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Why should you incorporate your historic garden to the ERHG?

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<h3>Data protection</h3>
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The ERHG Association guarantees the rights of access, rectification and cancellation of the data, which can be exercised by the interested parties by contacting its address:
<h5>European Route of Historic Gardens Association</h5>
G-55267553 Lloret de Mar Town Hall Plaça de la Vila s/n 117310 Lloret de Mar (Girona)

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The European Route of Historic Gardens

Finca Raixa

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Parking for buses

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Unesco

General Information

Raixa is located in the foothills of the Tramuntana mountain range, Serra de Tramuntana, which has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO under the Cultural Landscape category. Two of the elements of the Serra de Tramuntana that possess the Exceptional Universal Value which UNESCO demands in order to declare a site World Heritage stand out from the rest: the dry stone constructions and the water channelling systems.
<h3>An evocative landscape</h3>
The cultural landscape of the Serra the Tramuntana is an outstanding example of the traditional agricultural image of the Mediterranean area. It has a peculiar combination of hydraulic systems applied to irrigation (of Islamic origin), and olive and vine cultivation systems, whose origin is Christian. From this ancestral combination an evocative landscape emerged, a perfect symbiosis between man and nature.
The landscape is characterized by the presence of the dry-stone terraces on the slopes, designed for the cultivation of the olive tree as well as for the extraction, channelling and piping water towards areas of crops, ochards, vegetable gardens and irrigation, and for the establishing of an agricultural system based on the use of dry-stone construction technique and sustainable use of the land.

Natural environment

<h3>The origins</h3>
The origins of Raixa date back to an Islamic farmstead of which only the place-name remains. After the conquest of Majorca by King James I of Aragón in 1229, these lands were granted to the count of Ampurias. During the Middle Ages, the property was owned by the Sureda de Sant Martí and Safortesa-Tagamanent families. The latter carried out a reconstruction at the beginning of the 16th century. The vault of the chapel and the porch of the courtyard are from that period.
It is important to mention the attack and burning of the house in 1522 by the followers of “las Germanías”, who supported the social struggles, because the owner at the time, Pere-Joan Safortesa i Descatlar supported the royal cause. During the last refurbishment of the house, traces from the fire have been discovered in a gothic window inside the main room.
<h3>The Despuig family</h3>
The first count of Montenegro, Ramon Despuig i Rocaberti, purchased Raixa on the 18th of June 1660, and from that time onwards, Raixa became the emblematic family estate. In the 18th century the houses were renovated and extended by the successive counts, as it was customary during the Baroque period. Dating from that time are the leisure gardens “les Llimoneres”, “La Gruta” and “Hort Nou”, already documented in 1740.
The protagonists of the last transformation were the brothers Joan and Antoni Despuig i Dameto. The first (Palma, 1735-1813) was the 4th Count of Montenegro and 7th of Montoro. The second, Antoni, (Palma, 1745 – Lucca, 1813) pursued an ambitious ecclesiastic career which culminated with his appointment as Cardinal by the Pope Pius VII in 1803.
Cardinal Despuig is one of the most important personalities of the Enlightenment in Majorca. He was distinguished both as a patron and as a collector of art and antiques as a result of his long stays in Italy. He sponsored excavations in the grounds of Ariccia, near Rome, between 1787 and 1796, and with the objects brought to light and some others acquired by him, he created a Museum of classical sculpture that he installed in Raixa. The sculptors Pascual Cortes, Luis Melis and Francesco Lazzarini worked there. Nowadays part of this collection is on display at the Bellver castle in Palma.
<h3>A monumental villa of neoclassical style</h3>
Antoni Despuig, together with his brother the count, who was the owner of Raixa, wanted to complete a reform that would transform the houses into a monumental villa of neoclassical style. At the beginning of the last decade of the 18th century, a very ambitious project, which was never carried out, was commissioned to the Spanish architect trained in Rome, Eusebio María de Ibarreche. Later, in 1802, the architect Giovanni Lazzarini was hired for a second project, partially known today. The final reform was entrusted to the master builder Tomàs Abrines i Beltran (Palma, 1775-1854), contracted by the cardinal in 1806. The following year the cardinal had to go to Italy to support the Pope Pius VII, harassed by Napoleon. Despuig did not return to Majorca and died in Lucca (Tuscany) on May 2nd, 1813.
Consequently, the remodelling of Raixa, the organisation of the Museum and other projects remained under the guidance of Ramón and Joan Despuig i Safortesa, beloved nephews of the cardinal. From the present house, it is worth mentioning the south gallery, which was built around 1808. From the rest of the building, the courtyard is to be highlighted, around which the characteristic estate dependencies, such as the oil mill, the stables, the sharecroppers dwelling, etc., are distributed.
A special mention must be made of the room where, according to tradition, Santa Catalina Tomàs stayed (Valldemossa,1531 – Palma,1574) when as a young girl she was part of the Safortesa-Tagamanent domestic service. Her beatification took place in Rome in 1792 as a result of the efforts made by Cardinal Despuig.

