Coronavirus lockdowns resulted in a huge uptick of people who were looking for Kleingarten allotment in Berlin. But post-pandemic demand is dwindling and now might be your best chance to nab a spot on the waiting list.
Berlin’s allotments are so popular that the waiting list has a waiting list. But now, as the demand that surged during coronavirus lockdowns dampens, waiting lists at some allotments are opening up again.
“Since December 1 we have opened our waiting list to new applicants,” Manfred Grage, representative of the Tempelhof Allotments Association, told Berliner Zeitung. The district is just one of many that are seeing people who joined associations during the coronavirus pandemic withdraw their applications for an allotment.
In 2020 alone, 1.000 newbies added their names to the waiting list for a plot in the Tempelhof neighbourhood. In Marzahn, associations were getting 300 applications each month in the first coronavirus year and were forced to close their waiting lists by May 2020. Only now are the applicants who put their names down in 2020 and didn’t jump ship getting close nabbing a spot.
If you are thinking about laying roots in Berlin, check out the German Allotment Federation (BDG) website to find your nearest association.
While the demand for allotments is dwindling, it is still much higher than before coronavirus hit Germany. According to Beate Voigt branch manager of the Allotment Association in Marzahn, Berliners wanting to stretch their legs during lockdown in somewhere that wasn’t the local park isn’t the only reason for the application rush.
“For many, the dream of owning their own home has been dashed,” Voigt told Berliner Zeitung. With housing becoming increasingly expensive in Berlin, the idea of having your own garden is out of the question for most renters or people looking to buy a house. The cost of living crisis has added another layer, says Voigt; people have become more concerned about being self-sufficient since the price of food has gone up.
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