The Dresden-based firm Ulrich Krüger Landschaftsarchitekten has won the ideas competition for the 2026 State Garden Show in Bad Schlema. This means that the plans for the event in the Erzgebirge district are gradually taking shape. Read all about the winning design here.
The Dresden-based firm Ulrich Krüger Landschaftsarchitekten has won the ideas competition for the 2026 State Garden Show in Bad Schlema. This means that the plans for the event in the Erzgebirge district are gradually taking shape. Read all about the winning design here.
In 2026, Bad Schlema in the Erzgebirgskreis district will host a state garden show. To this end, the town held an ideas competition for the design of the site. The jury has now chosen the design by Ulrich Krüger Landschaftsarchitekten from Dresden as the winner. This included prize money of 47,500 euros.
Several hundred thousand visitors are expected to attend the State Garden Show. It will focus on the city’s Kurpark. The winning design envisages larger plant islands through which visitors can stroll. The aim is to make it clear that this is a damaged landscape. Bad Schlema and the surrounding area are still suffering from the consequences of the former uranium mining industry. In addition, landscape markers are planned that will be reminiscent of winding towers and chimneys without imitating them.
After Torgau in 2022, Bad Schlema will host the next State Garden Show in Saxony. The event is entitled “From Wismutschacht to Blossom Splendor”. This will be the tenth garden show of its kind in Saxony. It will cover an area of around 40 hectares. In addition to the spa park as the central point, a new green link between Niederchlema and Oberschlema is also to be created.
The town of Aue-Bad Schlema will host the 10th Saxon State Garden Show in 2026. Environment Minister Günther congratulated the town and expressed his hope that a new, sustainably designed visitor attraction would be created. This should be good for the region, which used to be dominated by uranium mining, and enhance Bad Schlema in particular. Recultivated industrial areas such as a former railroad line will invite visitors to linger and create a new connection between Nieder- and Oberschlema. A green classroom is also to be created, with various plants and areas.
The plans and projects for the Bad Schlema State Garden Show tie in with the extensive renaturation and restoration work that has already taken place. Three areas and complexes are to be partially renovated and further developed, taking into account open space design and nature conservation. The Free State of Saxony is granting a total subsidy of up to five million euros for investment and implementation tasks for the State Garden Show.
The winning design envisages merging the two spa park sections West and East in Bad Schlema. To this end, new pathways are planned in the east and the reinforcement of existing structures in the west. Group plantings in the form of hillside gardens and the creation of orientation points and landmarks such as the Villa Wilisch are also part of the concept. In this way, Ulrich Krüger Landschaftsarchitekten would like to trace building layouts from the history of Bad Schlema. These areas will be marked with plants and localized with vertical objects. Historical information is also planned.
There will be two entrances to the park during the State Garden Show. Additional offers are planned in the foundry park and in the area around Niederschlema railroad station. The paper mill is to serve as a camping and tent site to accommodate the high number of visitors. According to the jury, the work of the Dresden office is convincing with its visualization of the history and the diverse offer between the natural area of the Mulde and the post-mining landscape of Bad Schlema.












