Hungarian Journey
Main photo: The Neo-Baroque ornamental garden of the Andrássy Castle in Tiszadob – see Fig 6 below – Source: https://www.facebook.com/nofnkft
INTRODUCTION
TOPIARIUS, the journal of the EBTS, includes in its 2025 issue, beginning on page 47, an abridged version of this outstanding article on the history and glories of topiary and formal gardening by Albert Fekete and Levente Béla Haleczky. Begin your Hungarian Journey…
Prof. Albert Fekete, PhD DLA, is a landscape architect and Director of the Institute of Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning and Garden Art in Budapest. Levente Béla Haleczky is a landscape architect and PhD student at the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
To enjoy the full range of images referenced in the article, and to received TOPIARIUS, the top quality, full-colour gardening magazine dedicated to excellent writing and professional quality photography exploring every aspect of the subject of box and all things topiary, join the EBTS at www.ebts.org/membership
TOPIARY IN HUNGARY
Trees shaped by clipping (topiary) have always played an important role in European and Hungarian garden art. In some periods they have been of outstanding importance, in other times they provided a backdrop to the visual character of our gardens. The aim of this article is to present the history of topiary in the territory of today’s Hungary, not dealing with the regions lost by the division after the First World War.
In Hungary, the use of topiary dates back to early Renaissance gardens, under the reign of Matthias I (1458-1490). Matthias received a humanistic upbringing and inherited his love of gardens from his father, János Hunyadi, who had invited gardeners from Ragusa in 1441.1 The most notable of the gardens established by Matthias were the royal gardens of Buda and Visegrád. From Antonio Bonfini’s description, it is known that the Buda Castle Gardens included a labyrinth, an aviary, an orchard, a clipped hedge, a meadow, a fishpond and a garden villa.2 The Visegrád Palace Gardens also had labyrinths and ‘living hedges’. It is here that the country’s first planted allée, made up of equally spaced lime trees, was documented.1 The golden age of Renaissance garden art in Hungary was finally brought to an end by the death of the sovereign, the subsequent weakening of domestic political power and the Ottoman invasion of the central regions of the country.
THE HABSBURGS
In the 17th century, the Habsburg dynasty came to power after liberating the country from Ottoman rule. The establishment of an absolutist monarchy favoured the rise of Baroque garden art.3 It was then that the country’s most important Baroque garden complex was created, which became famous as Eszterháza, a name given by Prince Miklós Esterházy, the Magnificent. The garden, also known as the ‘Hungarian Versailles’ of the 18th century, was built in a perfectly hierarchical manner. Beside the palace there were privy gardens, an ornamental garden in the front, and further away bosquets and a deer park. The gardens contained a variety of topiary: lime trees trimmed to a spherical crown, vine arbours, clipped allées and hedges.3 One of the garden’s known designers was Anton Zinner, whose work is also admired in the Belvedere Palace Gardens in Vienna and the Schloss Hof Palace Gardens in Burgenland.4 Under the supervision of Count János Esterházy, who belonged to another line of the Esterházy family, the construction of a manor and an English landscape garden in Csákvár began around this time. However, many features of the established garden carried the geometric approach of Baroque garden art; this was particularly evident in the Allée Wood, where various follies were erected at the intersections of the alleys and in the inner bosquets. Based on a painting of the hermitage by Pietro Rivetti (Fig. 1), who probably played a role in the design of the garden, the structure was surrounded by a tall bosquet and a hedge.5 Another important garden of the period and still a major work in garden history is the garden of the Széchényi family’s mansion in Nagycenk, created in the Baroque style by Antal Széchényi, along with an allée of 600 lime trees.6 The 18th century garden (Fig. 2) was ornamented with geometrically trimmed plants – parterres de broderie and turf parterres, richly decorated labyrinths, and a sunken fountain.7
The emergence of the landscape garden after the era of the Baroque style also represented a turn against the absolutist political system.8 However, the new gardens, whose features imitated nature, had no topiary. At the end of the 18th century and in the first half of the 19th century, most Baroque gardens were partially or completely transformed to conform to the new English style. The Baroque garden of the Széchenyi Mansion in Nagycenk was also transformed around this time 7, but has finally been restored to its original Baroque form in the second half of the 20th century.
PEAK OF HORTICULTURE
The peak of interest in horticulture in Hungary was in the period following the defeat of the 1848-1849 Revolution and War of Independence, when the former leading political elite, having lost power, found solace in gardening.9
The rise of historicism in the second half of the century is illustrated by the appearance of formal – Neo-Baroque, Neo-Renaissance – gardens close to the buildings in late landscape gardens, where topiary was common:
- For example, in the English garden in Alcsútdoboz10 (Fig. 3), founded by Palatine Joseph, yew trees trimmed to form a cone were planted in rows in front of the façade, presumably with a crown-shaped topiary ornamenting the top of each.
- A flowerbed bordered by a hedge in the main axis of the Wenckheim Palace in Szabadkígyós is represented on the map of 188411. This is the Neo-Baroque ornamental garden composed of egg-shaped boxwood still visible today (Fig. 4).
