Garden Tourism Definitions, Concepts and Examples. Cultural (garden) heritage as a focal point for sustainable tourism

Garden Tourism Definitions, Concepts and Examples www.culttour.eu Cultural (garden) heritage as a focal point for sustainable tourism Imprint IMC...
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Garden Tourism Definitions, Concepts and Examples

www.culttour.eu

Cultural (garden) heritage as a focal point for sustainable tourism

Imprint

IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems 3500 Krems, Austria Tel: + 43 2732 802 0 | Fax: + 43 2732 802 4 [email protected] www.fh-krems.ac.at In cooperation with University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Institute of Landscape Architecture – ILA 1190 Vienna, Austria Tel.: +43 1 47654 0 | Fax: +43 1 47654 7229 [email protected] www.boku.ac.at Technical University Berlin Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Chair of Vegetation Technology and Planting Design 14195 Berlin, Germany Tel.: +49 30 314-71275 | Fax: +49 30 314-71226 [email protected] www.tu-berlin.de

Photo Credits: Baumgartner Christian (1) Centro di Ateneo Orto Botanico (1) Fotowerk / fotolia.com (1) Gaudry Daniel (1) Hlavac Christian (49) Hlavac Josef (2) Jacobs Pixie (2) Jarvis Dennis (1) Matouschek Hilde (15) Rosborn Sven (1) Schwaba Manfred (4) Seliger Anja (2) Graphic Design: Hilde Matouschek | officina October 2012

Content 1. Foreword ............................................................................................................................................ 4 2. The CultTour Project ........................................................................................................................ 5 3. Definitions: Garden & Park ............................................................................................................ 6 4. The Concept of Garden Tourism ................................................................................................... 7 5. Synergies between Garden Tourism and Regional Development ....................................... 8 6. Historic Garden Conservation .................................................................................................... 10 7. Great Variety of Gardens and Open Spaces ........................................................................... 11 8. Examples of Gardens and Open Spaces .................................................................................. 12 8.1.

The Botanical Garden of Padova (Italy) .................................................................... 14

8.2.

The Visitor Garden of ARCHE NOAH in Schiltern (Austria) ................................... 15

8.3.

Summer Residence Samuel von Brukenthal (Romania; CultTour Pilot Site) .... 17

8.4.

The Park and the Gardens of Versailles (France) .................................................... 18

8.5.

National Independence Park Alexandroupolis (Greece; CultTour Pilot Site) .... 20

8.6.

Rosenborg Castle Garden (Denmark) ........................................................................ 21

8.7.

Monastery Park Melk (Austria) ................................................................................... 23

8.8.

The Gardens of Peripato in Taranto (Italy; CultTour Pilot Site) ........................... 24

8.9.

Stourhead Landscape Garden (England) .................................................................. 26

8.10. The Gardens in Wörlitz (Germany) ............................................................................. 27 8.11. Royal Palace and Park Caserta (Italy) ........................................................................ 29 8.12. Nymphenburg Palace Park (Germany) ...................................................................... 30 8.13. Veliko Tarnovo – Boruna Area (Bulgaria; CultTour Pilot Site) .............................. 32 8.14. Park Güell by Antoni Gaudí (Spain) ............................................................................ 33

“Fathers, rouse the Park-Mania in your children!” PRINCE CHARLES-JOSEPH DE LIGNE (1735–1814) GARDEN OWNER UND WRITER

A “ rt is the right hand of nature” FIESKO, COUNT OF LAVAGNA IN “FIESCO, OR THE GENOESE CONSPIRACY” BY JOHANN CHRISTOPH FRIEDRICH VON SCHILLER (1759–1805)

“Fools hurry, the clever wait, the wise enter through the garden gate” RABINDRANATH TAGORE (1861–1941), WRITER AND PAINTER BENGALI NOBEL PRIZE WINNER OF LITERATURE

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This brochure has been created as part of the European INTERREG CultTour project. The aim of the brochure is to show a variety of different garden- and open space heritage sites across Europe and to explain the general concept of garden tourism.

