BERLIN (AP) – In a remote location next to former gasworks outside of Berlin, Martin Rotzel is breathing new life into the monastery gardens, a tradition of past for centuries.
The monk garden in Rotzel is home to many herbs, leaves and trees that are unlikely to be found in German supermarkets. There are many varieties of mint, oregano and coriander, hyssop and New Zealand spinach, four-leaf sorrol, yarrow and local tarragon.
Rötzel has been building Monk Garden as a business since 2022, serving fine dining restaurants that want flavorful local plants for their cuisine. They also host “Wild Herb Walks” and workshops to show people how to make skin creams, wine and other items from plants.
Each plant has its own unique flavor and tang, often with medicinal properties, as it is packed into approximately 2,000 square meters (21,530 square feet) in Marienfelde, in Marienfelde, on the southern tip of Berlin.
Visitors will be taking part in a co-meal meal at Martin Roetzel’s “The Monk Garden” in Berlin, Germany on Sunday, August 17, 2025 (AP Photo/Fanny Brodersen)
Rötzel, a trained hotelier who also worked as a dancer, says his knowledge of plants comes from his father, and his passion for them returns to four or five years old when he begins to collect wild herbs.
During an illness 13 years ago, he developed knowledge of herbs and made tea, which he said helped him regain his health. He also established a medicinal monastery next to a church in the German capital, providing plants for food and healing, reflecting those grown in the Middle Ages.
“At some point, knowledge was lost,” worsened by “food industrialization.” Recently, “99% of people don’t know a single name for a plant.”
Since opening Monk Garden, Letzel has used the garden to counter its losses. In addition to supplying restaurants, there is also occasional dinner in the garden, gathering people at a table in the middle of the herbs. Each of the five courses comes with a different herbal tea.
Crayfish dishes are being prepared on Sunday, August 17th, 2025 at Martin Roetzel’s “The Monk Garden” in Berlin, Germany (AP Photo/Fanny Brodersen)
After the first course of crayfish and peas with basil, Diner Britta Rosenthal said he wanted to find out “what the herbs can do” and “probably to be a little more courageous food to prepare food not only with pepper, salt and paprika, but also with fresh greens.”
Letzel said he enjoys reviving memories of people with past flavors.
“More than anything, many people grew up still knowing things that don’t exist today,” he said. “It’s a joy for me to remember people really special.”
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Geir Moulson of Berlin contributed to this report.