Historical background

Raixa is specially well-known because of the gardens that surround the house and reach over the southern slopes of sa Muntanyeta. At the bottom there are the orchards, the Garden of Oranges, the Loggia garden, with a fountain in the middle, and the entrance garden with a small pond. An interesting part of the whole is the entrance gate, built in 1898, which bears the coat of arms of count Ramon Despuig i Fortuny, who sold Raixa to the entrepeneur Antoni Jaume in 1910.
<h3>The upper gardens</h3>
The upper gardens were structured around the monumental staircase dedicated to the god Apollo and perhaps to four muses linked with poetry. Further on, a landscaped path leads to faux ruins (folly), a great pond, a man-made grotto, a historicist pavilion, a small hermitage and a neoclassical viewpoint located at the highest point, which dates back to 1854.
Thanks to the acquisition of the water from the fountain of Pastoritx (Valldemossa) in 1807, the creation of these gardens was accomplished and the reservoir designed by the engineer Francisco Rigaud de Tirgalle (1753) was transformed into the present irrigation water reservoir, that is 83 meters long, 17 wide and 7.5 deep. From the paths and viewpoints in the upper parts of the garden, the scenery of the house and the surrounding landscape are of great beauty.

Description of the Garden

The Visitors’ Reception Centre of Raixa - Serra de Tramuntana presents the Serra de Tramuntana Natural Site and the Raixa Estate as key centres to understand Majorca, and specially, to understand the value and the potential of one of its most unique cultural landscapes as well as its recent history, listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site.

General

© Emigus-PSML

© PSML

Park of Montserrate

Lloret de Mar Town Council

Aranjuez Real Sitio y Villa

Aranjuez Cultural Landscape Foundation

Ayuntamiento de Orihuela

Junta de Castill y Leon

Ayuntamiento de Bejar

Consell de Mallorca

Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów

Parc Samà

Storico Giardino Garzoni Collodi

Royal Palace of Gödöllő

José do Canto Botanical Garden

Zugdidi Botanical Garden

Van Buuren Museum & Garden

Giardino di Boboli

Villae Tivoli

Museo Storico e il Parco del Castello di Miramare

Hungarian garden heritage foundation

Gardens of the Royal Castle in Warsaw

Herrenhauser Gardens

Reggia di Caserta

Direzione regionale musei della Toscana

Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife

Municipal Park of Naoussa

Natural Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation Georgia

National Garden

Xunta de Galicia

Galicia

Sofievka

National Museum in Warsaw

Our members

© Luis Duarte-PSML

© Nuno Oliveira-PSM

Park of Pena

Jardins do Palácio Nacional Queluz

Paisaje Cultural de Aranjuez

Parc Samà, Cambrils (Spain)

Alhambra and Generalife Gardens

Santa Clotilde Gardens

Serralves Park, Porto (Portugal)

Serralves Park

Batumi Botanical Garden

National Botanical Garden of Georgia

Tsinandali Alexander Chavchavadze Museum and Garden

Herrenhausen Gardens

Historical Museum & Park of Miramare Castle

Reggia Di Caserta

Villa d’Este

Boboli Gardens 

Historic Garzoni Garden

Gardens of the Royal Castle in Warsaw, (Poland)

Gardens Of The Royal Castle In Warsaw

Van Buuren Gardens

Sofievka Park, Uman (Ukraine)

