Fritz-Encke-Volkspark

A socially minded people's park by Fritz Encke (1920s) in Raderthal – with flower gardens, an open-air theatre and a reading garden as rare features.

People's park Family-friendly Playground Free entry

The Volkspark Raderthal, also called the Fritz-Encke-Volkspark, lies in the southern green corridor between Brühler and Bonner Straße. Garden director Fritz Encke laid it out in 1922–1926 on the site of a former powder magazine of the fortress ring.

Source: Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-06-23

At a glance

Created: 1922–1926 by Fritz Encke
Location: Raderthal (Rodenkirchen district), by the Militärring
Idea: "social greenery" – a park for broad sections of the population
Special features: flower gardens, open-air theatre, dance ground, reading garden

A park to be used

Encke saw the people's park as a place to be used as fully as possible – with playgrounds, lawns and spaces to linger. His twelve small flower "special gardens" were meant to give people the charm of their own home garden. The open-air theatre, dance ground and reading garden remain culturally significant beyond the region and make the park a special piece of Cologne's garden history.