The CultTour Project CultTour is an INTERREG IVB Project, funded by the EU within the framework of the ETC (European Territorial Co-operation), the South East Europe Programme (SEE) and cofunded by ERDF (European Regional Development Fund). The project implementation period is from January 2011 to December 2013. The Romanian Municipality Avrig is the leading partner of this project. The aims of CultTour include implementing strategies to preserve and create cultural garden value and open space heritage sites by providing a contemporary use in tourism and at the same time conserving the “genius loci” of them. The project is based on the opportunity for the need of professional tourism offers and well-educated staff according to international standards, constantly growing in South East Europe. Therefore CultTour also aims to address this need by creating scenarios and strategies for well-adapted tourism development, based on the principles of sustainability and regional economy. To identify regional needs, pilot sites in four countries have been chosen. These include Bulgaria (Veliko Tarnovo – Boruna Area), Greece (National Independence Park Alexandroupolis), Italy (The Gardens of Peripato in Taranto) and Romania (Summer Residence Samuel von Brukenthal). The involved municipalities will analyse the regional activities, infrastructure and environmental planning as well as public participation. Feasibility studies and model re-utilisation concepts for pilot sites constitute a core activity as a basis for stable and long-term income from tourism. In addition, sectorspecific modules for gardeners, constructors, craftsmen and tourism staff will be offered by three of the partners in the form of a post-graduate programme including an online university course for landscape architects. To root the project in the regions, workshops on conservatory aspects and concrete regional tourism aspects will be held. 5

Definitions: Garden & Park

The 

term garden probably ­derives from the Gothic word garde, garda (“Gerten”) and originally described a piece of cultivated land, which was enclosed by fences of switch thus being separated from the surrounding wilderness. The term park derives from the Latin word parricus and means an enclosed space or enclosure. The word was already used in the Middle Ages as a parc in the sense of an animal enclosure fence und can be found in many languages (German: parc, Italian: parco, Spanish: parque, French: parc, English: park). Today we define a park as a large-scale, partly wooded and enclosed green area. Gardens and parks

Gardens and parks change with the seasons and the different seasons give people a sense of time. 

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are two of the manifold categories of garden and open space cultural heritage sites of Europe (cf. also p. 9). What makes gardens and parks special in the European context is that they are man-made and consist of structural and organic elements. The vegetation (trees, shrubs, hedges, flowers and lawns) and artistically designed smaller structures (fountains, statues, pavilions, bridges etc.) are part of the cultural-natural landscapes. Gardens and parks change with the seasons and the different seasons give people a sense of time: falling leaves, rise of buds, blooming, withering and wilting are continuous occurrences in our everyday life no matter where we live. In times of artificial “adventure parks” and general rush gardens, parks form places of rest and refuges for many people.

The Concept of Garden Tourism

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ccording to a definition of tourism by Claude Kaspar from 1986 “Tourism is the totality of relationships and phenomena arising from the journey to and the stay of persons in a place which is not the principal or permanent residence or domicile”. Thus, garden tourism can be specified as a form of tourism, whose geographical / thematic destinations are gardens or parks in their various forms. Gardens and parks are an important part of destinations´ attractions and help attract visitors.

Tourists visit gardens and parks for a variety of reasons, some reasons may include recreation, education, attending festivals, or a combination of these.

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Synergies between Garden Tourism and Regional Development

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garden or park is not an isolated location but has manifold relationships with its surroundings. Its touristic use can create benefits for the local population, contribute to a cultural identity and be a part of sustainable regional development. Wise garden and tourism developers can create high acceptance and identification within the locals by use of synergies. Probably all inhabitants have different pictures and stories in mind when thinking about parks or gardens. Children may consider a garden as a place for playing hide-andseek while others might have relatives who worked for the former royal owners of the place. The difficulties include using all those pictures to raise awareness of the cultural significance of the site, and create new activities and businesses at the same time.

Tourism development authorities should take all those connections and experiences into consideration when offering coherent products. A visit to an authentic garden or park creates a demand for authentic accommodation, offering local cuisine and local pride of the site. Riding a rented bicycle could lead you to storytelling sites in the nearby surroundings. Well trained local guides can combine the historical development of the site with interesting details from nature. The goal is for tourists to find enough things to do, in order to expand their stay for an additional one or two nights – and leave more money in the region than planned. At the end of the process the whole region receives a clear USP (Unique Selling Proposition) that is directly connected with the garden site and can be used for marketing purposes as well.

A visit to an authentic garden or park creates a demand for authentic accommodation, offering local cuisine and local pride of the site. 

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The planning of the touristic use of a garden should therefore take the following principles into account: • Creating synergies with existing local businesses – e. g. gastronomy, souvenir shops etc. • Creating new income opportunities for locals, related to the garden – e. g. local products from garden such as fruits and herbs. • Creating events that connect the history and culture of the region with the garden site – festivals, exhibitions, workshops etc. that take place inside the garden and in its surroundings. • Informing the local population on the cultural heritage value of the site through information brochures, information panels and guided tours. • Informing and training the local accommodation owners in cultural interpretation. • Bringing schools to the garden – cooperation with teachers could include art days, riddle tours, history lessons etc.

