De Ovale Haver, Allotment garden complex in Nærum, Denmark.
De Ovale Haver is a garden complex with forty oval-shaped plots arranged on rolling grassland in a flowing, organic pattern. The gardens are separated by grass paths and create a geometric design that forms distinct islands across the landscape.
Landscape architect C.Th. Sørensen designed this garden layout in 1948 as a new approach bridging public housing and traditional allotments. The design represented a different way to combine community green space with private garden plots.
Each garden owner can design their own space within shared guidelines, choosing where to place structures and which plants to grow. This mix of personal freedom and community rules shapes how neighbors interact and live together.
The site has been protected as a heritage monument since 1991, which ensures its preservation and lets visitors understand the original design idea. Walking along the public paths that run through the complex gives you the best sense of the oval layout and overall structure.
The elliptical arrangement was an unusual solution when it was created, reimagining the traditional garden layout in a completely new way. This geometric approach influenced many other garden planners and urban designers in the years after the war.
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