Fruitful model garden in Alsópáhok

Ancient regional fruit trees were of great importance in the life of the Balaton Uplands and the Bakony region until the middle of the last century. Today, this great value is being forgotten, and the variety of species and the ancestral knowledge associated with them are dying out. Saving values and preserving traditions is our task. 

Barnag and Alsópáhok community gardens are a tribute to a special part of our cultural heritage - both created and developed by the local community with the support of VEB 2023. In both places, orchards are being created by local communities working together to create a natural, species-rich patch of the settlement fabric, with fruit trees of ancient regional species, rich shrub and grassland species and other mixed tree species. These gardens are also experiments in how to create and maintain these spaces in the public spaces of the municipality through community collaboration. 

Our project, launched under the name Fruitful Model Garden in Alsópáhok, aims to transform the existing fairy-tale-style variety collection into a garden that showcases unique and innovative land use practices.

We have embarked on a model “experiment” designed for small settlements in semi-urban environments, exploring solutions such as water retention through terrain shaping, slope utilization, and the creation of living fences.

The project’s primary community objective is to offer a diverse range of activities in a sustainable way, closely connected to the ongoing care of the garden. Through this diversity, people of different ages and abilities can experience the creative power of working together and the sense of unity that grows from shared effort.

With this initiative, we hope to support local residents in becoming not just users of the landscape once again, but responsible stewards of it.