Celebrate with us the II European Day of Historic Gardens next Monday 26th April!

Next April 26th the European Route of Historic Gardens (ERHG) celebrates the II European Day of Historic Gardens (EDHG) while taking the opportunity to spread the importance and meaning of having achieved the certification as a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe.

“The Cultural Routes programme, launched by the Council of Europe in 1987, demonstrates in a visible way, by means of a journey through space and time, how the heritage of the different countries and cultures of Europe represent a share cultural heritage. The Cultural Routes put into practice the fundamental values of Council of Europe: human rights, cultural democracy, cultural diversity and identity, dialogue, mutual exchange and enrichments across boundaries and centuries. As of 2020, there are 40 certified Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe (Source: CoE Routes)”.

Historic gardens and the formation of the European spirit

To celebrate the ERHG certification, this year’s topic “Historic gardens and the formation of the European spirit” emphasizes the transboundary value of the historic gardens’ heritage. This heritage has reflected the identity of the European countries and regions along the centuries, as well as has shown their unity in the common creation of a better life and landscape.

April 26th is the European Day of Historic Gardens, a date that was established to commemorate the foundation of the ERHG Association. On April 26th, 2016, a few European historic gardens decided to pool their resources in benefit of the historic gardens’ value, with the aim to become a wide, diverse, and solid network. Today, the ERHG counts with the participation of 38 garden members from seven countries, 9 academic institutions and professionals as collaborators and the advice of twelve prestigious researchers and professionals as members of its scientific committee.

Gardens that vertebrate Europe

This year, the ERHG celebrates the European Day of Historic Gardens by launching the video series “Gardens that vertebrate Europe” and its first chapter, dedicated to “Medieval Gardens”, an initiative of La Alhambra gardens in Granada, Spain, that will also contribute to strengthen the bonds among the ERHG members. The initiative complements the program of activities organized by the garden members, like guided visits, virtual tours, lectures, press conferences, exhibitions, tree planting, volunteering activities… under this year’s topic.

The European Route of Historic Gardens invites you to the II EDHG Program of Activities, and also encourages all individuals and organizations who love, enjoy, and appreciate the historic gardens to join this celebration by sharing their memories, pictures, or videos from any of the historic gardens that they know on our social media under #EuropeanDayHistoricGardens.

Historic gardens are a great heritage that explains our identity and history and the mutual exchanges that shape our cultural diversity. They are part of our memories, magical spaces of inspiration, meeting places, oases in our cities… They are assets that we appreciate these days even more than before. By celebrating the II EDHG, we enhance the knowledge and appreciation of our historic gardens as part of our European memory, history, and heritage.

About the European Route of Historic Gardens

The European Route of Historic Gardens is a non-profit association whose members are European historic gardens and institutions that share the common interest of protecting and promoting the historic gardens heritage. The ERHG works daily for the secure future of the European green legacy and identity by generating and promoting a high- quality educational, cultural and tourism content that will be helpful for the preservation and awareness raising of the European heritage and will drive cultural exchanges and sustainable tourism.

The European Route of Historic Gardens has been a “Cultural Route of the Council of Europe” since 2020.