The Maria Theresia Garden Square situated in

Uzhhorod Uzhhorod ( uk, У́жгород, , ; ) is a city and municipality on the river Uzh in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. The city is approximately equidistant from the Baltic, the Adriatic and the B ...

, Ukraine.The idea of establishment belongs to Uzhhorod diplomat, lawyer and public figure Alen Panov. It was presented to public in May 2013, supported by Most Reverend

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

the bishop of Mukachevo Greek Catholic eparchy.

Objectives

The construction of the Garden Square was aimed to serve the following: 1) Arrangement of the territory in order to provide the panoramic view of the Cathedral 2) Immortalization of Maria-Theresia and other historical figures that mostly contributed to the development of the Castle Quarter

Etymology

The Private Garden Square is named after the Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Hungary, and Archduchess of Austria

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...

. Her reign became one of the most meaningful periods for the city formation. During that time Uzhhorod grew into a regional center. The location became the capital of newly founded Greek Catholic eparchy that united some of Counties of ancient Zakarpattya. The Maria-Theresia monument by Bohdan Tomashevskyi is its central figure. The Pantheon of Castle Quarter (artist - Mykhailo and Nataliya Tesovskyi; designers - Ivan and Anna Ivanysh, landscape designer – Victor Meshko, works supervisor Mykhailo Sobran) represents effigies of people who in the course of urban development made a significant contribution for the oldest part of Uzhhorod to get the present look. Among them: - Szent István (967-1038), the first Hungarian King that accepted Christianity and laid the foundations of the state. During his reign the Castle became the center of newly founded Ung County – the territorial unit that existed for more than 1000 years long. -

Charles Robert Charles I, also known as Charles Robert ( hu, Károly Róbert; hr, Karlo Robert; sk, Karol Róbert; 128816 July 1342) was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1308 to his death. He was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou and the only son of ...

(1288-1342), the Hungarian King born in Naples. He belonged to the famous French dynasty of Anjou that governed in many European states. It was him who handed Uzhgorod next to Drugeth. -

Philip Drugeth Philip Drugeth (also Druget, hu, Druget Fülöp, sk, Filip Druget, uk, Філіпп Другет; ''c''. 1288 – June or July 1327) was a Neapolitan knight of French origin, who accompanied the twelve-year-old pretender Charles of Anjou to Hu ...

(?1290-1327) - the count, nearest ally of Carl Robert, palatine of . An Italian of French Provence origin who laid the Drugeth dynasty that owned Uzhgorod for over 350 years. Uzhgorod Castle received its modern look during the reign of this dynasty. - Miklós Bercsényi (1665-1725) - the count, one of the most known owners of the Uzhgorod Castle. He turned the city into the important political and cultural center of Middle Europe. - Andrii Bachynskiy (1732-1809) - the first full competent Greek-catholic bishop who turned Uzhgorod into the center of diocese. His activity laid down to the foundation for the powerful development of the city as the diocese started to manage the Uzhgorod Castle and whole Castle Quarter. Founding of the Garden Square was the first private initiative in Ukraine and carried out thanks to the efforts of founders: the Panov family.

References

{{coord, 48.622455, 22.302183, display=title Uzhhorod Squares in Ukraine