The German-American Friendship Garden

Inaugurated in 1988, this small garden, featuring plant beds and two fountains, symbolises the relationship between Germany and the United States, commemorating 300 years of German immigration to America. Did you know that today, nearly 43 million Americans have German ancestry? This migration began in the 17th century, particularly in Pennsylvania where Germans made up one-third of the population in the 18th century. Later, in the early 19th century, Germany introduced antisemitic laws, which saw a huge part of its population emigrate to what is often called the “Country of Uncle Sam” to escape persecution. This migration trend continued during the 1850s, after the failure of the Austrian Revolution, which led to significant political and social problems for the Empire, and therefore for Germany. The United States welcomed more than 700,000 German immigrants between 1850 and 1860. This is why the Friendship Garden was designed by German landscape architect Wolfgang Oehme and American landscape architect James van Sweden.