park

/  by Thomas DeVoss

let-s-build-a-home:

The Stunning Wilhelmshöhe Palace & Park

Wilhelmshöhe Palace & Park is a stunning castle and unique landscape park in Kassel, Germany.  The area of the park is 2.4 square kilometres (590 acres), making it the largest European hillside park, and second largest park on a mountain slope in the world.

Construction of the park began in 1696 at the request of the Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel and took about 150 years. Originally laid out in the Baroque style of the Italian garden and the French formal garden with water features running downhill in cascades to the Wilhelmshöhe castle, it was later re-arranged into an English landscape garden with water features added in 1714.

During the summer, from May until October on every Wednesday and Sunday afternoon, visitors can watch the magical water show. Additionally, every first Saturday of the summer months this event takes place during the evening with different colored lights illuminating the water, the fountain and the different monuments (picture 2).

Visitors can follow the water’s way as it runs down the cascades, the Steinhöfer’s waterfall (pictures 1), the devil’s bridge (picture 4), until it tumbles down the aqueduct before finally arriving at the lake of the Wilhelmshöhe castle where a fountain of about 50 meters ends the spectacle (picture 3). This system has been in place for more than 300 years. In June, 2013 it was proclaimed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site which guarantees its preservation and elevates the site’s status as one of the many fascinating man-made structures on our planet.

sources 1, 2, 3

/  by Thomas DeVoss

probingtheearth:

Palladian Bridge: Prior Park 

Prior Park is a Palladian house, designed by John Wood, the Elder in the 1730s and 1740s for Ralph Allen, on a hill overlooking Bath, Somerset, England.

The first park on the site was set out by John of Tours the Bishop of Bath and Wells around 1100, as part of a deer park, and subsequently sold to Humphrey Colles and then Matthew Colhurst. It is set in a small steep valley, with views of the city of Bath. Prior Park’s 11.3 hectares (28 acres) landscape garden was laid out by the poet Alexander Pope between the construction of the house and 1764. During 1737, at least 55,200 trees, mostly elm and Scots pine, were planted, along the sides and top of the valley. No trees were planted on the valley floor. Water was channeled into fish ponds at the bottom of the valley.

Inside the Palladian Bridge

Later work, during the 1750s and 1760s, was undertaken by the landscape gardenerCapability Brown. This included extending the gardens to the north and removing the central cascade making the combe into a single sweep. The garden was influential in defining the style of garden known as the English garden in continental Europe.

The features in the gardens include a Palladian bridge (one of only 4 left in the world), Gothic temple, gravel cabinet, Mrs Allen’s Grotto, ice house, lodge and three pools with curtain walls plus a serpentine lake. The Palladian bridge, which is a copy of the one at Wilton House, has been designated as a Grade I listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument. It was repaired in 1936.

/  by Thomas DeVoss

gyvr: Dzintari Forest Park Architects: Substance Location: Jurmala, Latvia Type of Project: Reconstruction of Forest Park Project Architects: Arnis Dimins, Brigita Barbale Design Team: Guna Priede, Krisjanis Leitis, Ieva Dimante, Rihards Vietrins C…

gyvr:

Dzintari Forest Park

Architects: Substance
Location: Jurmala, Latvia
Type of Project: Reconstruction of Forest Park
Project Architects: Arnis Dimins, Brigita Barbale
Design Team: Guna Priede, Krisjanis Leitis, Ieva Dimante, Rihards Vietrins
Client: Jurmala City Council
Main contractor: TADERS
Park area: 131,108 sqm (13,1 ha)
Gross internal floor area: 541 sqm
Total cost: 4,1 M €
Project year: 2003-2005
Construction year: 2007-2009
Photographs: Ansis Starks