Landesverband Bayerischer Kleingärtner

The Landesverband Bayerischer Kleingärtner e.V. (LBK) is the umbrella organisation of Bavarian allotment garden associations and clubs. Headquartered in Munich, it is a member of the Bundesverband Deutscher Gartenfreunde e.V. (the federal association of German garden friends). The LBK represents roughly 48,300 members organised in 179 associations and clubs, and its member gardeners cultivate approximately 20 million square metres (2,000 hectares) of land across Bavaria. Allotment garden sites exist in nearly every larger Bavarian city and municipality. The association's purpose is to promote allotment gardening in Bavaria. It seeks to unite all allotment gardeners in Bavaria into non-profit, legally capable associations. The LBK is neither politically nor denominationally bound. Its tasks include promoting the creation and preservation of public green spaces, stimulating public and especially youth interest in allotment gardening, and carrying out measures that ensure public green spaces and allotment gardens serve the common good. It also provides advice and legal protection for the creation of new permanent allotment sites and for preventing the dissolution of existing ones, advises member associations to pursue exclusively non-profit goals, and arranges insurance coverage. The LBK advises its member associations on technical, legal and association matters, as well as on planning new sites, extensions and biotopes. It has developed binding guidelines for the evaluation of gardens. Liability insurance is included in the annual membership fee, and members can obtain favourable terms for other insurance policies. The LBK publishes the specialist magazine Kleingartenmagazin, in which the association section offers member clubs the opportunity to announce news and dates. It offers training on all important allotment topics as well as brochures, leaflets and slide series. Its district meetings serve as a forum for current presentations and information exchange. As the representative of Bavarian allotment garden clubs, the LBK engages in lobbying and offers a solidarity community. The LBK emphasises the great importance of allotment gardens for the state and municipalities. Socially, it highlights their value for lower-income groups as a source of self-harvested fruit and vegetables, as compensation for deficits in housing and working life, and as a promoter of communication and community between old and young. In socio-pedagogical terms, it sees allotment gardens as sheltered play opportunities for children and as a way to learn with nature. Medically and health-politically, it cites exercise and physical balance outdoors, the supply of fresh untreated fruit and vegetables, and indirect effects such as the prevention of psychosomatic illnesses through compensation and relaxation. Ecologically and in terms of urban hygiene, it stresses the climate function of allotment gardens regarding temperature balance and air exchange, their importance for immission protection by absorbing pollutants and noise, their role in the water balance, the safeguarding of valuable soil resources, nature and landscape protection, and their function as habitats for plants and animals. Economically, it argues that allotment gardens enable savings in the health system, higher labour productivity, and savings compared with publicly maintained green spaces through the gardeners' own work, as well as providing valuable soil reserves in times of crisis. The LBK's highest body is the Verbandstag, a delegates' assembly held every four years under the German Civil Code. The board, consisting of the chairperson and eight further members, is elected by the Verbandstag for a four-year term. At the 24th Verbandstag in Fürth on 15 November 2025, delegates elected the board and association committee for the period 2025–2029. The association also maintains a current construction cost index (45.

The history of the Landesverband Bayerischer Kleingärtner (LBK) begins in the aftermath of the First World War. In 1918–1919, allotment gardeners in Augsburg joined the Zentralverband Deutscher Arbeiter- und Schrebergärten, which had been founded in 1909, and founded the Landesverband Bayerischer Kleingärtner. The chairman of this state association asked the other Bavarian cities to join the central association. However, due to the turbulent times, a possibility of unification was not given. It was only with the unification of the Augsburg, Munich and Nuremberg allotment gardeners on 4 September 1921 in Nuremberg that the rise of the Landesverband Bayerischer Kleingärtner began. By 1931, the LBK had 17,270 members. The membership increased to 57,000 by 1950 and then fell to 34,000 by 1967. Today, the nearly 180 member associations organised in the LBK represent around 48,000 families. The LBK has its seat in Munich and is a member of the Bundesverband Deutscher Gartenfreunde e.V. (federal association of German garden friends). Over the decades, the LBK has developed into a comprehensive service organisation for its member clubs. It advises on technical, legal and association matters, plans new sites, extensions and biotopes, and has developed binding guidelines for the evaluation of gardens. It provides legal protection for the creation of new permanent allotment sites and for preventing the dissolution of existing ones. Liability insurance is included in the annual membership fee, and members can obtain favourable terms for other insurance policies. The LBK publishes the specialist magazine Kleingartenmagazin, organises training on all important allotment topics, and holds district meetings as forums for current presentations and information exchange. As the representative of Bavarian allotment garden clubs, it engages in lobbying and offers a solidarity community. The LBK's highest body is the Verbandstag, a delegates' assembly held every four years under the German Civil Code. The board, consisting of the chairperson and eight further members, is elected by the Verbandstag for a four-year term. At the 24th Verbandstag in Fürth on 15 November 2025, delegates elected the board and association committee for the period 2025–2029. The association also maintains a current construction cost index (45.833 as of 1 April 2026) and offers a nature garden certification programme. It continues to emphasise the social, socio-pedagogical, medical, ecological and economic importance of allotment gardens for the state and municipalities.

• 2025

  24th Verbandstag in Fürth on 15 November elects board and association committee for 2025–2029.

• 1967

  Membership falls to 34,000.

• 1950

  Membership increases to 57,000.

• 1931

  LBK has 17,270 members.

• 1921

  Unification of Augsburg, Munich and Nuremberg allotment gardeners on 4 September in Nuremberg marks the beginning of the LBK's rise.

• 1919

  Augsburg allotment gardeners join the Zentralverband Deutscher Arbeiter- und Schrebergärten and found the Landesverband Bayerischer Kleingärtner.

Non-profit umbrella association and lobbying body for Bavarian allotment gardeners, providing legal, technical and insurance services to member clubs.

• Kleingartenmagazin

  Specialist magazine published by the LBK, with an association section for member clubs to announce news and dates.

• Liability insurance

  Included in the annual membership fee; members can obtain favourable terms for other insurance policies.

• Legal protection

  Advice and legal protection for the creation of new permanent allotment sites and for preventing the dissolution of existing ones.

• Training and seminars

  Training on all important allotment topics, as well as brochures, leaflets and slide series.

• Nature garden certification

  Certification programme for nature-oriented gardening.

1. 1Landesverband Bayerischer Kleingärtner e.V. – Official Websitel-b-k.de
2. 2Landesverband Bayerischer Kleingärtner – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
3. 3Landesverband Bayerischer Kleingärtner – Wikidatawikidata.org