A bag of compost as a gift

By Kathrin Meckbach

"Organic farming and sustainable food production have been close to Charles' heart for a long time. He was already committed to this when organic products were nowhere near as established as they are today. Vogtmann is considered a pioneer in scientific research on organic agriculture at universities and headed the first department in Germany for "Methods of Alternative Agriculture" at the Gesamthochschule Kassel in Witzenhausen until 1994.

The ideas also penetrated as far as England and attracted the attention of Charles. Vogtmann became his advisor and convinced him to convert his Duchy Home Farm, part of his country estate "Highgrove", to organic farming. Their mutual interest and intense collaboration developed into a friendship that binds them to this day. "I got to know Charles as a very humorous and versatile person!" says Hardy Vogtmann. "Especially when it comes to environmental protection, he is not afraid to say critical things, even though he has to keep a low political profile as a member of the English royal family."

Vogtmann then also had the idea for a visit to Hesse. The informal occasion ultimately turned into an official state visit. After long planning, the Prince of Wales landed by helicopter in front of Wilhelmshöhe Palace in May 1997. After a greeting to the cheering crowd, the visit continued by limousine with bulletproof glass. The security measures were immense, even manhole covers had been welded shut. First, Charles visited the organic food stores "Schmanddibben" and "Alnatura" to find out about sales concepts and also tried one or the other product. Then, at Gut Kragenhof near Staufenberg, an extensive guided tour of the estates and a tasty lunch of farm products awaited His Royal Highness and the numerous companions.

Ulrike Möller-Merz, who has managed the estate with her family since 1983 according to the principles of organic farming, recounts: "Charles inquired at length about many details of our farm. He was particularly interested in our direct marketing." She has fond memories of the informal atmosphere: "It was a very warm meeting. Charles is an open, friendly person and his British humor is quite something." The afternoon then belonged entirely to Witzenhausen, where Hardy Vogtmann first offered a tour of the composting plant. This plant had been built in 1983 as part of a public-private partnership in cooperation between GhK and the Fehr company. "As a gift, we presented Charles with a bag of compost, which caused great amusement," recalls Hardy Vogtmann.

But this was not the only reason why the Prince of Wales remembered the tour; he was also impressed by the concept of the plant. Through his mediation, the Witzenhausen engineering group received the order to build several plants in England as well. At the end of the visit, Hardy Vogtmann invited the guests to his eco-house in Witzenhausen. Angelika Ploeger, Hardy Vogtmann's wife and later also a professor at the University of Kassel, recounts the extensive preparations: "Beforehand, a police squadron came with dogs to look for bombs. I said to my husband: we won't invite Prince Charles again!"

After refreshments with fruit juices (from regional organic cultivation, of course), there was a guided tour of the house, during which the guest was given a detailed explanation of how the composting toilet works in particular. With a lot of information and lasting impressions, the crown prince left North Hesse in the evening. As thanks for the guest friendship he invited all involved ones later to a return visit to England on its property "Highgrove".

This text appeared in the 1/2021 issue of the university magazine publik. You can find the digital edition here: https://www.uni-kassel.de/uni/aktuelles/presse-und-oeffentlichkeit

More about the history of the University of Kassel at https://50jahre-unikassel.de/