Medieval European Gardens and Structures

Medieval European Gardens and Structures

• Ightham Mote (England, 1320-1500 CE): Well-preserved moated manor, a type of fortified estate common in the Middle Ages.

• Wartburg Castle Garden (Germany, 1067-1319 CE): A restored garden from the late Middle Ages.

• Białowieża Forest (Belarus & Poland, 1300-1772 CE): A former royal hunting ground that led to the conservation of European bison.

• Le Mont Saint-Michel (France, 1060-1228 CE): A medieval monastery built on an island, known for its cloister garden near where monks lived and wrote books.

• Abbey of St. Gall (Switzerland, ca. 819 CE): A monastery with a carefully planned layout that is the only surviving architectural drawing from the Middle Ages.

Medieval European Gardens and Structures (1400-1600s)

• The Cloisters Museum (New York City, USA, 1150-1500 CE): A museum with medieval art and cloisters spanning the 12th through 15th centuries.

• Stone Labyrinths (Solovetsky Islands, Russia, ca. 500 BCE - 11th century): Ancient labyrinths that persisted in the medieval period.

• Julian's Bower (England, ca. 1170 CE): A medieval turf labyrinth.

• Villa Medici del Trebbio (Italy, 1428 CE): First Renaissance villa of the Medici family, designed by Bartolomeo, melding medieval features with new designs.

• Villa Medici Fiesole (Italy, ca. 1451-1457 CE): First villa built based on architectural treatise principles, designed by Bartolomeo.

• Belvedere Court (Italy, 1506-1514 CE): Designed by Bramante, linking Hadrian's Villa to the Pope's retreat, incorporating elements of Roman sanctuaries.

Renaissance and Baroque Gardens and Structures

• Piazza del Campidoglio (Rome, Italy, 1536-1654 CE): Designed by Michelangelo, incorporating hidden distortion, characteristic of Baroque.

• Villa d'Este (Italy, 1550-1572 CE): Mannerist villa design by Ligorio, containing allegorical elements (Hercules and Moses), fountains, and hydraulic engineering.

• Villa Rotunda (Italy, 1566 CE): A dramatic Palladian landscape design situated in a site without natural elevation.

• Villa Lante (Italy, 1566-1587 CE): Mannerist landscape by Barozzi da Vignola, using allegory (four ages of man) and water elements to narrate a story.

• Boboli Gardens (Florence, Italy, 1550-1650 CE): Baroque landscape design by Vasari, Ammannati, and Buontalenti, featuring performance spaces and a large amphitheater.

• Plan of Sixtus V (Rome, Italy, 1585-1590 CE): Urban redesign by Fontana featuring straight avenues, many fountains, and new aqueducts.

• Chateau de Chambord (France, 1519-1547 CE): High Renaissance French chateau design with specific garden elements: tapis verts, bosquets, allées, and moats.

• Chateau de Fontainebleau (France, 1520-1595 CE): Large Renaissance court, tapis vert, water mirror, and harmonic proportions.

• Chateau de Chenonceau (France, 1515-1589 CE): High Renaissance and Baroque design, commissioned for a royal mistress.

• Chateau d'Anet (France, 1547-1552 CE): High Renaissance design dedicated to a mistress, featuring allegories linking her to Roman goddesses.

• Tuileries Palace and Gardens (Paris, France, 1564-1610 CE): A significant palace and garden complex used for royal entertainment.

• Vaux-le-Vicomte (France, 1656-1661 CE): Baroque design by le Notre, using hide-and-reveal techniques to manipulate perspective.

• Palace and Garden of Versailles (France, 1662-1709 CE): Large Baroque garden complex for Louis XIV, employing hide-and-reveal techniques.

• Chateau de Chantilly (France, 1671-1681 CE): Le Notre's design incorporating mathematical illusions.

East Asian Gardens

• Canglang Pavilion (Surging Wave Pavilion) (China, 1044 CE): Oldest surviving example of a classical Chinese garden.

• Wang Shi Yuan (Garden of the Master of the Nets) (China, 1140 CE): A restored classical Chinese garden from the Song Dynasty.

• Zhuozheng Yuan (Humble Administrator's Garden) (China, 1513-1533 CE): Largest classical Chinese garden from the Ming Dynasty.

• Byodo-in (Phoenix Hall) (Japan, 998-1053 CE): A Buddhist temple with a hill and pond garden representative of Japanese architecture.

• Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) (Japan, 1397 CE): Designed around a pond, evoking a sense of paradise.

• Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion) (Japan, 1460 CE): Tea garden, dry garden, and stroll garden inspired by Japanese traditions.

• Ryoan-Ji (Japan, 1488 CE): Zen Buddhist monastery with a famous dry landscape garden

• Daisen-in (Japan, 1509-1513 CE): Zen Buddhist monastery with abbots' quarters facing different gardens.

• Tai-an (Japan, 1585 CE): Traditional tea house and garden, a symbol of wabi-sabi and Sen-no-Rikyu's aesthetic.

• Katsura Imperial Villa (Japan, 1605-1629 CE): Strolling garden with tea pavilions, embodying early Edo Period aesthetic.

• Shugaku-in Rikyu (Japan, 1655-1659 CE): Edo Period imperial villa with three separate villas around an artificial pond, demonstrating borrowed scenery.

Colonial American Gardens

• Boston (USA, 1630 CE): Planned based on English rural village models.

• Philadelphia (USA, 1681 CE): A planned city with public green spaces and avenues for sunlight.

• Annapolis (USA, 1696 CE): Baroque design incorporating avenues and circles.

• Williamsburg (USA, 1699 CE): Baroque landscape with long avenues and a Governor's Palace designed around a court of honor..

• Savannah (USA, 1733 CE): Utopian town plan with public spaces and equitable land distribution.

• Evergreen Plantation (USA, 1771-1835 CE): Neoclassical main house with a boxwood garden.

18th & 19th Century Gardens

• Stowe (England, 1718-1760 CE): English landscape gardens reflecting political, aesthetic, and philosophical ideals.

• Stourhead (England, 1744-1780 CE): English landscape garden designed by an estate owner.

• Blenheim Palace (England, 1764 CE): Landscape designed by Capability Brown, illustrating a more formulaic approach.

• Claife Viewing Station (England, 1790 CE): Designed for tourists, including artificial ruins.

• Mount Vernon (USA, 1757-1799 CE): English landscape garden applied to an American plantation, including views of the Potomac River.

• Monticello (USA, 1768-1825 CE): Neoclassical design by Thomas Jefferson, with a view of mountains and gardens for experiments.

• University of Virginia (USA, 1800-1825 CE): Academic village design by Jefferson with neoclassical pavilions and a library modeled on the Pantheon.

Test your knowledge on significant medieval gardens and structures across Europe. From Ightham Mote in England to the cloisters of New York's The Cloisters Museum, explore fascinating historical sites and their importance. Discover the architectural and cultural elements that defined the Middle Ages.