Fritz-Encke-Volkspark

The Volkspark Raderthal, also called the Fritz-Encke-Volkspark, lies in the southern green corridor between Brühler and Bonner Straße. Garden director Fritz Encke laid it out in 1922–1926 on the site of a former powder magazine of the fortress ring.

At a glance

• Created: 1922–1926 by Fritz Encke
• Location: Raderthal (Rodenkirchen district), by the Militärring
• Idea: "social greenery" – a park for broad sections of the population
• Special features: flower gardens, open-air theatre, dance ground, reading garden

A park to be used

Encke saw the people's park as a place to be used as fully as possible – with playgrounds, lawns and spaces to linger. His twelve small flower "special gardens" were meant to give people the charm of their own home garden. The open-air theatre, dance ground and reading garden remain culturally significant beyond the region and make the park a special piece of Cologne's garden history.