Places near me Random place
All Germany Nentershausen Naturbauten Park

Naturbauten Park

At this unusual park, domes, ladders, chairs, and more are made from trees.

Nentershausen, Germany

Added By
Sarah Laskow
The Ash House.   Courtesy of Konstantin Kirsch
The Ash House.   Courtesy of Konstantin Kirsch
Chairs growing in place.   Courtesy of Konstantin Kirsch
A wall grown from trees.   Courtesy of Konstantin Kirsch
A detail of the Ash House wall.   Courtesy of Konstantin Kirsch
The Linden Dome.   Courtesy of Konstantin Kirsch
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Almost three decades ago Konstantin Kirsch started experimenting with shaping trees into sculptures and structures.

Inspired by the work of Arthur Wiechula, a German visionary who imagined elaborate buildings made from trees, Kirsch started planting domes with walls made of grafted saplings, cross-hatched together.

Today, Kirsch's Naturbauten park has domes made of linden, ash, hazel, beech, willow, and other trees. He has experimented with training trees to become ladders, tool handles, and chairs.

Some of these projects are impressive in scale: The Ash House began with 1,300 trees and was designed to have five rooms and a bathroom circling an interior court.

Related Tags

Trees Parks Architectural Oddities Architecture Plants

Know Before You Go

There are guided tours on the first Sunday of the month, from May to October, at 3:00 p.m. Visitors are welcome at other times, but you must call or email ahead. In either case, there's a strongly suggested donation.

Community Contributors

Added By

Sarah Laskow

Published

December 26, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources

Nearby Places

Explore the Destination Guide

Related Stories and Lists

Related Places

  • Şehzadeler, Turkey

    Saruhan Bey Pine Tree

    A centuries-old pine tree is growing through the floor and roof of this building.

  • Crooked Slide Park

    Barry's Bay, Ontario

    Crooked Slide Park

    Inside this park, an engineering marvel from the early 20th-century still stands.

  • Tharp’s Log.

    Three Rivers, California

    Tharp’s Log

    A 19th-century cabin built into a hollowed-out Sequoia tree.

  • A movable glasshouse protects the camellia in winter.

    Dresden, Germany

    Pillnitz Camellia

    An engineering wonder at Pillnitz Castle protects a precious 230-year-old flowering shrub.

  • Pasha Gardens

    Thessaloniki, Greece

    Pasha Gardens

    A little-known park with unusual, half-ruined structures and a mystical energy.

  • Visitors stand on a 130-foot-high spiral tower.

    Binz, Germany

    Treetop Tower of Rügen

    A long spiraling walkway winds through the woods, and around a copper beech tree at the center.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member

Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member