Where can residents of megacities escape from the stone jungle, breathe in fresh clean air instead of asphalt fumes and smog? Interesting? Many of them are lucky to have a really cool urban garden or park in their city. This is our top 10 coolest urban gardens.
1.Butchart Gardens (British Columbia, Canada)
The history of the garden is directly related to the Butchart dynasty, who one day decided to leave the industry and dedicate their land to flowers. They say that a flower is able to break through all obstacles to the sun, in the case of the history of the Butchart garden, this is a 100% fact: ironically, the owners’ business was based on the production of cement. The aesthetic taste of these industrialists is still appreciated by grateful visitors: according to statistics, Butchart Gardens are visited by more than a million tourists annually, from private ownership, the gardens have long become a national landmark.
2.Central Park (New York, USA)
Watch any movie about New York and you will definitely see Central Park in several scenes. It is hard to imagine Manhattan without this popular park with numerous alleys, its own zoo, lakes and ice rinks. Central Park is visited by approximately 25 million people annually. Despite the popularity and fame among couples with children, romantics and just tourists, this place also has a negative reputation as a rather criminal place.
3.Fort Canning Park (Singapore)
On the site of the hill where the park is laid out, in ancient times there was the so-called Forbidden Palace of the rulers of ancient China. Later, a fort of British colonists was set up here, but now only massive gates at the entrance to the park remind of this. On the territory of the park there is a Spice Garden, which is essentially a small copy of the first botanical garden in the history of Britain.
4.Silesian Zoological Garden (Katowice and Chorzow, Poland)
Remember Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park? In order to join the world of ancient dinosaurs, it is not necessary to sit in front of the screen with 3D glasses, it is much more useful and interesting to visit the Silesian Zoo, on the territory of which the Valley of the Dinosaurs is located. The Park has 16 different exhibits in 1:1 scale.
5.Garden of the Master of the Nets (Suzhou, China)
The Garden of the Master (in some interpretations – the Master) of the Nets is the smallest, but at the same time the most popular of the Suzhou Gardens. A wealthy Chinese official pretended to be a fisherman and set up his garden in accordance with this fantasy. The small size of the garden is more than compensated by magnificent views and landscapes that set you up for contemplation, goodness and zen. The garden is under the protection of UNESCO.
6.Roundhay Park (Leeds, UK)
Roundhay Park is one of the largest urban parks in Europe and one of the main attractions of the UK, which made Leeds famous. In fact, the park consists of three gardens: the Canal Gardens, the Monet Gardens, which got its name from the Giverny-style path from the master’s canvas, and the Alhambra Garden. The zest is added by the artificial ruins of the gate at the entrance to the park.
7.Prater Park (Vienna, Austria)
This is not Disneyland, this is the largest park in Austria, founded back in the 18th century! There are clowns, a puppet theater, a car park, the oldest Ferris wheel in the world, ice cream, carousels, rides, as well as a special miracle – a basilophone – whisper a word into it and you will be heard at the other end of the park, and the park will stretch in length no more, no less but for 5 km!
8.Keukenkoff Park (Lisse, The Netherlands)
Go to Holland and not see a real sea of flowers? If you are not one of those who are able to make such a mistake, then you should definitely wrap 32 hectares of land and tulips, tulips, tulips (as well as daffodils, hyacinths and orchids) in the Keukenkoff park. Thematic exhibitions are constantly held in the park, when the bulbs are planted in the form of portraits, flags, compositions related to the theme of the exposition. This splendor blooms every spring for more than 800 thousand visitors to the park.
9.Park Guell (Barcelona, Spain)
Incredible park by the magnificent Antoni Gaudí. Spanish industrialist Eusebi Güell bought land to develop an elite residential area in Barcelona. But then the area was far from the city, which did not attract potential residents at all, only two of all the houses were bought out: Guell and Gaudi (by the way, his museum is now organized in the architect’s house). Perhaps this is the most incredible, fabulous park with the “gingerbread houses” of Hansel and Gretel, half-plants-half-animals carved from stone, a mosaic covering of wriggling benches and a dragon – the symbol of Barcelona.
10.Griffith Park (Los Angeles, USA)
Residents and visitors to the city often jokingly call Griffith Park the Central Park of Los Angeles. In terms of size, number of visitors and popularity with Hollywood directors and screenwriters, it really can be compared with its New York counterpart. On the observation deck of the park, the inscription HOLLYWOOD from the Hollywood hills is remarkably visible, in addition, the park has museums, a zoo, an observatory, golf courses, swimming pools and a hippodrome.
