Garden preservation principles and experiences tn the UNESCO World Heritage Monument Schönbrunn

Abstract

During the summer of 2003, an intensive public dispute raged about whether or not the old hedge walls in the Great Parterre of the Schönbrunn Palace gardens should be exchanged.1 Despite the low points of this discussion — during the course of which the management company accused the Bundesgärten (State Garden Authorities) and the Bundesdenkmalamt (Austrian State Office for Monuments Preservation) of insufficient knowledge — some positive aspects did surface. For the first time, a broad cross section of the public was confronted with the (sometimes uncomfortable) essence of garden preservation (the Viennese press was full of stories about the issue). At issue was not merely a ‘lovely’ ‘old’ park which was to be saved from decay, but also the necessary measures to be taken to care for a world-famous Baroque garden, which were not always in tune with the populist concept of a romantic green point of view. Furthermore, the dispute was even more sensitive because in 1996 Schonbrunn had been listed as a World He1itage Monument by the UNESCO.