REGULAR GARDEN OF THE 18TH CENTURY AT MEDZHYBIZH CASTLE IN DOCUMENTS AND CARTOGRAPHY

Abstract

There is a widespread opinion in local history and some scientific publications that in the 18th century, especially in the ownership of the Czartoryski princes, Medzhybizh castle was transformed into a luxury romantic residence. The decorative garden was allegedly created as a result of Izabella Czartoryskas interest in English parks, as a continuation of the architectural program of the main residence in Pulawy. There is even a statement that the garden was arranged in the inner territory of Medzhybizh castle. Nonetheless, the inventories of the Medzhybizh estate indicate that during the 18th century, Medzhybizh castle was utilized not for residential purposes, but also for economic and occasionally military purposes. The notion of a grandiose ornamental garden at the Medzhybizh castle is merely an adaptation of the romantic descriptions of the real romantic park at the Czartoryski main residence called Pulawy (in Poland). Only the Polish researcher Rafal Nestorow has provided real information about the existence of the Medzhybizh garden, which was called the Italian garden. TThis garden was established by Jan Baptista Dessieur in the year 1713. Nestorows research is based on archival documents obtained from the library of Princes Czartoryski in Kraków (Poland). Nonetheless, in his perspective, the precise location of this “Italian garden” remains ambiguous. This article extends and clarifies the research initiated by R. Nestorow. The archival inventories from the 1750s provide a thorough description of the "Italian garden" near the Medzhybizh castle, which was not located in the town of Medzhybizh, but in a nearby suburb called Stawnica. The article explains the location, description of buildings, and list of plants in the so-called “Italian garden”, which belonged to the owners of the Medzhybizh in the 18th century. The differences between this garden and the classic Italian landscape are also explained. The location of the Italian garden surrounding the castle and the streets of the modern Stawnica is revealed by archival maps of Medzhybizh from the 18th and 19th centuries. The article explains where the Italian garden is, what houses it has, and what plants it has. The garden was owned by the Medzhybizh family in the 18th century. The elucidation of the distinctions between this garden and the traditional Italian landscape is also provided.