• Promoting cooperation with other local and regional sights – e. g. by common brochures, signage, combined entrance-tickets, etc. • Letting the local population participate in the planning and implementation process and integrating opportunities for their use for leisure purposes. • Enforcing the use of bikes and public transport to reach, and get around within the site. • Being creative! • Contribute (or enhance) cultural understanding through time.

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Historic Garden Conservation

H

istoric garden conservation refers to the intellectual, technical, manual and artistic activities, which are necessary for the preservation of cultural monuments in the field of garden design / art, i. e. garden and open space heritage sites. Depending on the situation in the grounds the following activities are included to maintain the sites.

• Maintenance: The continuous maintenance of all components of a garden, living vegetation elements as well as static architectural elements (e. g. pruning). • Preservation: The effort to preserve the plan, topography, vegetation, equipment and environment of a garden or park or other open space heritage site in its original version.

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• Restoration: Rehabilitation of garden areas according to the principles laid down in the ICOMOS Venice Charter, which are overgrown, after the dying off of vegetation, prolonged neglect or inappropriate use. The genius of the original design should be preserved. It is exciting to make former changes of stiles and periods in the garden visible through exposing different design layers. This includes the contemporary layer of today. The damage caused by missing maintenance can be eliminated through intensive clearing.

Great Variety of Gardens and Open Spaces

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here  is a multitude of gardens and open spaces in Europe. We can distinguish between the following categories*): 1 Park, Garden Park Palace and castle garden Villa and country house garden Residential garden Private garden Rooftop garden Institutional garden Forest park 2 Other Public Site Square or promenade Memorial Sports ground Transport and infrastructural open space or route 3 Productive Garden Peasant or farmer garden Allotment garden 4 Site for Exhibition and Collection Botanical garden Zoological garden Museum garden (includes open air museums) Artist garden Flower garden Flower show Archaeological park Dendrological park Thematic garden (e. g. Japanese garden, rockery, rosary, flower garden, tree collection (arboretum))

5 Spiritual Site Monastery courtyard Mosque courtyard Synagogue courtyard Temple garden Churchyard (cemetery) Other spiritual place 6 Cultural Landscape • landscape designed and created intentionally by man (garden and parkland landscapes constructed for aesthetic reasons) • organically evolved, relict landscape (e. g. strip mining reclamation area, industrial heritage landscape, relict traditional landscape) • organically evolved, continuing landscape (landscape which retains an active social role in contemporary society closely associated with the traditional way of life, and in which the evolutionary process is still in progress. At the same time, it exhibits significant material evidence of its evolution over time (e. g. monastic landscapes, continuing traditional landscape) • associative cultural landscape(e. g. holy mountains)

*) Krippner, Brüning, Jacobs, Kühn, Lička & Seliger (2012). Transnational methodology for garden and open- space heritage assessment. Accessible online under www.culttour.eu/nc/en/knowledge-base/scientific-texts.

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Examples of Gardens and Open Spaces

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Biodiversity

Noah’s Arc Sustainability 13

The Botanical Garden of Padova (Italy) square meters and is known for its special collections and its historical design. In 1591 the botanical garden of Padua held 1168 species, which were placed in beds following a complicated scheme. A circular wall enclosure was built to protect the garden from frequent night thefts. The Botanical Garden was constantly enriched with plants from all over the world, particularly from countries that participated in trade with Venice. Consequently, Padua had a leading role in the introduction and the study of numerous exotic plants, and a herbarium, a library as well as laboratories were gradually added to its Botanical Garden. At present, the Botanical Garden allows intensive didactic activities as well as important research to be conducted in its grounds. It also cares for the preservation of numerous rare species.

The Botanical Garden of Padua inspired the foundation of many botanical gardens throughout the world. 

