Gartenschau Bad Herrenalb 2017
Landscape morphology and urban structure
Bad Herrenalbs landscape and urban developments are closely interrelated. The town lies in an elongated valley area. The monastery district, the mill and the stockyard can be considered as some of the oldest basic components of the settlement. Remnants of the walls are nowadays still visible and remain as memories of the former uses.
All of these settlement elements are connected along the course of the river Alb.
During the urbanization process, within the small-scale agricultural grid, two settlement bands developed. In contrast, the undivided spaces in between were transformed into inner-city recreational areas. In the second half of the 20th century these areas were further profiled with the creation of the Kurhaus and the Falkenstein Therme.
Design principles
The design focuses on emphasizing the relationship between city, park and surrounding countryside. Considering the morphological aspects of the landscape and urban structure, the design is based on three spatial principles:
-Emphasis on the main topographic lines in order to enhance the experience of the valley as a continuous, elongated corridor.
-Establishment of cross-references, as paths and visual connections, between city, park and surrounding landscape.
-The use of characteristic landscape elements like vegetation structures and path systems to organize and order the Kurpark and the Schweizer Wiese.
