Awardwinning: Best Park of Europe 2015

© Landeshauptstadt Hannover

Apart from Germany, France, Sweden Italy, Portugal and the United Kingdom were honoured by the 6th European Garden Award.  

The 6th Award Ceremony of the European Garden Award by the Schloss Dyck Foundation and the European Garden Heritage Network - EGHN was held in Hamburg and marks a special occasion. As part of Nurseries Lorenz von Ehren’s celebration of their 150th company anniversary, the ceremony was held on the afternoon of 4th September 2015. A day before the internationally operating, long-established company had already hosted the symposium “Green Pioneers“. Nurseries Lorenz von Ehren has been supporting the European Garden Award since 2013. After all, the selection criteria for the award have also always been of great importance to the nurseries. Accordingly it were once again pioneering spirit reflecting the development of new ideas, a striking mix of tradition and modernity, and the enhancement of the quality of life through urban green initiatives that had a decisive impact on the selection of the winners and finalists. The “Special Award of the Schloss Dyck Foundation” demonstrates the jury’s consideration for outstanding and innovative planting concepts.

International communication and co-operation

“Since 2003, the importance of international communication and co-operation for the appreciation and sustainable support of parks and gardens as a whole, and the benefits of networking for individual partners is demonstrated by EGHN - with today more than 170 partners in 12 countries“, explains Christian Grüßen, project coordinator of the European Garden Heritage Network EGHN.

So it was appropriate that, after their presentation, the four winners and four further finalists from France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Sweden and the UK had the opportunity to talk to their representatives and the other guests during the subsequent “Lorenz von Ehren Gala - Dinner“.

Four categories – eight awarded parks and gardens

This year again, the European Garden Award was awarded in four categories:

• For the first time since the establishment of the European Garden Award, Germany was the honoured winner in the category “Best Development of a Historical Park or Garden“. The baroque HERRENHÄUSER GÄRTEN in Hanover ideally combines cultivated garden art with numerous events, consequent marketing and the restored castle as an additional attraction. Both Painshill Park from Cobham, UK with its restored 18th-century Crystal Grotto and the Italian private Sigurtà Garden Park in Valeggio Sul Mincio, a magnet for botanists and enthusiasts of gardens and nature, were honoured as finalists.

• Besides the winner from Paris, Parc Martin Luther King, re-designing a former area characterized by warehouses and stockyards into a highly attractive and ecologically oriented park, also Portugal with its ETAR de Alcântara, a garden landscape designed on the roof of a wastewater treatment plant in Lisbon, as well as Italy and its horticultural work of art, the Bosco della Ragnaia in San Giovanni d’Asso near Siena, qualified for the final in the category “Contemporary Park or Garden“.

• The “Special Award of the Schloss Dyck Foundation” honoured Hermannshof in Weinheim (Germany), a privately owned public trial and show garden, for its outstanding, innovative and internationally respected planting concepts.

• This year again, the price for “Large Scale GreenNetworks and Development Concepts“ was awarded to Scandinavia, namely to „GREEN MALMÖ“ in Malmö, Sweden. Within the planning process its green – a positive historic heritage of the city - played a very important role for the development of the city and the change of its character. After the economic recession the city had experienced its green has brought hope and has given many inspiring solutions and outcomes. An excellent best practice showing that visions indeed can be realized!

“This year again, all honoured eight parks and gardens from the different European countries have qualified due to an excellent performance in the designing respectively valorising of parks and gardens or in urban and regional planning. The European Garden Network EGHN wishes to acknowledge these outstanding projects by awarding them the Garden Award. So they will not only gain duly attention, but will be increasingly perceived publically as best practice for other projects, or may even inspire further projects“, says Jens Spanjer, director of the Schloss Dyck Foundation and member of the jury, getting to the heart of the intention of the Garden Award.

Further information on the European Garden Award and EGHN:

European Garden Award

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European Garden Heritage Network - EGHN

The Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen are a member of the European Garden Heritage Network - EGHN.

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