name in my childhood of Lennestrasse, which it owed to Lenne, the park
superintendent, a man of great talent, but who lives in my memory only as
a particularly jovial old gentleman. He occupied No. 1, and was one of my
mother's friends. Next to Prince Packler, he may certainly be regarded as
one of the most inventive and tasteful landscape gardeners of his time.
He transformed the gardens of Sans-Souci and the Pfaueninsel at Potsdam,
and laid out the magnificent park on Babelsberg for Emperor William I,
when he was only "Prince of Prussia." The magnificent Zoological Garden
in Berlin is also his work; but he prided himself most on rendering the
Thiergarten a "lung" for the people, and, spite of many obstacles,
materially enlarging it. Every moment of the tireless man's time was
claimed, and besides King Frederick William IV, who himself uttered many
a tolerably good joke, found much pleasure in the society of the gay,
clever Rhinelander, whom he often summoned to dine with him at Potsdam.
Lenne undoubtedly appreciated this honour, yet I remember the doleful
tone in which he sometimes greeted my mother with, "Called to court
again!"

Like every one who loves Nature and flowers, he was fond of children. We
called him "Uncle Lenne," and often walked down our street hand in hand
with him.

It is well known that the part of the city on the other side of the
Potsdam Gate was called the "Geheimerath-Quarter." Our street, it is
true, lay nearer to the Brandenburg Gate, yet it really belonged to that
section; for there was not a single house without at least one
Geheimerath (Privy Councillor).

Yet this superabundance of men in "secret" positions lent no touch of
mystery to our cheerful street, shaded by the green of the forest.