A park in stages – Villa Pemsel

Six years of construction for a park on Lake Starnberg: natural stone terraces, curving gravel paths, a pavilion draped in climbers and a treehouse in the old oak.

Location	Feldafing on Lake Starnberg
Size	built in stages 2005–2011
Design	external design practice – built by us
Implementation	Fuchs baut Gärten GmbH – Gärtner von Eden
Photography	Miquel Tres
Award	“Gärten des Jahres” (Callwey) – published in the book

The Villa Pemsel in Feldafing is a listed building – a much-admired estate on Lake Starnberg whose renovation won awards. The park that goes with it took shape in stages over six years: the walls in 2005/06, the large paved driveway in 2006/07 – the biggest single phase – with the planting alongside, the stonework at the pavilion in 2007, a retaining wall in 2008, and finishing work up to 2011. That is how a park grows: not in one season, but layer by layer.

In the interest of honesty, one thing should be said: we did not design this garden. We built it – the natural stone terraces, the curving gravel paths, the old steps, the stonework at the iron pavilion covered in climbers – and we planted it, from the peony borders to the clipped topiary balls along the path. That a garden built to someone else’s plan still counts among our most beautiful says a lot for the plan – and for the craftsmanship.

Our favourite piece, by the way, stands in the old oak: a treehouse with a slide, built for the park’s next generation. More on the craftsmanship behind it: Paving in arcs · Walls and fences.

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Impressions