Sofievka Park

Municipal Park of Naoussa - Lake

Municipal Park of Naoussa - Flower beds

Municipal Park of Naoussa - Park from above

Municipal Park of Naoussa - Spring

Municipal Park of Naoussa Balcony

Municipal Park of Naoussa - Pebble pave

Municipal Park of Naoussa - Statue heroes

Municipal Park of Naoussa - Natural stone faucet

Municipal Park of Naoussa - Winter

Municipal Park of Naoussa - Main entrance

Municipal Park of Naoussa Folklore boules dancing

Municipal Park of Naoussa - Historic busts

Municipal Park of Naoussa - General city view and park

National Gardens of Athens

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Palace garden in Nieborów, aerial view of the palace and the forecourt, Sylwester Cichal,

Palace garden in Nieborów, aerial view of the linden alley and the regular garden, Sylwester Cichal

Palace garden in Nieborów, boxwood mazes, Sylwester Cichal

Palace garden in Nieborów, Monika Antczak

Palace garden in Nieborów, aerial view of the linden alley, Sylwester Cichal

Palace garden in Nieborów, the linden alley, Dariusz Piwowarski

Hornbeam espalier in the garden in Nieborów, Monika Bajkowska

Palace and garden complex in Nieborów, Dariusz Bógdał

Palace garden in Nieborów, view of the palace from the linden alley, Sylwester Cichal

Palace garden in Nieborów, ornamental parterres, Sylwester Cichal

Palace garden in Nieborów, ornamental parterres and boxwood mazes, Sylwester Cichal

Old orangery in Nieborów, aerial view, Dariusz Bógdał

Old orangery in Nieborów, Dariusz Piwowarski

Garden cabinets in the regular garden in Nieborów, Katarzyna Piotrowska

Kitchen garden in Nieborów, Katarzyna Piotrowska

Vineyard in the kitchen garden in Nieborów, Agnieszka Chmielewska

Linden alley in Nieborów, Monika Antczak

Garden cabinet with the eagle column, garden in Nieborów, Dariusz Piwowarski

Garden canal in Nieborów, Monika Antczak

Alley by the canal in Nieborów, Monika Antczak,

Canal in the garden in Nieborów, Monika Bajkowsk

Plane trees in the palace garden in Nieborów, Xenia Modrzejewska-Mrozowska

Old orchard in Nieborów, Katarzyna Żak-Zatorska

Orchard in winter, Nieborów, Sylwester Borusiak vel Boruta

Exhibition: conservation works in the Nieborów palace garden, Sylwester Cichal

Nieborów palace garden

Palace Garden in Nieborów

Burgrave’s House in Arkadia, Monika Antczak

 Temple of Diana in Arkadia, view across the pond, Włodzimierz Pietrzyk

Greek Arc in Arkadia, Sylwia Salamądra

Gothic House in Arkadia, Dariusz Piwowarski

Sentimental garden in Arkadia, aerial view, Dariusz Bógdał

Sphinx sculpture by the Temple of Diana in Arkadia, Włodzimierz Pietrzyk

Sentimental Park in Arcadia

High Priest’s Shrine in Arkadia, Xenia Modrzejewska-Mrozowska

Gothic House and the Sybil’s Grotto in Arkadia, Dariusz Piwowarski

Temple of Diana in Arkadia, aerial view, Dariusz Bógdał

Aqueduct in Arkadia, Monika Antczak

Greek Arc in Arkadia, Dariusz Piwowarski

Tomb on Poplar Island in Arkadia, Sylwester Cichal

Pond in Arkadia, Xenia Modrzejewska-Mrozowska

Pond with an island in Arkadia, Dariusz Piwowarski

Sheep in Arkadia, Monika Antczak

Sentimental Park in Arkadia

Soutomaior Castle

Alameda Park

Pazo de Lourizán

Pazo de Mariñán

Pazo de Oca

Pazo de Rubianes

Pazo de Santa Cruz de Rivadulla

Manoir de Santa Cruz de Rivadulla

Pazo Quinteiro da Cruz 

Pazo Quiñones de León

LABPACT-SERP / Universitat de Barcelona

Eduard Petzold European Centre for Garden Art

AJH Associaçao Portuguesa dos Jardins Históricos

Cracow University of Technology Landscape Architecture Institute

Universidad de Girona Campus Patrimoni Cultural i Natural Parc Científic i Tecnològic 