Medical Garden ( sk, Medická záhrada) is a public

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...

, Slovakia. It is located in the

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

near the American square and behind the Aspremont Summer Palace. The Medical Garden was built and renovated in the

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

style and is an example of a

French formal garden The French formal garden, also called the (), is a style of garden based on symmetry and the principle of imposing order on nature. Its epitome is generally considered to be the Gardens of Versailles designed during the 17th century by the ...

. The garden belongs to the city's most popular parks. It also includes a

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...

Description

The Medical Garden was originally part of a Baroque palace complex built by Count Johann Nepomuk Gobert d'Aspremont-Lynden in 1770, during the reign of

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). ...

. The Aspremont Summer Palace is preserved to this day and serves as the seat of the dean's office of the Medical Faculty of Comenius University in Bratislava. The garden was built and later renovated in the

style and various types of ornamental and exotic plants were grown here, which were complemented by various artistic sculptures. At the beginning of the 19th century, the garden was bought by Count

Esterházy The House of Esterházy, also spelled Eszterházy (), is a Hungarian noble family with origins in the Middle Ages. From the 17th century, the Esterházys were the greatest landowner magnates of the Kingdom of Hungary, during the time that it ...

, who further expanded it and organized various orchestras, evening balls and parties. The famous composer

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

is known to have performed there several times. Later, the garden changed owners and for a time it even kept cattle. As the character of the city changed, the Medical Garden found itself in the center surrounded by dense buildings. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was administered by the Faculty of Medicine, which made it available to the public. It quickly became a popular and sought-after location for all Bratislava residents. In 1985, a renovation took place according to a project by Alfonso Tormom, when the garden took on its current form. No significant sculptures or architecture have been preserved from the original decoration.Jozef Lenhart, 'Fenomén parkov a záhrad - história verzus súčasnosť', in Historická zeleň, parky a záhrady v Bratislavskej župe, Bratislava, 2016. Accessible online: https://ainova.sk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/BSK_ZBORNIK_Historicka-zelen-parky-a-zahrady-v-Bratislavskej-zupe_2016small.pdf The swan fountain, authored by sculptor Pavol Mikšik, is the main landmark of the Medical Garden and can be found in the center of the park. The park also hosts two monuments: the writer

Martin Kukučín Martin Kukučín (real name Matej Bencúr, 17 May 1860, Jasenová, – 21 May 1928, Pakrac) was a Slovak people, Slovak prose writer, dramatist and publicist. He was the most notable representative of Slovak literary realism, and is considered on ...

and poet Sándor Petőfi. The park area is decorated with flower beds.

References

{{reflist Parks in Bratislava 1770 establishments in Europe

Description

See also

References