The

“Orto Botanico di Padova” is a famous botanical garden in Padua. The botanical garden was founded in 1545 upon the deliberation of the Senate of the Venetian Republic. It was dedicated to the growth of medicinal herbs, the socalled “simple plants” (giardino dei semplici) which produced natural remedies, and to help students distinguish legitimate medicinal plants from false ones. It is the world‘s oldest academic botanical garden that is still in its original location. The garden, affiliated with the University of Padua, currently covers roughly 22,000

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The Botanical Garden of Padua inspired the foundation of many botanical gardens throughout the world, and represents the origin of science, of scientific exchanges and understanding of the relationship between nature and culture. It has made a profound contribution to the development of many modern scientific disciplines, notably botany, medicine, chemistry, ecology and pharmacy. For more information: www.ortobotanico.unipd.it

„All of us can contribute to more diversity through cultivation of threatened varieties in our gardens.“  The Visitor Garden of ARCHE NOAH in Schiltern (Austria)

The

registered society ARCHE NOAH was established in 1990 on the initiative of gardeners, farmers and journalists, concerned with the future of seeds and varieties of economic plants. ARCHE NOAH responds to the loss of agro-biodiversity with a positive vision and numerous activities.

The philosophy of ARCHE NOAH: All of us can contribute to more diversity through cultivation of threatened varieties in our gardens, through shopping awareness and political commitment. This attitude connects more than 8000 members who are involved with ARCHE NOAH today – it´s not a question of having a garden or not.

The variety of plants is shown in the Organic Visitor´s Garden. It is located in the valley of the River Kamp (Lower Austria), not far from the City of Krems / Donau, in a small town called Schiltern. Through the beautiful wrought-iron gate you enter a formal baroque garden – today home to hundreds of rare cultural plants grown organically. Over the season the visitors can always find something new to explore in the garden. More than 30,000 visitors annually are attracted by the beautiful garden with its huge diversity. The garden shop offers a broad selection of rare and organic seeds, plants as well as books and refined rare products. For more information: www.arche-noah.at 15

Splendour

Baroque Garden Expanse 16

Summer Residence Samuel von Brukenthal (Romania)

The

former summer residence of Samuel Brukenthal is located in the centre of the Transylvanian community of Freck near Sibiu / Hermannstadt and situated at the foot of the South Carpathian Mountains. The residence compromises a baroque palace which is surrounded by a late baroque garden including elements of the English landscape garden. At a first glance, the property seems to have sunk into deep sleep. But this is deceptive: the summer residence is a jewel of cultural history and an extraordinary park. With a size of 16 hectares, today it is the only baroque park in Romania which is pro-

CultTour Pilot Site

tected as a national historic monument. From a naturalist´s point of of view it is of high value thanks to the valuable old trees and some pristine wilderness. Due to its rich garden culture, the estate was known as “Spa” and the “Transylvanian Eden” 200 years ago, in the area of and beyond the borders of Transylvania. Through the garden’s uniqueness and thanks to Brukenthal´s Europe-wide interaction, the estate is of national, if not of international, importance today. However, it requires urgent rehabilitation and a new concept of use. For more information: www.brukenthal.org

The summer residence is a jewel of cultural history and an extraordinary park.  17

The Park and the Gardens of Versailles (France)

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hâteau Versailles is located in a suburb of Paris. The court of Versailles was the centre of political power in France from 1682, when the French king Louis XIV moved there from Paris, until the beginning of the French Revolution, when the royal family was forced to return and subsequently deposed. Therefore Versailles is not only famous as a building or a park, but as a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime. It served as a shining example for many monarchs throughout Europe, including Maria Theresia who redesigned the park of Schönbrunn accordingly. Samuel von Brukenthal was later on also inspired by Schöbrunn when building his summer residence in Romania.

Orientated towards the bedroom of the king the park of Versailles covers some 800 hectares of land. With the aid of the architect Louis Le Vau and the landscape architect André Le Nôtre Louis XIV began an embellishment and expansion program at Versailles that would occupy his time and worries for the rest of his reign. Versailles has been one of the most famous sights in Europe since the Baroque period. Many sovereigns tried to imitate or to outdo Versailles, but no prince or king was able to surpass this outstanding model. Versailles was unequalled in its scope and its equipment. The park of Versailles is still characterized by its dimensions: The axes extend to the horizon. The vast parterres cannot be grasped at a glance. The fountains and basins show the boldness of the 18

engineers. They stand for sophistication and diversity. The park and the individual gardens are characterized at the same time by smallness and by expanse. With a length of 1,500 metres and a width of 62 metres, the Grand Canal is the “backbone” of the site. The canal prolongs the east-west axis physically and visually to the walls of the Grand Park. During the Ancien Régime, the Grand Canal served as a venue for innumerable boating parties. Replanting is common to any long-lived garden, and Versailles is no exception. In their history, the gardens of Versailles have undergone no less than five major replantations, which have been executed for practical and aesthetic reasons. The most recent replanting of the gardens was precipitated by two storms that battered Versailles in 1990 and then again in 1999. The storm damage at Versailles amounted to the loss of thousands of trees – the worst damage in the history of Versailles. The replanting has allowed museum and governmental authorities to restore and rebuild some of the bosquets abandoned during the reign of Louis XVI. For more information: www.chateauversailles.fr

