Ilse Niegel: My allotment garden - an oasis between the highway and nature!

Ilse Niegel: My allotment garden - an oasis between the highway and nature!

Hohenems, Österreich - ilse Niegel has been enjoying her allotment garden in Hohenems for over 40 years. The parcel is picturesquely located between the old Rhine and the Rhine Valley motorway. Despite their advanced age and some physical complaints, gardening is not just a hobby for them, but a real passion. "My garden is my second home," she says proudly. Your regular visits, about every other day for several hours, testify to the connection with this small green paradise.

The 70-year-old garden lover manages her plot with a colorful mix of ornamental plants in the front bed and ovesty and vegetable cultures in the back. The noise of the highway does not bother you, on the contrary, she emphasizes that real relaxation and relaxation for her result from gardening. On the website of the engraving association Hohenems, it is pointed out that the garden is not intended as a meeting point for large grill events or similar social gatherings, which is due to previous incidents with excessive number of people. Nevertheless, Niegel does not grill and is happy to be able to work in peace.

variety of allotment gardens in Vorarlberg

The allotment gardens in Vorarlberg are a diverse image of the region. From the conditions to the gardens and huts there are many differences. Niegel has a waxed eye on her allotment garden association, which currently leads a waiting list of 40 people. It is convinced that the plots rarely become free, and if so, then mostly for reasons of age. This shows the growing interest and the popularity of the gardens that serve as a retreat for many.

The phenomenon of allotment gardens is not limited to Vorarlberg. There are currently around 40,200 allotments all over Austria, with almost 25,000 being located in Vienna. The origins of these gardens go back to the 19th century when industrialization and the associated bad living conditions created a great need for green areas and their own place. In his book, historian Peter Autengruber explains that many modern allotment gardens are more reminiscent of row houses, which illustrates the basic balancing act between nature experience and urban habitat.

allotment gardens as an inexpensive living alternative

Since the desire for their own house with garden remains unfulfilled for many, allotment gardens have established themselves as inexpensive living alternatives. At the Viennese allotments, a dedication in 1992 led to high demand and thus to an increase in traffic and parked vehicles. In 1993 the sale of allotment garden parcels was also introduced, which led to significant price increases for such areas and boosted speculation on the property.

In order to take into account the community idea, the city of Vienna stopped selling these plots in 2021. In 2025 there was also a raffle for Viennese. The “Wiener Stadtgartl” project offers interested parties the opportunity to secure a temporary garden. On the one hand, these developments underline the change from traditional food barkers in times of war on modern speculation objects.

ilse Niegel and the allotment movement overall embody the various facets of the allotments in Austria. These oases of relaxation represent both the retreat and common areas - and reflect on how closely personal well -being is connected to nature and gardening.