DREER report #3

Christopher Keil
Czech Republic
October 2009
http://chrisinprague.posterous.com/

The weather has changed drastically in the last several weeks here in Central Europe.
We have gone from an unseasonably warm “Indian Summer” to very cold temperature in the
last couple weeks. As I write there is now 42 cm of snow in the Krknose Mountain range
which makes up the border with Poland. The highest elevation in the country, Mt Snezka
(1,602m) is in this region. Also there have been flurries in Prague as well which is
approximately 200m above seas level. Trees and shrubs have really started to display fall
foliage. Since Horse-chestnut, Black Locust, Linden, and Norway Maple make up so much of
the rural and urban tree composition the fall colors are not as dramatic as in the Northeast
US. Among this typical backdrop the horticultural specimens from North America and Asia,
particularly the maples, really stand out.
I am continuing to work on the same projects here at the horticultural research center.
The rehabilitation study of the historical park, my main focus, has been moving along slowly
but luckily I regularly accompany research staff on trips to sites in Central Bohemia which has
been very interesting. I even went to Barcelona, Spain for 5 days which has amazing
examples of contemporary landscape architecture projects and with its Mediterranean climate
a very different possible plant palette from Central Europe. Most recently, we attended an
interesting conference in Southern Germany related to Ornamental Farm landscapes and the
preservation issues related to these sites.
At Veltrusy Park a vegetation study was carried out by a private arborist firm in 2003 so
we have been going through and updating some of the data tables and drawings related to
this report. Some of the trees have been removed and the health-condition of several of the
trees has changed since this report was first produced. The information is critical because in
the re-vegetation and planting plans we will need to balance the interests of the ecologists
who represent the environmental ministry and historical preservationists who are directing
and managing the park. For example Oaks, Lindens, and Maples that are in decline with a
30-70% dead canopy are prime habitat for protected species of beetle, however, they often
disrupt the visual character of the allee or larger park landscape and may even pose a safety
threat. We will have to make many decisions along these lines in our final design/restoration
recommendations.
I was fortunate enough to go on several trips this past month, most of which were work
related. I also visited the city of Barcelona on my own for a week. Barcelona is a very
inspiring city in terms of landscape and urban design. Of course its mild Mediterranean
Climate means that people spend much more time outdoors throughout the year and the use
of pines, palms, and deciduous trees in the plant palette is evidence of a more forgiving
climate than Central Europe. Irrigation is however used much more frequently. Barcelona is
a much bigger city than Prague and sprawls in a large valley surrounded by high hills and the
sea. The 1992 Olympic Games were very popular among the local population and really
invigorated a contemporary tradition of public open space creation. Besides the historically
significant plazas, Las Ramblas, beautiful boulevards and works of Antoni Gaudi are new
parks, parkways and waterfront projects that are creative in the use of plants, materials, and
grading. From the large parks designed as bold earthwork forms that are reminiscent of the
work of sculptor Joan Miro to elegant urban spaces that use containerized plants there are so
many great examples of urban horticulture and design. Almost every street is tree-lined and
recently there has been a major expansion of the bike lane network in the city. I would
strongly encourage people to visit this city, if just for the examples of modern landscape
architecture.
Another place I visited which was very memorable and exciting was Park Muskau
which actually spans the River Neisse from southeastern Germany to Poland, and is also
nearby the northern Czech border. Borders in the region (Silesia) were altered many times in
history, but this is the present condition which was determined at the end of World War II.
Norman Newton speaks very highly of the work of Prince Pückler-Muskau. He was an early
proponent of native plants and the simple display of the idealized pastoral landscape is really
what stood out to me. Pückler, who had studied the work of Brown and Repton and visited
sites they had designed, determined to build his own great landscape work. He respected the
English version of the idealized country life but also added his own ideas to his design. In
1845 he was forced to abandon the property as he ran out of money. He died in 1871 while
working on a smaller property. Of course there are many gorgeous specimen trees here
including some grand copper beeches and oaks that precede the Count’s major redesign and
poplars of several different species. Although smaller, the German side of the park is
presently in much better condition than the Polish as the Germans historically allocated more
money for maintenance. The chateau was recently reconstructed and as such is in
immaculate condition. A village Parkstadt Bad Muskau is incorporated into the German side
of the park. What is exciting is that there is no longer a guard on the bridge as until recently
this was a border crossing where as a park visitor you would need to show identification to
cross the River Neisse which is really central to the park. Besides dissolving this border,
there is hope that the European Union will provide money to rehabilitate the Polish side of the
park.
As my time is winding down here in Europe I will be focusing most of my time on the
report for the preservation office in charge of restoring Veltrusy Park. I am glad that I was
able to spend more time outside when the weather was nice over the summer and early fall.
Now, appropriately, I will be spending more time in my office at the institute. I still hope to visit
two sites in the country if I have the time. One is a public garden designed completely with
American plants and inspired by botanists travelling to the North America in the 1800s. Many
of the plants are conifers so I have been told that it is still worth visiting after the leaves have
fallen. I also want to see Sumava National Park which is on the Austrian border and home to
expansive spruce and fir forests.