Picknics Rest and recovery in the town

Fresh air 19

CultTour Pilot Site

National Independence Park Alexandroupolis (Greece)

The

park of National Independence in Alexandroupolis, the capital of Evros County on the south coast, covers an area of approximately 1.3 hectares and is used as an open urban green space accessible for public recreation. It is considered a public property and is protected by law for this use. Most of the few neoclassical buildings in Alexandroupolis that remain from the end of the 19th century are located in the central part of the city and particularly around the National Independence Park. They represent the town´s history and make the park a main point of reference in Alexandroupolis.

The park is still used by many citizens and visitors because of its central position within the city.  20

Even though the park has not been paid adequate attention during the last decades, it is still used by many citizens and visitors because of its central position within the city and the interesting neoclassical buildings. Buildings include the Zarifios Pedagogical Academy, the Nursery (1st Kindergarten), the Post Office and the Court House that surround the area of the park. Over time, the city established itself as a gateway between Salonika (Thessaloniki) and Constantinople (Istanbul) and as a link to the Aegean Sea for Bulgaria and Russia. The architecture of Evros County has been influenced by both the climatic conditions and its inhabitants at certain times such as the Byzantines and Turks. For more information: www.alexpolis.gr

Rosenborg Castle Garden (Denmark)

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osenborg (Copenhagen) was built as a Renaissance castle in the early 17th century under the Danish King Christian IV. The Rosenborg Castle Garden (Danish: Kongens Have) is the country’s oldest royal garden. Shortly before the construction of the main castle it was embellished in the Renaissance style by Christian IV as the king´s private garden. The park´s history can be traced back to 1606 when King Christian IV acquired land outside Copenhagen’s East Rampart and established a pleasure garden in the Renaissance style which also delivered fruit, vegetables and flowers for the royal household at Copenhagen Castle. The garden had a relatively small pavilion which was later expanded into present day Rosenborg Castle, completed in 1624. Later in the century, as fashions changed, the garden was redesigned. Johan Cornelius Krieger was appointed gardener of the Orangery in 1711 and after becoming head gardener in 1721, he redesigned the garden in the Baroque style. Today the 12-hectare garden is divided by a network of paths in linden avenues. The tree-lined avenues were planted as part of Krieger’s Baroque garden but the underlying network of paths can already be seen in a plan from 1649. In the new rose garden behind the castle only old plants were set: for example Rosa gallica versicolor. Box, lavender and santolina serve as an evergreen filling of the beds. A 250 meter long double border with perennial herbs contributes to the colour throughout the year.

The Kongens Have was open to the public in the beginning of the 1700s - and has since become a very popular retreat as well as a great picnic area for Copenhageners in the centre of the city. The Garden also contains several other historical buildings, including Rosenborg Barracks, home to the Royal Guards, as well as a large number of statues and monuments. The park also plays host to temporary art exhibitions and other events such as concerts throughout the summer. From the end of the 1980s the gardens once again faced a major renovation of plantings and furnishings. In the 1990s and first years of the 21st century there has been a consensus to preserve and develop basic structures from the King´s Gardens´ earliest period, to retain what remains of the Baroque avenues, and to link the gardens long history and many different periods of development with the Romantic garden´s characteristics. For more information: http://dkks.dk

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Silence

Seclusion Solitude 22

Monastery Park Melk (Austria)

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ver a period of 600 years a medieval monastery complex was developed from a castle and the grave of Holy Koloman on a cliff above the Danube (Lower Austria). The Benedictine Abbey of Melk embodies the ideal principle of the “Holy Trinity of the monastery landscape”: In the centre of the monastery the convent garden is reserved for the convention as a haven of peace. Around the convent garden a complex of interlocking green spaces is located within the monastery walls. The monastery ensemble is surrounded by the cultural landscape. The present shape of the monastery and its gardens dates back to Abbot Berthold Dietmayr (1670–1739). In a time over 35 years the medieval monastery complex changed into a baroque work of art. Franz Thomas Rosenstingl was invited to create designs for a large baroque garden to the east of the monastery complex. In 1746 Rosenstingl presented the last draft, which was largely achieved. The central point in the Baroque garden was – and still is – the garden pavilion built in 1747/48, which served as a pleasure and summer house. Johann Wenzel Bergl finished the three rooms in the pavilion in 1763/64 with magnificent frescoes. Unusual for a monastery garden was the luxury of the garden, which resembled an aristocratic level of site. After 1809 the geometric garden was changed into a landscape garden with irregular paths and dense planting. At the beginning of the 20th century the whole garden fell into a deep sleep and became a wilderness. Only the ground floor was remodelled in Neo-baroque style in the

