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MÄDCHENGARTEN IN VIENNA In the winter of 1997 the Vienna Szene, a local event organizer in Vienna’s 11th municipality district, approached the Women’s Department of MA 57 (Magistrate Department 57) of the city of Vienna with an idea. The Szene wanted to make the garden part of their leased property accessible to young people - in particular, to girls. The idea then developed to open up the garden in stages, and to plan and to do the work together with the girls as part of a girls’ project. In this way the girls were given the chance to take over a space not yet occupied (by males) and shape it to suit their own desires and ideas. In 1999 the Mädchengarten was established as a facility for local
girls’ work in Simmering. Since then the garden has been supervised
for one to two afternoons through the summer by child and female youth
workers and by female landscape planners. In the summer of 1999 cooperation
was extended: working with the mobile youth work group ‘Back On
Stage 11’ the garden could be opened for one more day in the week
for older girls. In 2000 the garden had a water supply laid in and toilet
installed, thanks to the additional support of some municipal authorities
of Vienna. Since that time the garden has been open to girls from all
of Vienna, singly and in groups, accompanied by a trusted and responsible
adult. |