Meet the German Man Who Made  Bengaluru the  Garden City of India

14 May 2025

Note: All images generated using AI

Did you know it was an unsung German hero whose efforts gave Bengaluru the nickname of 'Garden City of India'?

Trained in the royal gardens of Germany and England, Krumbiegel was persuaded by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, the ruler of Baroda, to come to India for a journey of a lifetime.

Taking charge of Baroda's botanical garden in 1893, he brought with him the eye of an artist and the mind of a planner. He went on to design his way from North India to South India.

In 1907, he was noticed and handpicked by the Maharaja of Mysore to curate and maintain public gardens such as Bangalore’s Lalbagh, Cubbon Park, and the royal estates in Mysore and Ooty.

Krumbiegel’s vision for Bengaluru? Not just creating landscaped gardens, but a living ecosystem that would shape how the city breathes, blooms, and grows.

He filled Bengaluru with flowering trees that bloomed across seasons. Who doesn’t smile when the tabebuira, the jacaranda, the gulmohar bloom in bursts of colours?

He landscaped its parks and lined its avenues. Every corner was touched by colour and calm. A garden in every street, and soon, a garden in the city’s name.

His genius reached far beyond Lal Bagh, to the grounds of Bangalore Palace, the symmetry of Brindavan Gardens in Mysuru, and the design of urban parks that survive even today.

Even during World War II, when he was interned for being German, he never stopped dreaming of gardens. Later, he would help landscape Raj Ghat, where Mahatma Gandhi was laid to rest.

Today, while Bengaluru continues to evolve, the legacy of Gustav Krumbiegel endures in its green spaces, tree-lined avenues, and the very essence of its identity as the 'Garden City of India'.