The silent monastery park serves as a setting for cultural events. 

1960s. The park was then temporarily opened to the public for the first time. In 1995 the National Exhibition (2000) brought forth the revitalization of the whole monastery park based on a park management plan. The basic pattern of the baroque and the landscape garden restored and the degeneration was stopped. Since then the silent monastery park has served as a setting for numerous cultural events. The park is opened to the public during the summer months. In 2011 the northwest corner (“cabinet. clairvoyée”) and the southeast corner (“jardin.méditerranéen – un paradis”) of the park were designed in two contemporary new designs. They are now part of the monastery park with its five terraces, which has an area of approximately 4.8 hectares. For more information: www.stiftmelk.at

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CultTour Pilot Site

The Gardens of Peripato in Taranto (Italy)

The

Gardens of Peripato in Taranto constitute significant green lungs of the city that covers about five acres in the heart of the modern village. From this point the visitors and inhabitants can enjoy views of the harbour and Mar Piccolo (“little sea”).

The public gardens give visitors a sense of tranquillity.  Around 1863 the Knight Luigi De Beaumont bought two gardens and commissioned the architect Antonio Criscuolo (Naples) to transform them into a veritable garden including the knight´s house. Through the purchase by the Town Council in 1913 Villa Beaumont was transformed into the “Public Gardens of Peripato” (designer Egidio Salvi), making them available to the public. Inside the gardens are a small pond, an outdoor movie theatre, a bar area and a park for children. The site houses a bronze bust of Leonardo da Vin24

ci, the votive shrine of St. Anthony and several fountains. In addition there are excavated remains of a mosaic floor dating back to Roman times. At the moment they are not accessible. The Villa Peripato is surrounded by important cultural sites: the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto (MARTA), the State Historical Archive, the old swivel bridge, the castle and the old town. Although significantly modified, the Villa Peripato portrays the typical Italian garden. In the central part well-shaped cypress trees can be admired. The Washingtonia are arranged in a semicircle. The eastern part of the garden is occupied by the movie theatre and the children’s playground. This is a typical Mediterranean garden with over 800 plants: oaks, cypresses, laurels, exotic plants such as palms, Pittosporum, Thuja, Magnolia and Ailanthus. The public gardens give visitors a sense of tranquillity among the exotic plants and flowers in bloom.

Landscape gardens

Landscape paintings as inspiration for landscape gardens

Shaping nature 25

Stourhead Landscape Garden (England) The lake was artificially created. Following a path around the lake is meant to evoke a journey similar to that of Aeneas’s descent into the underworld. In addition to Greek mythology, the layout is evocative of the “genius of the place,” a concept made famous by Alexander Pope. Buildings and monuments are erected in remembrance of family and local history. Passages telling of Aeneas’s journey are quoted in the temples surrounding the lake. Monuments are used to frame one another; the Pantheon entices the visitor over, but once reached, views beckon from the opposite shore of the lake. The use of the sunken path allows the landscape to continue on into neighbouring landscapes, allowing the viewer to contemplate the surrounding panorama.

The inspiration for this garden came from the painters Claude Lorrain, ­Salvator Rosa, Nicolas Poussin and Gaspar Dughet. 

The 

history of this landscape garden began in 1717 with the purchase of the estate by the banker Henry Hoare I. His son Henry Hoare II created the perfect landscape garden in the valley of the stream Stour in the 1740s. He dammed the stream to create a huge single lake, around which he laid out a circular walk. As you progress round the lake, you take in a series of carefully composed views of classical and gothic buildings (e. g. the Temple of Flora, the Pantheon and the Temple of Apollo) set against wooded slopes. The inspiration for his creation came from the painters Claude Lorrain, Salvator Rosa, Nicolas Poussin and, in particular, Gaspar Dughet, who painted Utopian-like Italian landscapes.

