The East – Discover Where You Live: In the Realm of the Rose Queen. The Rosarium Sangerhausen

For over 100 years, the Rosarium in Sangerhausen has drawn visitors from all over the world to the southern Harz region. Little wonder, since it is home to the world’s largest rose collection. More than 8,700 species are preserved here. In total, over 100,000 roses grow across 13 hectares: climbing roses, tea roses, historic roses, fragrant roses, modern roses—award-winning varieties as well as difficult ones. “We’re not just a display garden; we’re also responsible for preserving the various rose varieties. And that means taking care of the ones that require a lot of attention and might not be the most beautiful roses in the world,” says Thomas Hawel, head of the Rosarium. He is also one of the few experts in Germany authorized to assess roses. The so-called ADR test—the “General German Rose Novelty Trial”—is the toughest rose trial in the world. It takes three years, and not every new cultivar passes. Hawel shows what such a trial looks like.

But the Rosarium is much more than just a beautiful rose park that fills with fragrance and hums with life in late spring and summer, as bees and bumblebees settle into the fragrant roses and, together with the colorful birdlife, create the acoustic backdrop for the queen of flowers. The Rosarium is also home to over 350 species of trees and shrubs, hundreds of herb varieties, and ornamental plants, all arranged by Kevin Mölzner, who began at the Rosarium as an apprentice 15 years ago. Now 33, he is head gardener and brings the Rosarium to life every morning at precisely 6 a.m. The park’s history is just as colorful as its rose beds. Hella Brumme, the former head of the Rosarium and one of the world’s foremost rose experts, tells of hidden empresses and prestige roses sent to Moscow.

The film takes a look behind the scenes at the Rosarium, which is transformed anew into a blooming landscape each day by many helping hands. It tells the personal stories of people connected to the rose garden in their own unique ways, and of passionate collectors like Eilicke Vemmer, who knows more about the 5,000-year history of the rose than many experts. And, of course, it also shows the most beautiful roses in the world.