Marion Krause approaches the plants cautiously. She feels for the leaves and gently touches the flower. A spicy-sweet scent wafts up. “That’s the hedgehog carnation,” she says with a smile. Just a few steps further on, the scent of roses, flowering herbs, geraniums, and aromatic conifers fills the air. Even for sighted people, the Botanical Garden for the Visually Impaired in Radeberg, in the Bautzen district, is a natural wonder. But for people who are visually impaired or blind, it offers a rare opportunity to explore the plant world independently.
Of the 1,300 plant species on site, about 700 can be experienced by them through their scent. Across the 22,000 square meters, many ideas that Marion Krause—as a visually impaired person—has helped initiate in recent years have now been brought to life. The former physical therapist and herbal educator is chair of the garden’s support association, which is part of the Deaf-Blind Service of the Evangelical Church in Germany.
Deafblind people in particular, she says, often feel as if their bodies are “a kind of prison.” Quite a few struggle with depression and isolation. “Experiencing nature through the sense of smell and continuing to train this sense is a kind of refuge for them and can give them new courage to face life.”
