Baumkreuz bei Ifta am „Grünen Band“

The Baumkreuz is an art installation where two tree avenues intersect: a row of ash trees runs across the former border zone, while a lime tree avenue runs along the federal road. The original border fence remains preserved between the rows of ash trees.

In November 1990, 140 trees were planted on the former inner German border zone as the starting work of an art concept. The project began shortly after the Berlin Wall fell and aimed to reconnect places that had been separated.

The project symbolizes healing and reunion through trees planted where a wall once divided the land. Visitors can see how nature gradually reclaims a place that was separated for decades.

The installation is located at the border between Thuringia and Hesse between the towns of Ifta and Rittmannshausen. Visitors can view and walk through the site from the federal road, and sturdy footwear is recommended for the uneven areas.

Every November, people from different regions gather to plant new trees and expand the project. The original 140 trees have grown into a forest of over one thousand specimens.