EBTS UK collaboration with ERHG
The European Boxwood and Topiary Society UK is proud to announce its collaboration status with the European Route of Historic Gardens (ERHG). With heritage designs across Europe containing Buxus hedges and topiaries under the dual threat of boxwood blight and the box tree moth caterpillars the Society will offer advice on best management practices to control the problems. The suggestion that EBTS UK assist in the project came from Łukasz Przybylak, Head of Garden Department at the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów Poland (EBTS corporate member) and also the Vice-president of the ERHG after reading our Box Moth & Caterpillar Expert Guide and coverage in Topiarius.
European Route of Historic Gardens
The ERHG is a non-profit association founded in 2017 whose members are European historic gardens and institutions that share the common interest of protecting and promoting the heritage of historic gardens. Today, the association counts with 33 member gardens from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Georgia and Poland. The scientific advice for the Association comes from its scientific committee, composed by 12 prestigious academics and scientists from seven different countries, and the collaborating universities of Girona, Barcelona and Lisbon.
Its goals, as defined by the lnternational Historic Gardens Committee ICOMOS- IFLA in the 1981 Florence Charter, are to:
- Raise awareness and promote historic gardens through the European Route of Historic Gardens
- Develop a relationship with the Council of Europe and other European institutions, by closely collaborating with the European Institute of Cultural Routes
- Promote research, dialogue and exchange of good practices in terms of the appreciation of cultural heritage
- Encourage collaboration with the public Administrations and private organizations to carry out initiatives of mutual interest
- Develop and promote educational activities related to the historic gardens in the network and aimed at young people, in order to stimulate the knowledge of their origins and consolidate the European identity
- Harmonize, within sustainable development, cultural and tourism activities that are carried out in the territories where historic gardens are located
EBTS UK will hopefully be visiting Jardim do Palácio Fronteira in September as part of its Gardens and Palaces of Sintra & Lisbon trip organised by Boxwood Tours (now part of Arena Travel).
Cultural Route
The European Route of Historic Gardens is a certified Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. The Cultural Routes programme, launched by the Council of Europe in 1987, demonstrates in a visible way, by means of a journey through space and time, how the heritage of the different countries and cultures of Europe represent a shared cultural heritage.
