Susanne and Michael's little oasis is located in Hamburg's Wandsbek district and is probably also Hamburg's greenest house: an all-round green semi-detached house from 1893 full of plants and life. It is important to the two homeowners to do something for the climate in the city. That's why the Heinrichowski family has trees in the courtyard, grass, flowering plants and wild bees on the roofs and climbing plants on the façade. This green oasis creates its own microclimate and ensures a pleasant coolness in summer - even in the neighborhood.
It wasn't always like this, as Susanne remembers being horrified when she first viewed the house. At the time, the house still consisted of three tiny apartments and was tiled on the outside in the style of the 60s and 70s and furnished in beige and brown tones on the inside.
The little house with courtyard and hall was built in 1893 as a settlement house belonging to the Rantzau estate in Schleswig-Holstein. At the time, it served as a home for single widows. Over the last 130 years, much has been rebuilt, renovated, renewed and added. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Heinrichowski family, who have transformed it into a green oasis in the middle of Hamburg Wandsbek.
As the family of five simply no longer had enough space in their old home, they needed a larger house. With its nine small rooms, two bathrooms and a large, newly fitted kitchen, this little house was therefore ideal. Susanne and Michael's three sons were already teenagers and were therefore able to lend a hand when they moved in and renovated. After just a few months, the family had the house ready for them to move in.
From the very beginning, the entire family wanted to live as ecologically, self-sufficiently and environmentally friendly as possible. For the Heinrichowskis, green is not just a color, but a way of life. And so, over the years, all four roofs and a gable wall have been greened, trees planted, insect-friendly flowers sown, insect hotels and birdhouses hung up and solar and photovoltaic systems installed. Tomatoes and berries also grow on the green roof and pears, quinces, chestnuts and cherries in the garden. Rather unusual for a house in a city like Hamburg. The green oasis has also had a cistern for four years. The rainwater drained from the roofs is stored in it and then used to water the many plants.
Michael built a lot of things in and around the house himself. The trained IT specialist used an area of the house as an office right from the start and was therefore often on site when something needed to be done. Susanne worked as a doctor in the hospital in shifts and was therefore happy that Michael could take care of everything. They are now both retired, but not really “retired”, as there is little time for rest with such a property and so much greenery. Michael builds and cooks and Susanne looks after the yard and the plants.
The color green and a cozy atmosphere are also important to the Heinrichowskis in their home. There are plants in every room, climbing up the windows and walls. Each room is adorned with a different wallpaper and the walls are hung with pictures brought back from travels or painted by one of their sons. As there are now only two of them living in the house, many of the rooms previously used by their sons have been converted. They now have a music room, a craft room, a sports room and a small guest room for visitors.
In addition to working on the house, Michael's main hobby is collecting flags. For many years, he has been taking flags with him on vacation or receiving them as gifts on various occasions. Over time, this has resulted in a considerable collection from all over the world. He flies one of them every morning: on Sundays he likes to fly the Hamburg flag and on other occasions or anniversaries. He strictly adheres to the official German flag regulations.
0:00 Hamburg's greenest house
1:33 Hallway and living room
2:22 Music room
3:21 The green courtyard
7:41 Workshop and garage
8:23 Winter garden
9:57 Kitchen
10:19 First floor
11:33 The green roof
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