Biodiversity incubator
On the 15-hectare site of the former railway depot in Berg am Laim, Munich, the urban quarter "Baumkirchen Mitte" has been developed since 2013.

For almost 70 years, locomotives and goods were shunted and repaired here. Now the area offers space for 1,300 residents as well as jobs, space for retail, a hotel, public green spaces and two daycare centres. The open spaces with their integrated play areas are intended to invite residents as well as visitors to linger and relax.

The existence a "hot spot" of biodiversity
Almost half -7 ha- of the entire area has been designated as an ecological reserve.

The railway depot has developed into a near-natural railway wasteland as a result of the decommissioning. Soil, poor in humus (e.g. track ballast) hardly store any water and thus promote sparse, lean grasslands. This has created a "hot spot" and an "incubator" for biodiversity, which, in combination with the remaining railway tracks, gives the area a special identity. Several protected animal species have created habitats on site due to the dry and hot site conditions ideal for them; a mixture of patchy, low vegetation, sunny fringes and shrubs are found on site. Numerous insects such as the blue-winged grasshopper and the blue-winged sand cricket, as well as small vertebrates such as the sand lizard can be observed on the reserve - they are strictly protected (§7 (2) 14, BNatSchG).

In addition to this unique nature, this particular place is also characterized by the abandoned railway tracks with the signal box, the turntable and the signaling equipment.

Minimal intervention - monitoring and adventure trail
A particular challenge was the accessibility of the ecological reserve area: By means of elaborate monitoring and specially developed footbridges, it was possible to comply with nature conservation requirements and still provide barrier-free access for residents as a close-to-nature recreation area. The difference in elevation between residential buildings and the ecological reserve area was compensated through stairs and ramps. The adventure trail in the lower-lying track area is accessible via stairs on the west side and a barrier-free ramp on the east side. The elevated path leads past the historic railway turntable, which was once used to move wagons and locomotives. A grandstand has been built here so that the locomotive turntable can serve as an open-air theatre.

It has been possible to stage the peculiarity of the decay on the former railway site in such a way that one can recognize the unique beauty of the area; the opposition between the vegetation areas and the decaying tracks and turntable offer a very attractive contrast.

In the meantime, the area has developed into a highly attractive place also for the residents, especially for children and young people.