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The gardens are home to a large collection of trees and shrubs from around the world: conifers, flowering shrubs and pelargoniums were added in the 19th century, new hybrid rhododendrons in the 20th century. Stourhead now has one of the most important plant collections in Britain. The last Hoare family member to own the property gave the Stourhead house and gardens to the National Trust in 1946. Since then Stourhead has become one of the most popular gardens in England. For more information: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/stourhead

The Gardens in Wörlitz (Germany)

The

gardens in Wörlitz (SachsenAnhalt) are part of the famous „Garden Kingdom Dessau-Wörlitz“. They were designed from 1764 by and on behalf of Prince Leopold III Friedrich Franz von Anhalt-Dessau. After returning from his Grand Tour Prince Franz chose Wörlitz as the starting point for his project to enhance the appearance of his country. This included the construction of new gardens. Embedded in what was one of the first landscape gardens in continental Europe, are numerous vistas across the garden. A well thought-out system of vistas links different parts of the garden with each other and guides the eye towards the surrounding countryside. A great number of buildings – some outside the gardens – as well as sculptures and groups of trees, form focal points of such views which deliberately blur the boundaries of the garden. The connection of beauty and utility

also has an educational angle which is evident, for example, in the programmatic use of different types of bridges throughout the garden, or the construction of an artificial rock island referred to as the “Stein” (lit. The Stone).

The connection of beauty and utility has also an educational angle.  Vast areas within the garden are used for farming or to grow fruit and the edges of groves, waters, fields and meadows are horticulturally enhanced by manifold plantings. The Wörlitz lake with its bays and canals is considered the creative backbone. It covers about one-third of the total area, which itself is an extraordinary example of the aesthetic development of a country. For more information: www.gartenreich.de 27

Water

Ponds Water channels 28

Caserta is impressive in its vastness and through its long water axis.  Royal Palace and Park Caserta (Italy)

The

history of the Palace started with laying of the first stone in 1752 by Naples King Charles VII of Bourbon, who worked closely with his architect Luigi Vanvitelli. The political and social model for Vanvitelli’s palace was Versailles, which, though strikingly different in its variety and disposition, fulfilled a similar function, providing for king, court and government in a massive building with the social structure of a small city. As in Versailles, a large aqueduct was required to bring water for the prodigious water displays. Like its French predecessor, the palace was intended to display the power and grandeur of an absolute Bourbon monarchy. The garden, a typical late example of the baroque extension of formal vistas, stretches out over 120 ha, partly on hanging terrain. The park starts from the back facade of the palace, flanking a long “water alley axis” with artificial

fountains and the grand cascade. There is a botanical garden in the upper part, called “The English Garden”, designed in the 1780s by Luigi Vanvitelli´s son Carlo and the botanist and nurseryman John Andrew Graefer. The fountains and cascades, each filling a vasca (“basin”), with architecture and hydraulics by Luigi Vanvitelli are set at intervals along a wide straight canal that runs to the horizon and include the Fountain of Diana and Actaeon and the Aeolus Fountain. Despite the reduction of fountains from nineteen to six the park of Caserta is impressive in its vastness and through its long water axis. For more information: www.reggiadicaserta.beniculturali.it

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The artful combination of formal garden and landscaped garden is the masterpiece of the garden artist Friedrich Ludwig Sckell.  Nymphenburg Palace Park (Germany)

The

Nymphenburg Palace Park (Munich) is one of the largest and most important garden art works in Germany. It forms a unit with the Nymphenburg Palace and the park castles. The artful combination of formal garden and landscaped garden in Nymphenburg is the masterpiece of the garden artist Friedrich Ludwig Sckell. The current design of the 180-hectare park is based on his work. It consists of a large landscaped area in the west and the regular formed area near the castle. As a lengthening of the large parterre garden the center channel with the Great Cascade divides the park into a northern and a southern area. In the years after 1701 changes and extensions were made in the garden in the French Baroque style. At that time the building of the center channel and the supply of water through a network of channels was carried out. Modelled on French gardens straight-line paths were created and rows of trees as well as 30

green arcades were planted, which strictly divided the garden. Since that time the park consisted of two main areas: the ornamental formal garden near the castle and the forest in the west. In 1799, Friedrich Ludwig Sckell initiated the turning point for the present form of the garden, which led to a harmonious merging of French and English garden style. He kept the parterre on the garden side of the castle as well as the central axis of the channel and the Grand Cascade at the end of the axis. Sckell did not remove the two outer axis of the Patte d’oie, he used them as landscaped vistas as “meadow valleys”. Since the 1990s, numerous garden conservation measures have been implemented to retain this important Central European site in the long term. For more information: www.schloss-nymphenburg.de

