Ruhwaldpark, Garden monument in Westend, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Germany.
Ruhwaldpark is a garden monument in west Berlin that encompasses a woodland area with varying terrain, wooden bridges, and a central pond surrounded by forest. The combination of paths at different elevations and mixed tree zones creates distinct character throughout the space.
A merchant named Ludwig von Schaeffer-Voit commissioned the creation of a villa and surrounding parkland in 1867 as his private estate with designed landscapes. The site eventually became a protected monument preserving 19th-century garden design.
The park reflects 19th-century German tastes for landscape design that borrowed from English garden traditions and incorporated plants from distant lands. Visitors walking through the woods today can see how wealthy Berlin families shaped their private green spaces to feel both exotic and peaceful.
The park has multiple entrances and paths of varying difficulty that link different elevation levels throughout the grounds. Wear sturdy shoes as the terrain is uneven and some sections include steeper slopes.
A man-made hill constructed from rubble sits at the western edge of the park, where an angel statue once stood in memory of the original owner's deceased son. This memorial blends private grief with landscape design in an unusual way.
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