die  Bewirtschaftung

C1

Estimated CEFR level.

/bəˈvɪʁtʃaftʊŋ/

📖 What exactly is Bewirtschaftung?

The German word Bewirtschaftung (feminine, article: die) describes the process of using, managing, and maintaining resources, land, buildings, or businesses with the aim of generating yield or fulfilling a specific purpose. It signifies an active process of management.

Depending on the context, it can refer to:

• Agriculture and Forestry: Cultivating fields, managing forests (e.g., die Bewirtschaftung von Ackerland - the cultivation of farmland).
• Gastronomy/Hospitality: Running a restaurant, canteen, or hotel (e.g., die Bewirtschaftung einer Gaststätte - running a pub/restaurant).
• Real Estate: Managing and maintaining buildings or properties (e.g., die Bewirtschaftung von Mietshäusern - the management of apartment buildings).
• Resource Management: The controlled use of resources like water (e.g., die Bewirtschaftung von Wasserreserven - the management of water reserves).

It is a noun derived from the verb bewirtschaften (to manage, cultivate, run).

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar Spotlight: Die Bewirtschaftung

The word 'Bewirtschaftung' is a feminine noun. The article is always die. Like most feminine nouns ending in -ung, the plural stem remains the same, and the ending -en is added. This is a very common pattern in German!

Declension

Example Sentences (Examples of use)

1. Die Bewirtschaftung des Hofes erfordert viel Arbeit.
   (Managing the farm requires a lot of work.)
2. Die Gemeinde übernimmt die Bewirtschaftung des Parkplatzes.
   (The municipality takes over the management of the parking lot.)
3. Nachhaltige Bewirtschaftung der Wälder ist essenziell für den Umweltschutz.
   (Sustainable forest management is essential for environmental protection.)
4. Die Bewirtschaftung der Kantine wurde an einen externen Dienstleister vergeben.
   (The catering/operation of the canteen was outsourced to an external service provider.)

💡 How 'Bewirtschaftung' is Used

'Bewirtschaftung' is used whenever active management and utilization are involved, often with an economic or maintenance aspect.

• Contexts: Agriculture (landwirtschaftliche Bewirtschaftung), forestry (forstliche Bewirtschaftung), hospitality/catering (Bewirtschaftung einer Kantine), property management (Bewirtschaftung von Immobilien), resource management (Bewirtschaftung von Wasserressourcen).
• Distinction: While Verwaltung (administration) often sounds more neutral or bureaucratic (e.g., managing files), Bewirtschaftung implies a more active engagement, often aimed at yield or preservation. Management is a more modern term, often used in a business context, but can be largely synonymous.
• Combinations: Often found in compound words like Almbewirtschaftung (alpine pasture management), Zwangsbowirtschaftung (compulsory management/rationing) or Dauerbewirtschaftung (continuous management).

⚠️ Attention: 'Bewirtschaftung' refers to the process of managing/cultivating, not the place (like 'die Wirtschaft' meaning a pub or the economy).

🧠 Mnemonics and Memory Aids

Article Mnemonic: Words ending in -ung in German are almost always feminine. Think of die Verwaltung (administration), die Leistung (performance), die Hoffnung (hope) – and also die Bewirtschaftung. So, it's always die Bewirtschaftung.

Meaning Mnemonic: Imagine you are a Wirt (innkeeper, part of Bewirtschaftung) and you have to actively manage ('be-') your pub (a Wirtschaft) or your field. That activity is the Be-wirtschaft-ung – the active caring for and using.

↔️ Synonyms and Antonyms

Similar but potentially confusing words:

• Wirtschaft (die): Can mean a pub/inn, the economy, or a field of study, but not directly the process of management/cultivation.
• Haushalt (der): Refers to budget management (private or public) or a household.

😄 A Little Joke

Fragt der Städter den Bauern: "Sagen Sie mal, lohnt sich die Bewirtschaftung dieses kleinen Ackers überhaupt?"
Antwortet der Bauer: "Aber sicher! Ich bekomme zwar kein Geld dafür, aber dafür gehört mir die ganze Arbeit allein!"

(City dweller asks the farmer: "Tell me, is the cultivation/management of this small field even worth it?"
Farmer replies: "Absolutely! I don't get any money for it, but in return, all the work belongs to me alone!")

📜 Poem about Bewirtschaftung

Felder bestellen, den Wald gut hegen,
Ein Gasthaus führen bei Sonne und Regen.
Gebäude verwalten mit Plan und Bedacht,
Das alles wird Bewirtschaftung genannt.

Vom Acker die Frucht, vom Wirtshaus der Wein,
Sie braucht Management, fein und klein.
Damit alles läuft und Erträge bringt,
Die Bewirtschaftung, wie sie gelingt!

(Cultivating fields, tending the forest well,
Running an inn through sun and rain's spell.
Managing buildings with plan and care,
All this is called Bewirtschaftung, everywhere.

From the field the fruit, from the tavern the wine,
It needs management, both grand and fine.
So that everything runs and yields accrue,
Die Bewirtschaftung, successfully through!)

❓ Riddle Time

Ich bin die Kunst, Land nutzbar zu machen,
den Wirt zu spielen, über Kosten zu wachen.
Ich sorge für Ordnung in Haus und im Feld,
bin Management, das die Ressourcen erhält.

Was bin ich?

(I am the art of making land usable,
playing the host, watching costs, never fusible.
I ensure order in house and in field,
am management, that makes resources yield.

What am I?)

Solution: die Bewirtschaftung

🧩 Other Details

Word Composition:

• be-: Prefix often indicating an action performed on an object (e.g., bearbeiten - to work on something, benutzen - to use something).
• Wirtschaft: Core of the word, relating to economy, inn/pub, or managing/acting.
• -ung: Suffix used to form nouns from verbs, usually denoting a process or result, almost always feminine.

The word is directly derived from the verb bewirtschaften (to manage, cultivate, cater, run).