Fine art

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A theatrical and spectacular open space system surrounds the Asenevtsi monument.  CultTour Pilot Site

Veliko Tarnovo – Boruna Area (Bulgaria)

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eliko Tarnovo, once the medieval capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom Tarnovo, is located in the East of Bulgaria. The most notable monument in Veliko Tarnovo is the Monument to Assens, which is better known under its name “horsemen” as it presents four horsemen, each facing a different direction with a sword pointing to heaven in the middle. The monument is located in the Boruna area on the meander of the Yantra River, at the foot of Sveta Gora. It was built in 1985 in honor of the 800th anniversary of the uprising of Assen and Peter. It depicts four of the greatest kings of Bulgaria: Assen, Peter, Kaloyan and Ivan Assen II. The Art Gallery “Boris Denev” is also located on the Boruna peninsula just opposite the Monument to Assens. The gallery was initially built in 1928 with the purpose of holding an art school. However, the building has also belonged to the Veterinary and Epidemiological Institute as well as to the military. In the 1980s

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it was then decided to turn the building into an art gallery hosting the permanent exhibition “Veliko Tarnovo in the Eyes of Bulgarian Artists”. A theatrical and spectacular open space system surrounds the Asenevtsi monument and is split into individual terraces. It presents itself as a stage for a sublime view over the opposite old city. The entrance to the museum leads over to the generous square around the Asenevtsi monument that ends with a final terrace on the rocky outcrop over the river. At the rear a shady park around the Art Gallery provides gentle walks and leads towards the stairs to the recreational area Sveta Gora hill. The open space is a pedestrian connection between the city and the university, as well as a place for an evening stroll to enjoy the splendid view over the city. For more information: http://veliko-tarnovo.net

Park Güell by Antoni Gaudí (Spain)

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ark Güell is a garden complex with architectural elements situated in the north of Barcelona. It was designed on behalf of the manufacturer Eusebi Güell by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and was built in the years 1899 to 1914. The park was originally part of a commercially unsuccessful housing site. It was inspired by the English garden city movement. The intention was to exploit the fresh air and beautiful views from the site, with sixty triangular lots being provided for luxury houses. Ultimately, only two houses were built, neither designed by Gaudí. In 1922 the site was converted into a municipal garden.

The Park Güell is rightly regarded as one of the highlights of the Spanish Art Nouveau.  The park is characterized by architectural elements designed by Gaudí, such as the multicolored mosaic dragon fountain at the main entrance and the mosaic, curved, snakelike bench on the main terrace. Roadways around the park to service the intended houses were designed by Gaudí as structures jutting out from the steep hillside or running on viaducts, with separate footpaths in arcades formed under these structures. Gaudí designed these three viaducts using local stone in a way that integrates them closely into the landscape. Gaudí successfully tried to reconcile the (proposed) buildings, the mosaic art, the park and its roads and trails as well as the natural conditions. The Park GÜell is rightly regarded as one of the highlights of the Spanish Art Nouveau. In this way the park can be seen as an exceptional artist’s garden.

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Project Partners Lead Partner Municipality of Avrig www.primaria-avrig.ro

ERDF PP1 Astra National Museum Complex www.muzeulastra.com

ERDF PP2 Foundation Samuel von Brukenthal www.brukenthal.org

ERDF PP3 IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems www.fh-krems.ac.at

ERDF PP4 University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna www.boku.ac.at

ERDF PP5 Veliko Turnovo Municipality http://veliko-turnovo.bg and http://veliko-tarnovo.net

ERDF PP6 Municipality of Alexandroupolis www.alexpolis.gr

ERDF PP7 Regional Department for Cultural Heritage – Apulia www.regione.puglia.it

ERDF 20% PP1 Technical University Berlin www.tu-berlin.de

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“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO (106–43 B. C.) PHILOSOPHER, WRITER AND POLITICANS

“The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies.” GERTRUDE JEKYLL (1843–1932) PAINTER, WRITER AND GARDEN DESIGNER

“My garden is my heart.” PRINCE HERMANN VON PÜCKLER-MUSKAU (1785–1871) LANDSCAPE GARDENER, GARDEN OWNER AND WRITER

www.culttour.eu

Cultural (garden) heritage as a focal point for sustainable tourism

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