State of Garden Conservation in Finland

Maunu Häyrynen, Landscape Studies, University of Turku

Vilnius, 6 November 2008

Historic gardens in Finland

• No national inventory exists

• Earliest data from Middle Age, no remains

• Earliest preserved elements from 16C

• Earliest preserved compositions from late 18C (estate gardens, iron works, rectories)

• Earliest gardens managed in original layout from early 19C (estates, public walks)

Villnäs / Louhisaari estate garden

Special characteristics

• Relatively late start• Temporary peaks: Turku, Kristiina• Finnish Barocque gardens built in Sweden• Little Ice Age & wars until mid-18C• Academy of Turku: Physiocratic garden• Landed gentry, parvenues, scholars & priests as

mediators• Russian era: Western styles & Eastern plants• Role of cities and state from late 19C

Fagervik: The parvenue garden

Protective legislation

• Antiquity Act: Theoretical protection of physical structures over 100 years old

• Building Conservation Act: Gardens connecting with listed buildings (new law on its way, gardens listed by own criteria?)

• Nature Conservation Act: Some gardens• Land Use and Building Act: Main tool for

protection in cities, used in a few cases• National Urban Parks: Historic parks incl.

Kaivopuisto: Protected historic park?

Current situation

• National Board of Antiquities officially in charge, partly delegated to regional museums

• Ministry of Environment and regional environmental authorities: Supportive actions

• National Museum of Architecture responsible for receiving and keeping archival materials

• Municipalities in charge of planning• Interest groups: Icomos/Finland, Garden Art

Society, co-operation with authorities - expertise

Kaisaniemi: Concerted action

Conservation measures

• Inventories: Official guideline, carried out voluntarily & sporadically

• Restoration: State owned gardens, some public parks, long-term management plans

• Reconstructions: Joensuu estate garden, Rosenlund rectory garden, based on research

• Training: Landscape architects / HUT, Landscape Studies /Turku, polytechnics

Joensuu: Reconstructed garden

State of research

• Compendia & popular books & articles• Academic treatises (partly published): art

history, architecture & landscape architecture, ethnology, life sciences, photographic art, landscape studies

• Inventories and planning reports, incl. garden archaeology

• Exhibition catalogues• International networking on its way

Garden research

Problems to be tackled

• Lack of information• Lack of specific training• Lack of coordination between actors• Development impulses ignoring historic

values & good conservation practices• Conflicting land use interests (soft targets)• New management techniques & standards• As always, lack of resources

Where next?