Shortly after the gong the children stream into the schoolyard. It’s 11:25 a.m. – yard break at the St. Anna Gymnasium in Lehel. Some students shimmy along a climbing frame, others sit on benches. Many children run across the paved area. The possibilities in the schoolyard are limited: there are some climbing equipment, a table tennis table and a paved basketball court. Otherwise, gray sealed area dominates the area. That should change now. The city government has selected the schoolyard, which the high school has to share with the adjacent St. Anna elementary school, as a pilot project for “natural schoolyard design”. “The important thing is: more green, more nature,” says Green City Councilor Anja Berger.
The reality in the playground of St. Anna primary school and high school looks rather gray.
(Photo: Andreas Gregor)
If the petitioning factions of the Greens/Pink List and SPD/Volt have their way, the St. Anna schoolyard should only be the beginning. The green-red city government would like to design Munich’s playgrounds in a fundamentally different way. “Our goal is schoolyards that encourage exercise and nature experiences,” explains Berger. With various plants and shading, they also contribute to environmental protection and ensure a higher quality of breaks.
Therefore, the city administration should develop a concept for the natural schoolyard design – suitable for current and future school building programs. The city government wants to create a total of five new jobs in the education and building departments. The concept should be drawn up as soon as possible and ideally be available in the coming year, says Berger. Teachers, students and parents are allowed to have a say in the respective redesign. Landscape gardeners should work with them to develop ideas and provide impetus. “You have to look: Which schools would like to work with us and where is the need greatest?”
The courtyard has been a retreat at the Giesinger Icho School since 2009
A few years ago, the Icho elementary school in Obergiesing experienced the effect that a playground conversion can have. In 2009, the asphalted schoolyard was completely redesigned: climbing wall, balancing sticks, sand play area, sun sails and more greenery as well as small huts as retreats. This was very well received by the students, reports today’s headteacher, Tanja Vogt. “The children are no longer so concentrated in one place, everything is equalized.” The more attractive game offers there are, the more peaceful the breaks are.
There are many ideas for the redesign at the St. Anna Gymnasium. “The children drew designs in art class,” says headteacher Susanne Sütsch as she guides them through the playground. The school has also erected a partition to collect the wishes of the students: a floor trampoline, slackline and hammocks, for example, but also a pond and areas for graffiti. Sütsch is also hoping for a roof for the grammar school’s inner courtyard so that the noise from the staggered break times doesn’t penetrate as much into the building.
The Altstadt-Lehel district committee had already campaigned for a redesign of the schoolyard in February 2020. In October last year, the school presented its ideas to the education department at an on-site visit. Now, a year later, things are moving. “I was pleasantly surprised,” says Headmistress Sütsch. Councilor Berger hopes that the schoolyard will be renovated in two to three years. The residents of Lehel could also benefit from this: the near-natural playgrounds should be open to the public. In the future, the St. Anna schoolyard could also be used for local recreation in the densely built-up city center.