Translated the article from german
Eden Gemeinnützige Obstbau-Siedlung is a cooperative in Oranienburg north of Berlin. It was founded in 1893 as the first vegetarian intentional community in Germany.
History.
The founding document of Eden was signed on May 28 1893 by 18 Lebensreformers with commercial leadership from Bruno Wilhelmi at the "Ceres" Inn in Berlin. The cooperative was inspired by Gustav Struve and Eduard Baltzer. It can be seen in the context of rapid population growth, urbanization and subsequent land reform in Germany in the late 19th century. At the time, hundreds of ideologically motivated settlements were created, sometimes with cooperative funding and other times through government programmes.
In its first incarnation, the project covered 40 ha with 80 gardens which were lent out to settlers. Until 1900 the settlement counted 15,000 fruit trees, 50,000 berry bushes, 3,000 hazelnut bushes, 200,000 strawberry plants and 20,000 rhubarb forbs. The settlement also included a school, hospitality businesses, a copy shop and collective fruit processing. Gustav Lilienthal became a prominent inventor of buildings in Eden. Products such as organic produce, marmelade and meat-alternatives were distributed through Reformhauses.
After financial difficulties in 1895, Wilhelmi abdicated as commercial leader. He would later go on to found another similar settlement Schönblick (Woltersdorf). Under its new leader Hermann Krecke the focus shiftet from organic agriculture to social reform. Non-vegetarians were allowed to participte in the Settlement. Eden attracted further subgroups of the Lebensreform movement, such as Pedestrianism, Victorian dress reform and drug prohibition focused on alcohol and tobacco. Further financial and ideological support was offered from the sociologist Franz Oppenheimer who also supervised the settlement "Bärenklau" near Velten. Amongst Edens chairmen was the Lebensreformer Paul Schirrmeister. Freiwirtschaftler Silvio Gesell also lived in Eden temporarily.
After WWI, the settlement also attracted and supported völkisch and anti-semitic ideologies. Since 1916 only Germans of aryan ethnicity were allowed to settle in Eden. This policy enabled Eden to continue business unchanged throughout the Nazi-Regime. In 1938 there were 1300 people living in Eden, 395 of which were settlers.
Eden was also able to continue its cooperative in East Germany. Produce was sold to West-Germans under the brand name "Eden" through a daughter compeny "Eden-Waren" in Bad Soden am Taunus. The revenue from these products contributed significantly to Edens economic survival. However, the business was collectivised by the state in 1972.
The brand name was sold after the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990. It belonged to Novartis until 1999, Deutscher Verein für Gesundheitspflege until 2014 and is currently owned by Hügli Holding.
Name.
The name of the settlement was likely chosen in reference to the Garden of Eden. Eden was founded on May 28 1893 under the name "Vegetarische Obstbau-Kolonie Eden e.G.m.b.H.". After 1920 it became known as "Obstbau-Siedelung Eden e.G.m.b.H.". Since German reunification in 1990 it is called the "Eden Gemeinnützige Obstbau-Siedlung eG".
References.
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