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Renovation of the Bishops’ Gardens in Pelplin is in progress. We’re talking to Jolanta Bogucka, a landscape architect and author of the project for the revalorisation of the palace park.

Renovation of the Bishops’ Gardens in Pelplin is in progress. We’re talking to Jolanta Bogucka, a landscape architect and author of the project for the revalorisation of the palace park.

We’re talking to Jolanta Bogucka, a landscape architect and author of the project for the revalorisation of the palace park.

Could you tell us why there is a need for their new development?

The Bishops’ Gardens, entered into the register of monuments, with their layout created in medieval times, required revalorisation work due to the poor condition of the trees and the need to authenticate the composition. 

Will the park, after renovation, become closer to the original layout? In what way? What elements will be restored to serve this purpose?

Throughout history the park has changed its character and purpose. From the Middle Ages until the bishop’s palace was built, the garden functioned as a utility garden with orchards, vegetable gardens and fish ponds. It was probably also a place for relaxation in the natural surroundings. After the construction of the Bishop’s palace in 1838, the garden started to function as a representative park accompanying the residence. As part of the project to restore the park, its features and composition from that period, the best documented and at the same time the most splendid, will be restored.

Where do landscape architects, wishing to restore the historic gardens to their original appearance, obtain their knowledge about them? How do they know about the BishopsGardens - have any source materials survived?

A designer specialising in restoring the historical values of a historic park must have in-depth knowledge of the characteristics of historic green areas from different style periods. In their work they rely on tracing the preserved elements of the object and conducting a dendrochronological and species analysis, which allows to determine the phases in which the elements of the garden composition were created. Moreover, the preserved historical maps are analysed (here the most valuable were those from before 1837 and immediately after the construction of the Bishop's Palace in 1837-1838, as well as detailed maps from 1910 and 1935), as well as paintings, engravings, printed sources, historical photographs or specimens of garden flowerbeds – here from 1908.

Will there be new elements in the park, not necessarily consistent with its original character?

All new elements of the park will be consistent with its original character. No new cubature elements have been introduced. The layout of the historic park alleys will be reconstructed, missing trees in alleys and rows will be planted, the main circular flowerbed on the south side of the palace will be reconstructed, the existing greenery will be enriched with trees and shrubs used in the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The Bishops’ Gardens, which have always facilitated contact with the beauty of nature, reflection, reverie as well as rest and recreation, will gain a seasonal, openwork, small stage, which will make it possible to organise concerts of, for example, chamber music. In connection with the planned opening of the park to visitors, it has been proposed to situate small openwork wicker arbours with wooden tables as places of rest in the former orchard, on the southern side of the premise. There will also be tunnels made of wicker as a place for children to play. A boxwood maze, typical of the historical parks, will also serve the children.

Thank you for the interview.

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