The European Route of Historic Gardens welcomes its five new members

The Municipal Park of Naoussa (Greece), Mainau GMBH (Germany), the Picturesque Park of Sarny Castle (Poland), the Eclectic Garden of Kamieniec Palace (Poland), the Serralves Foundation (Portugal) and the Jardim Jose Do Canto Foundation (Portugal) join the European Route of Historic Gardens, a Cultural Route certified by the Council of Europe since 2020.

We are very happy to welcome our first member from Greece! Naoussa Municipal Park is an interesting example of a historic garden whose functionality is deeply rooted in the history of the local community. It is an example of a garden that developed just before the darkest period in European history and was successfully redefined after World War II. We hope this park will encourage other great places in Greece to join us on the 'green route' of Europe's historic gardens.

We are also very pleased to have the wonderful parks and gardens on Mainau Island, Mainau Island , the best example of a well-managed property, run by a limited liability company, Mainau GmbH. Flower Island Mainau offers year-round beauty with 45 hectares of stunning gardens, including the Rhododendron-themed slope, Italian Rose Garden, Dahlia Garden, Hydrangea Path and Herb Garden, as well as being home to the second Germany's largest butterfly house. We welcome the second German full member to our association!

The new Portuguese members are the Serralves Foundation and the Jardim Jose Do Canto Foundation. Parque de Serralves Serralves Park is a unique example of landscape architecture in Porto, whose genesis dates back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Serralves Park covers an area of 18 hectares dedicated to deepening and disseminating knowledge about the art of gardening, landscape, environment and biodiversity, offering a rich and dynamic cultural, educational and sensory experience.

The José do Canto Botanical Garden , declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is a place of great scenic and botanical interest, populated by trees that impress with their monumental size and peculiar morphology. The garden occupies an area of 5.8 ha in the heart of Ponta Delgada, in the Azores, and is home to more than 3,000 species from all over the world, many of them planted from 1845, by José do Canto (1820-1898). , member of the Azorean landed nobility. For more than a century, José do Canto has been visited by numerous travelers, among which famous and recognized personalities stand out, such as the King of Portugal Dom Carlos, Franklin Roosevelt, Jorge Amado, etc., Welcome to both!

Our two new Polish Gardens are managed by the Klodzko County Cultural Heritage Protection Foundation. Picturesque park at Sarny Castle is a 16th century site of great beauty, modeled by its various owners since 1590. A former aristocratic park at the foot of the Table Mountains, with an impressive backdrop background of its peak, the Szczeliniek Wielki, in the Klodzko county.

The Eclectic garden at Kamieniec Palace has its origins in the late 18th century. It flourished in the 19th century and has always been a private oasis for palace residents; a place where winding paths revealed beautiful vistas, blooming roses and rhododendrons, and a quaint tea pavilion. All this made the Kamieniec garden a little Eden and an oasis of peace. One hundred years after its major redesign, the Kamieniec Palace garden is a vantage point from which to admire the Kłodzko landscape and enjoy the beautiful shrubs and trees that grow in exactly the same places where the count's gardener planted them.

Welcome everyone to the European Route of the Historic Gardens, a Cultural Route certified by the Council of Europe since 2020!