Claes Oldenburg’s “Gartenschlauch” (Garden Hose) is a large-scale public sculpture created in 1983 by the Swedish-American Pop Art artist Claes Oldenburg (1929–2022) in collaboration with his wife, the Dutch artist Coosje van Bruggen (1942–2009). It stands in Eschholzpark (also called Stühlinger Park) in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
The sculpture is an oversized, bright red garden hose with a matching faucet (tap). It features a hose, approximately 84–125 meters (about 276–410 feet) long and 0.5 meters (20 inches) in diameter; and a faucet, roughly 10–11 meters (35 feet) high. Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen's Gartenschlauch is made of of steel painted with polyurethane enamel, fabricated in sections at Mannesmannröhren-Werke AG in Mülheim (Ruhr area). Engineers developed a special bending process to curve the 30 hose sections in two directions simultaneously.
The piece loops dramatically across the park, with the giant faucet standing prominently. It is a classic example of Oldenburg and van Bruggen’s style: monumental, playful enlargements of everyday objects that transform public spaces.
The site of Eschholzpark was formerly an allotment garden (Schrebergarten) area that was cleared for a vocational school center and the new park. The sculpture commemorates this history — the garden hose symbolizes a key tool from the vanished gardens. Oldenburg and van Bruggen’s design won Freiburg’s 1980 art competition.
The artwork was installed in April 1983 and inaugurated on May 2, 1983, as “Kunst am Bau” (art in architecture) for the school center. Costs were around 400,000 German marks. This was one of their early joint large-scale projects. Oldenburg was known for Pop Art works that brought ordinary items into public view, making art accessible and site-specific.
The sculpture serves as a playful landmark, popular with children (who climb on parts of it) and visitors. The surrounding park offers lawns, playgrounds, sports facilities, and a stream. Over the years it has faced graffiti and paint wear, leading to occasional maintenance discussions, but it remains a beloved local icon and one of Freiburg’s most significant public artworks. It is part of Oldenburg and van Bruggen’s global series of oversized everyday objects, similar to their giant clothespin, baseball bat, or ice cream cone sculptures.
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen: Gartenschlauch (Garden Hose). Eschholzpark, Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany), July 18, 2026.
