In 1956, seven decades ago, the Institute for Landscape Conservation – now part of the TUM School of Engineering and Design – was founded at the Technical University of Munich. In the period following the post-war reconstruction and during the subsequent economic miracle, this was a highly forward-thinking move.
Even back then, the reason for this was the realisation that the foundations of our existence – such as land area, soil, water, air, biodiversity and the quality of the landscape – are under increasing pressure, which can only be addressed through proactive, politically driven planning and sophisticated design.
Since then, the Weihenstephan Institute for Landscape Conservation has been one of the most influential centres of education and research in German landscape architecture.
It all began with Prof. Carl Ludwig Schreiber, who was appointed as the first full professor of the newly established degree programme in Garden and Landscape Planning, established the training programme at Weihenstephan and trained numerous influential landscape architects of the post-war generation.
In 1966, Schreiber established a second chair in landscape conservation, which was taken over by Wolfgang Haber. This later developed into the Chair of Landscape Ecology. Prof. Haber is today regarded as one of the ‘fathers of landscape ecology’ in Germany and shaped the interconnection between planning, nature conservation and ecology over several decades.
It was also during this period that the environmental movement took its first steps, subsequently leading to environmental policy, landscape and environmental planning, and landscape architecture as we know them today. The Institute for Landscape Conservation at TUM was also of outstanding importance in this regard for Bavaria, for Germany and on an international scale.
Even in more recent years, the institute has set important milestones within the profession. One example is Günther Grzimek, a defining academic of the second generation. He succeeded Prof. Carl Ludwig Schreiber in 1972. As one of the most important German landscape architects of the post-war era, he incorporated the design standards of modern landscape architecture into his teaching. Under his leadership, Weihenstephan gained further prominence as a centre of education for open-space planning and landscape architecture.
Many other graduates of the first and second generations went on to gain national and international renown, or went on to teach at the institute themselves, thereby contributing to its continued success story: notable examples include Peter Latz and his wife Anneliese Latz, Christoph Valentien and Donata Valentien, and Karl Kagerer.
It is no exaggeration to say that the real success – even setting aside these outstanding individuals – lies in the fact that, over decades, the Institute has developed a very distinctive approach through the integration of design, landscape planning, ecology, nature conservation and built open spaces. It is precisely this interdisciplinary approach that continues to make the Institute so special to this day.
As a professional association, we are immensely grateful to the visionary pioneers of that time, as well as those from the years and decades that followed. We, as a profession, owe an enormous debt to them and to their current successors – indeed, much of what defines and drives us today, both professionally and, not infrequently, personally.
All of you – professors, academic, technical and administrative staff – have, through your steadfast commitment over decades, helped to educate generations of students who have since gone on to play a decisive role and help shape the world in a wide variety of ways in many places far beyond Bavaria.
The bdla Bayern congratulates all current and former staff members of the Institute and thanks them for their great commitment to the landscape and the city, to people and to society!
To ensure that future generations can also find professional inspiration and guidance here, joint efforts are constantly required.
We at the bdla are delighted to work alongside the Institute’s staff and its chairs to ensure that landscape architecture and landscape planning at TUM have a strong and secure future, and we look forward to continuing this journey together.
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