• Herbal Heritage Rastede

    The official English language website of the Kögel-Willms-Heilpflanzengarten Rastede e.V.

  • The Garden

    Celebrating our herbal heritage

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    From All-Heal to Yarrow, our 600 sqm large display garden in downtown Rastede includes a huge variety of well-known and not so common medicinal herbs.

     

    The herbs are grouped mostly according to their soil requirements in 8 large beds and comprise more than 150 species. Although this arrangement does not fully match the historical evidence from monastery garden plans, such as the famous St. Gall garden plan, our main focus is on organic healthy plant growth with no fertilizer but our own compost.​

     

    Common foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

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    Take a close look and you´ll be surprised to recognise quite a few plants. If you are a dedicated gardener you will meet some of your enemies like dandelion, stinging nettle, ground elder, sorrel, and plantain. (Yes, they are really allowed in the beds here!) Of course, you might not want them to grow in midst of your perfectly clipped lawn, but give them a chance in another corner of your garden. They will reward you not only with delicious wild green salads in springtime and their medicinal properties but also provide habitats for many beneficial insects and bees.

     

     

     

    Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)

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    Other herbs you´ll recognise are from your spice rack. Many of the mediterranean herbs which have been introduced to our part of the world by travelling monks in medieval times are not only delicious to flavour your food but are valuable companions during cold and flu seasons.

     

    Common Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

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    Our experienced herbalists offer public garden tours in the summer months and a variety of workshops and talks throughout the year where our visitors learn hands-on to make herbal ointments and tinctures, cook with health-supporting herbs, make teas, smoothies, syrups, sweets and even cocktails, or use herbs as incenses and to make decorative arrangements for their homes.

     

    (Please note: So far all talks and workshops are held in German. If you are interested in taking part, please contact us in good time to see if our English speaking members are available for interpreting at that date. If inquiring for custom group tours please state if the tour should be held in or translated into English language.)

     

    Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)

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    Our clear focus is on familiarising our visitors with herbs they can cultivate themselves or find in their immediate surroundings, like their own garden, under hedges, by the wayside and in the forest, and show them how easy it is to incorporate the use of medicinal herbs in our daily routine without having to purchase exotic dried plant matter in the pharmacy.

    English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

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    Like the German “grandfather of plant lovers” Goethe knew already, our native plants have served as sources of inspiration for countless generations before us, leaving a mark on the region´s folklore, culture, spirituality and even language (albeit in no way we want to belittle the importance of many powerful non-native medicinal plants!). We at the Koegel-Willms Medicinal Herb Garden strive to reawaken, expand and pass on this knowledge of our native and monastic garden medicinal herbs.

     

    Visit us, get involved and learn how herbs and nature have an important place in our daily lives.

     

    In the background: Garden angelica (Angelica archangelica)

  • Please note:

    The information on this website is for reference only. Herb-lore is an art which must be respected, and several herbs can be as equally dangerous as beneficial if not used correctly. If foraging for wild herbs, always make 100% sure to have correctly identified the plant. Always consult with your physician, alternative practitioner or accredited herbalist before ingesting herbs or making and taking herbal medicines.

  • About Us

    Local history, herbal patrimony and dedicated volunteers

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    Our origins

    In the middle ages, from 1091 to 1529 the small town of Rastede was home to a Benedictine Monastery, a donation of the Oldenburg Count. As common in those times, the Monastery featured a garden since monasteries were meant to be as self-sufficient as possible. According to the Benedictine rules that encouraged manual labor and made helping the sick a fundamental task of the monks, the production of food supplies and medicines was an essential part of daily life.

     

    Although little information on this medicinal herb garden has been preserved, on the occasion of the 950 years town anniversary it inspired a group of garden and herb lovers around Loni Eberlen and Kerstin Haverkamp to suggest and later take on rebuilding a medicinal herb garden in Rastede.

     

    The Koegel-Willms-Foundation kindly offered an ideal plot right in the heart of the town and from January 2008 on, the creative and busy team developed a concept and put their hands on sowing, arranging and planting. In October 2008, the foundation of the association with the name “Koegel-Willms-Heilpflanzengarten e.V.” (Koegel Willms Medicinal Herb Garden Association) took place and from June 2009 on the garden has been opened to the public.

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    Our mission

    - To inspire others to get involved with our indigenous medicinal herbs

    - To deepen and spread the knowledge about medicinal herbs, their historic uses and easy ways to include them in our everyday´s lives for a healthier & sustainable lifestyle

    - To create respect for nature and our environment

     

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    Our volunteers

    This is our group of active members who volunteer keeping the plants healthy, the beds tidy and hold talks and workshops inspiring others to include herbs in their diet and daily lives.

