A thing of beauty is a joy forever, especially the natural beauty of flora and fauna. To those wanderers who like to lose themselves in the magnificent beauty and sheer power of nature, we bring the list of the eight most historical gardens from around the world.
See also: 10 most iconic monuments and heritage sites in the world
Gardens of the Versailles, France
In 1661, King Louis XIV assigned André Le Nôtre the task of designing and renewing Versailles’ gardens, a project spanning about 40 years. For the grand project, Nôtre collaborated with Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the superintendent of royal buildings, and Charles Le Brun, the first painter to the king. Architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart added the orangery and refined the park’s layout by modifying groves.
Blenheim Palace Summer Gardens, The UK
The Blenheim Palace boasts some of the finest outdoor spaces in Oxfordshire, with more than 90 acres of formal gardens and more than 2,000 acres of parkland. The original layout of the gardens dates from the 1720s. The formal gardens were the work of Achille Duchêne in the 1920s and include the Italian Garden with its meticulously trimmed Golden Yew hedges and the Water Terraces, featuring several fountains. The fragrant Rose Garden was designed in the Victorian era. In contrast to the formal gardens and sweeping parkland, the Secret Garden, restored in 2004, is a secluded area where winding paths lead over bridges of tranquil water. The Churchill Memorial Garden is the latest addition to the formal gardens. The garden features a path 90m long, intertwined with beds of poppies, snowdrops and wildflowers. Milestones are incorporated into the path, allowing visitors to walk the timeline of Churchill’s incredible life.
Keukenhof, Garden of Europe, The Netherlands
The origins of Keukenhof trace back to the 15th century when Countess Jacoba van Beieren utilised the grounds known as ‘Keukenduyn’ or “kitchen dunes” for hunting activities to support Teylingen Castle’s culinary endeavors. In 1641, Keukenhof Castle was constructed, and over time, the estate expanded to encompass a sprawling area of over 200 hectares.
In 1857, the accomplished landscape architects Jan David Zocher and his son Louis Paul Zocher, renowned for their design of Amsterdam’s Vondelpark, undertook the task of transforming the castle’s gardens. Their vision, executed in the English landscape style, laid the foundational framework for what would eventually become Keukenhof. In 1949, flower bulb growers and exporters conceived the idea of utilising the estate to showcase spring-flowering bulbs, marking the inception of Keukenhof as a captivating springtime haven. In 1950, the park welcomed its inaugural visitors, achieving instant acclaim. Over the span of the past 74 years, Keukenhof has blossomed into a world-class attraction, captivating visitors from all corners of the globe.
Orto Botanico di Padova
The Orto Botanico di Padova, also known as the Botanical Garden of Padua, is one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world that is still in operation. Now a Unesco World Heritage site, the garden was founded in 1545 as an educational tool for the university and originally played a significant role in the research and study of medicinal plants. Over the centuries, the garden has been crucial in the development of horticulture, botany, and the use of plants for medicinal, scientific and ornamental purposes.
The garden houses a vast collection of plants from around the world, systematically arranged based on their evolutionary relationships. In addition to outdoor beds and gardens, the Orto Botanico also includes historical structures like the Basilica of Santa Giustina, built between 1767 and 1795.
Garden of Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
Another Unesco World Heritage site, the Garden of Sigiriya surrounds the Sigiriya Rock Fortress of Sri Lanka. Built as part of the complex developed during the reign of the legendary King Kashyapa-I in the 5th Century AD, this garden is one of the finest preserved works of garden architecture in Asia. One of the country’s most iconic and historically significant landmarks, the gardens of Sigiriya are renowned for their intricate design, advanced hydraulic systems, and aesthetic beauty. They are divided into several distinct areas, including water gardens, boulder gardens, terraced gardens, frescoes & boulder gardens.
Rundāle Palace Garden, Latvia
Originally conceived in the 18th century, The Rundāle Palace Garden is part of the enchanting grounds of Rundāle Palace
“The Rundāle Palace ensemble with a garden and forest park is a monument of architecture, culture and history that provides an authentic testimony to the Duchy of Courland and to the cultural interaction between 18th century Europe and Russian Empire in modern territory of Latvia. The best architect of the Russian Empire of that time – Francesco Rastrelli (1697–1771), designed the palace ensemble… The result is a representative but, at the same time, reasonably restrained building that blends harmoniously into the surrounding landscape and forms a potentially familiar relationship between the scale and space that is comprehensible to all,” reads the Unesco site.
“The Rundāle Palace ensemble with a garden and forest park has successfully immortalised the idea of a Baroque spirit (genius loci) that is understandable and accessible to modern-day visitors. The palace complex with a garden is an outstanding Duke’s residential building phenomenon in the context of Northern Europe. Unlike many European palaces, Rundāle has retained the stylistic integrity of the 18th century architecture. It has not been subjected to significant later reconstructions and modernisations,” it adds.
Summer Palace Garden, China
The Summer Palace in Beijing, originally constructed in 1750, suffered extensive destruction during the war of 1860. However, it was restored upon its original foundations in 1886. This architectural marvel exemplifies the artistry of Chinese landscape garden design, seamlessly blending the natural elements of hills and serene waters with skillfully crafted artificial structures like pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges. The result is a symphonic ensemble of unparalleled aesthetic significance.
Huntington Botanical Gardens, The US
In 1903, Henry E Huntington purchased the San Marino Ranch, lying 12 miles from downtown Los Angeles, replete with citrus groves, fertile nut and fruit orchards, alfalfa crops. Along with William Hertrich, Huntington cultivated an array of plant collections that form the bedrock of the Huntington’s Botanical Gardens. Once spanning nearly 600 acres, this landholding now stands as a 207-acre expanse, with a generous 130 acres open to enthusiastic visitors.
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