kitchen for all).
We try to reuse a lot and consume few resources.
To maintain the lease agreement with the city of Cologne, we have an association (Verein). However, it is not a prerequisite to be a member of the association in order to participate.
The Pflanzstelle is in the Kalk district. A neighbourhood with very few green spaces. 92% of the land in Kalk is sealed. Many people are affected by poverty and racism.
In Kalk, the effects of environmental racism can be seen every day in people’s quality of life.
Everyone has a right to a green and healthy environment! That is why we are fighting to ensure that places like the Pflanzstelle are preserved and expanded. The Pflanzstelle helps shape processes in the district and wants to make the place even more accessible to neighbours in order to counteract environmental injustice.
Come by.
The Pflanzstelle belongs to all of us!
Photo Archive
Pictures of our origin in 2011 until 2021: https://www.flickr.com/photos/64167355@N04/albums