     

     

     

     

     

  • How to find us

    The Kögel-Willms medicinal herb garden is located at Kögel-Willms-Street, No. 2, 26180 Rastede

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    Gate to the Garden

    Parking is available opposite the gate.

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    Entrance leading to the seminar room

    Talks and workshops are held in this buidling (No.2).

  • Talks, Workshops & Events

    Celebrate with us! On June 16, the Koegel-Willms Medicinal Herb Garden will not only open its gates for the public as a member garden of the German-Dutch Foundation “In Nachbars Garten / Het tuinpad op” (“In Neighbors Garden / The Open Garden Path”), but also celebrate its 10th anniversary. ...
    After a long winter, nature has skipped spring and turned into summer right away. At the end of April our medicinal herbs have still been hibernating, while three weeks later many of the plants usually flowering in June, like Sweet Cicely and Horseradish, have been in full bloom and actually a...
    September 15, 2017
    The leaves turn yellow and begin to fall, the nights are getting colder, the Autumn Equinox is approaching - signs that the herb season is over. This is true and not true. While the surface parts are dying back in many plants, they now concentrate their strength in their roots. Autumn, winter (if...
  • Connect With Us

    Book a tour? Got a question?

    If there is anything we can help you with please feel free to get in touch!

    Or fill in the contact form below.

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    herbalheritage-rastede(at)web.de

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    +49 157 30 200 387

  • Contact Us Form

    Please fill out the following form and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Kögel-Willms-Str. 2
    26180 Rastede
    Germany
    The Volunteers meet every Tuesday morning from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm in the garden. Any helping hand is very welcome!
    To book a guided tour please send us an email.
    +49 157 30 200 387
  • Support us

    We are an independent charity and depend solely on donations and membership fees. We are always happy to welcome new members and supporters. If you are interested, please get in touch with us.

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    Donate / Buy

    Buy seeds, plants, visit a talk or workshop, or make a one time donation.

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    Volunteer

    Active membership

    Become a helping hand in the garden, hold guest talks, etc.

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    Support

    Passive Membership

    Make a regular annual donation with your passive membership.

  • Legal Notice / Disclaimer

    Legal Notice

    Information in accordance with section 5 of the German Telemedia Act (Telemediengesetz):

    Website operator and contact:

    Kögel-Willms-Heilpflanzengarten e.V.
    Kögel-Willms-Straße 2
    26180 Rastede

    Germany

     

    Represented by:

    Dagmar Schindler (chairwoman)

    Ulrike Ritschel (vice-chairwoman)

    Petra Ahlbrecht (treasurer)

    Heike Bunjes-Dierks (secretary)

     

    Contact (German only):

    Dagmar Schindler

    Telephone: +49 4402 83259

    info(at)heilpflanzen-rastede.de

     

    Contact (English):

    Annette Weizsäcker

    Telephone: +49 157 30 200 387

    herbalheritage-rastede(at)web.de

    Responsible for journalistic-editorial contents in accordance with section 55 paragraph 2 of the German Interstate Broadcasting Treaty (Rundfunkstaatsvertrag):

     

    Kögel-Willms-Heilpflanzengarten e.V.
    Kögel-Willms-Straße 2
    26180 Rastede

    Germany

     

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    Copyright and related rights (ancillary copyrights)

     

    All contents and works on the website www.herbalheritage-rastede.strikingly.com are subject to German Copyright Law and related rights (e.g. Ancillary Copyright Law). Reproducing, processing, disseminating and any other kind of use outside of the limits of German Copyright Law and related rights require the written consent of the respective author/creator.

     

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    On our part every effort has been made to respect all rights of third parties. Content not owned by us either has been included with the permission of the right holder or purchasing a license, respectively naming the copyright owner. The compulsory copyright details can be found in the Legal Notice section of this website. Should you nevertheless become aware of a copyright infringement, please notify us accordingly. We will remove such content immediately or add the missing details without delay upon gaining knowledge of infringements.

    Privacy protection:

     

    We respect your privacy and are committed to safeguarding your privacy online. While information is the cornerstone of our ability to provide superior service, our most important asset is your trust. That is why keeping personal and business information secure and confidential is a top priority at Koegel-Willms-Heilpflanzengarten e.V.

     

    Please note:

     

    The Kögel-Willms-Heilpflanzengarten e.V. (Koegel Willms Medicinal Herb Garden Association) is based in Germany. German law shall apply. This English version of the German “Impressum" and "Haftungsausschluss” (see: http://www.heilpflanzen-rastede.de/impressum/) is a translation provided for your convenience only. Solely the German language version is binding and will govern your relationship with Kögel-Willms-Heilpflanzengarten e.V. If there is any contradiction, inconsistency or conflict of interpretation between the English language version and the German language version, the German language version shall prevail.