- Former Prime Minister Count Lajos Batthyány created elaborately designed Neo-Baroque parterres with a fountain in the middle in the park of his mansion in Ikervár12 (Fig. 5). Unfortunately, this part of the garden has been completely lost.
- Based on the designs of Kálmán Szabó13, former Prime Minister Count Gyula Andrássy created a similarly elaborate, labyrinth-like one-acre Neo-Baroque garden (Fig. 6) of boxwood with yew hedge14. In the early 2010s, the overgrown parterre de broderie was trimmed back and the dead parts replaced15.
- Prince Tasziló II Festetics established a garden in Keszthely in 1885 based on the designs of the Victorian garden artist Henry Ernest Milner. The Neo-Baroque parterres on the side of the palace facing the English Garden (Fig. 7) were created at this time and were restored in 2014-2015.16
HUNGARIAN VERSAILLES
The ‘Hungarian Versailles’, dormant after its greatest glory, was once again made the main residence of the Esterházy family at the turn of the 20th century, and then underwent major transformations. The gardens were transformed between 1906 and 1909 at the request of Prince Miklós IV Esterházy and his wife, Countess Margit Cziráky, based on the design by Imperial and Royal Garden Director Anton Umlauft. Neo-Baroque parterres were created in the cour d’honneur, a landscape garden and a new rose garden were established to the west of the palace, and a Neo-Baroque fan-shaped parterre replaced the former ornate Baroque parterres. The giant box and yew topiary (Fig. 8) that decorate the fan-shaped parterre and the privy gardens date from this period. In recent decades, the rose garden, the Neo-Baroque parterres of the cour d’honneur, the winding network of paths in the English Garden and the alleys of the deer park have been restored.17
The Hatvany-Deutsch family created the Neo-Baroque style Hatvan Palace Garden concurrent with the transformation of Eszterháza. The corners of the cour d’honneur, enclosed by the building, were hidden by a privet hedge planted in a curve, and the centre of the courtyard was decorated by turf in box hedging. The 600-metre-long visual axis of the garden was flanked by a low-clipped privet hedge along a strip of lawn with bosquets on each side. After the World War, the palace was used as a hospital, and in the 1960s a six-floor hospital block was built in the main axis of the garden. By then, the garden became unrecognisable. Eventually, in the early 2000s, a hunting museum was created in the main building, which allowed an authentic reconstruction of part of the garden. A hornbeam labyrinth was created at the end of the truncated main axis, screening the hospital block.18
WORLD WARS
After the First World War, a simplification of garden art forms could be observed in the country that had lost a major part of its former territory. The Second World War and the resulting destruction, gradual nationalisation and half a century of neglect caused serious damage to historic gardens. During the decades of the Socialist era, the estates and manors of the aristocracy, together with their gardens, were nationalised. They were used as mental asylums, hospitals, schools and council halls, as a way of devaluing the former feudal system.
CONTEMPORARY HUNGARY
In contemporary landscape architecture, topiary is once again making an appearance; an excellent example is the design of the garden of the National Theatre in Budapest in the early 2000s (Fig. 9), which is the work of landscape architect Péter Török. In the garden, a yew maze in the shade of the ziggurat evokes the atmosphere of ancient cultures.19
Today we are experiencing a period of restoration of historic gardens in Hungary. The problems caused by climate change pose new challenges, for example in the fight against drought or various plant diseases and pests. In our historic gardens, topiary is almost exclusively composed of boxwood (Buxus sempervirens), yew (Taxus baccata) and hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) species. Currently, boxwood is the most threatened species, because since the introduction of the box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) in 2011, only intensive chemical treatment can lead to a successful control.20 As for yew trees, their large size may cause problems, as a result of growth of decades. Nevertheless, as the above examples show, there is good reason to look to the future with optimism.
Footnotes/References
1 J. Szikra, Éva (1977): Magyar kertművészet. Iskolakultúra, 7 (9), pp. 133- 134.
2 Rapaics, Raymund (1938): Magyar várkertek. Magyar Szemle, 34 (10), Budapest. pp. 172.
3 Jámbor, Imre (2009): Bevezetés a kertépítészet történetébe [online], Budapest: Corvinus Egyetem. p. 98. pp. 101-104 http://kertep.uni-corvinus.hu/i/jegyzet/Kerttortenet_bevezeto.pdf [27.05.2024.]
4 Fatsar, Kristóf (2006): Az eszterházai lúdlábsétány kialakulásának története. 4D, 2006 (3), Budapest. p. 12.
5 Fatsar, Kristóf (2008): Magyarországi Barokk Kertművészet. Helikon Kiadó Kft.: Budapest. pp. 89-90; p. 93.
6 Rapaics, Raymund: Magyar kertek – A kertművészet Magyarországon. Királyi Magyar Egyetemi Nyomda: Budapest. pp. 118-129.
7 Kenessei, Károly (2002): Nagycenk. A kastély és parkja. Száz Magyar Falu Könyvesháza Kht. https://www.arcanum.com/hu/online-kiadvanyok/SzazMagyarFalu-szaz-magyar-falu-1/nagycenk-B344/a-kastely-es-parkja-B63B/ [27.05.2024.]
