ABSTRACT
Urban gardens in the form of allotments and community gardens have a colourful and diverse history in Europe. History shows that there are many similarities as well as differences in the reasons for the formation of urban gardens. The social and economic consequences of the industrial revolution in the nineteenth century culminated in the First World, which led to the break-up of the German and Austro-Hungarian empires, the Russian Revolution and the rise of a set of new nation states from the ruins. Rebuilding cities also enabled fresh ideas on urban planning to be implemented, and slum clearances also took place. Urban allotment gardens that were considered a safe haven in difficult times during the two world wars gained a renewed recognition and people returned to them as a reliable way of producing food. Changes in urban demography, environmental and social movements as well as changes in people’s attitudes during recent decades have shaped the history of urban gardens.