8 Fekete, Albert (2019): Komponált látványok — Történeti kertek és tájak helyreállítása. Szent István Egyetem, Tájépítészeti és Településtervezési Tanszék: Budapest. pp. 28-31.
9 Csepely-Knorr, Luca (2016): Budapest közparképítészetének története a kiegyezéstől az első világháborúig. Kenyeres István: Budapest. p. 44.
10 Erdős, Ferenc – Kelemen, Krisztián: Alcsútdoboz. A kastély és az arborétum. Száz Magyar Falu Könyvesháza Kht. https://www.arcanum.com/hu/online-kiadvanyok/SzazMagyarFalu-szaz-magyar-falu-1/alcsutdoboz-E/a-kastely-es-az-arboretum-24C/ [27.05.2024.]
11 Kiss, Márta (2009): Gyula – Az egykori szigeterőd története és lehetséges jövőképe. 4D – Tájépítészeti és Kertművészeti Folyóirat, 2009 (14), Budapest. p. 48.
12 Bajzik, Zsolt: Az ikervári kastély és a Batthyányak. Az ikervári kastély története I. rész [online] epa.oszk.hu. https://epa.oszk.hu/03300/03366/00106/bajzik.htm [27.05.2024.]
13 Herczeg, Renáta (2011): Andrássy gróf tiszadobi álomkastélyának kalandos története. Múlt-kor [online] https://mult-kor.hu/20110609_andrassy_grof_tiszadobi_alomkastelyanak
_kalandos_tortenete [27.05.2024.]
14 Csorna, Antal (1973): Tisza-parti kastélyok kertjei. Műemlékvédelem, 17 (1), p. 38.
15 Szabadics, Anita – Németh, Zita – Klagyivik, Mária – Gerákné Árvái, Zsuzsa – Bechtold, Ágnes (2021): Kastély- és kúriakertek, valamint egyéb műemléki zöldfelületek fejlesztése a nemzeti kastélyprogramban és nemzeti várprogramban. Műemlékvédelem, 65 (5), pp. 455.
16 Anonymus (2018): Díjnyertes kastélypark rekonstrukció. Helikon kastélymúzeum [online] https://helikonkastely.blogstar.hu/2018/05/04/dijnyertes-kastelypark-rekonstrukcio/52097/ [27.05.2024.]
17 Alföldi, Gábor. (2021): Történeti kertek helyreállítása a 2010-es évek első felében – visszatekintés tanulságokkal. Műemlékvédelem, 65 (6), pp. 430-431
18 Szabadics, Anita (2014): Vadászati Múzeumpark Hatvanban. [online] Építészfórum https://epiteszforum.hu/vadaszati-muzeumpark-hatvanban [27.05.2024.]
19 Török, Péter: A budapesti új Nemzeti Színház parkja [online] petertorok.com https://petertorok.com/hu/projekt/aktualis-projektek/20110929_a-budapesti-uj-nemzeti-szinhaz-parkja [06.08.2024.]
20 Csorba, Virág (2021): Mikor kell védekezni a selyemfényű puszpángmoly ellen? [online] Agrofórum https://agroforum.hu/szaktanacsadas-kerdesek/mikor-kell-vedekezni-a-selyem
fenyu-puszpangmoly-ellen/ [21.08.2024.]
Photo credits
The following is a list of the illustrations to this article which appear in 2025 TOPIARIUS, complete with their photo credits
To enjoy the full range of images referenced in the article, and to received TOPIARIUS, the top quality, full-colour gardening magazine dedicated to excellent writing and professional quality photography exploring every aspect of the subject of box and all things topiary, join the EBTS at www.ebts.org/membership
Figure 1: The hermitage of the Esterházy Manor Garden in Csákvár on a painting by Pietro Rivetti (1798) – Source: https://adt.arcanum.com/hu/view/KerteszetiEgyetem_4Dfolyoirat_2009
Figure 2: The restored Baroque Garden of the Széchenyi Mansion in Nagycenk – Source: https://www.facebook.com/nagycenk.szechenyikastely/
Figure 3: Topiary in front of the Habsburg Manor’s façade in Alcsútdoboz (1895) – Source: https://dka.oszk.hu/
Figure 4: The ornamental garden of the Wenckheim Palace in Szabadkígyós – Source: https://www.facebook.com/szabadkigyosiWenckheimKastely/
Figure 5: The Neo-Baroque ornamental garden of the Batthyány Mansion in Ikervár (1933-1950) – Source: http://ikervarert.hu/kepeslapok/
Figure 6: The Neo-Baroque ornamental garden of the Andrássy Castle in Tiszadob – Source: https://www.facebook.com/nofnkft
Figure 7: The Neo-Baroque parterre of the Festetics Palace in Keszthely – Source: https://csodalatosbalaton.hu/
Figure 8: Neo-Baroque parterre of the Esterházy Palace in Fertőd – Photo by Eszterháza Centre / Zsolt Batár
Figure 9: Detail of the garden of the new National Theatre – Source: https://www.facebook.com/p/Artboretum-Kert-és-Szépművészeti-Társaság
Figure 10: Featured historic gardens in Hungary – Source: Figure by Authors
