Summer Residence Research Articles

The lost gardens of the Palace of Meirás (Pazo de Meirás), a journey through time

The Pazo de Meirás (Meirás Palace) is a vast historical and artistic heritage complex with a great cultural and political importance in the recent history of Spain, being one of the most recognizable buildings for the Spanish people nowadays. Therefore, the current conservation status of the gardens has been assessed through the reconstruction of its historical evolution. Originally, the Pazo de Meirás and its gardens were built linked to the artistic and romantic style imprint of the outstanding writer Countess Emilia Pardo Bazán (1856­–1921). The gardens experienced their greatest splendor during this period. In fact, the historical floral diversity of the gardens, with a total of 154 recorded taxa, is among the highest in Galician manor houses. However, the context of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) involved a drastic change: the palace became the summer residence of the head of the Spanish state, General Francisco Franco (1938–1975). Despite subsequent neglect and a fire in 1978, the estate’s intrinsic value led to its return to the Spanish State in 2020. Currently, the gardens could constitute a significant cultural asset linked to the Countess of Pardo Bazán and to the socio-political changes that took place in Spain during the 20th century.

Recent methods of visualization used in the diagnosis and consolidation of historic structures

The subject addresses heritage objects that are subject to degradation processes caused by both natural and anthropogenic factors. One of the current solutions is directed towards a varied range of scientific instruments, thus facilitating the analysis and diagnosis of the concerned buildings, contributing also to the identification of materials and techniques used and providing information about any previous interventions of conservation attempts. Recent visualization methods used in the diagnosis and consolidation of historic structures can utilize both three-dimensional laser scanning technology and laser interferometry as a diagnostic method, as well as alternative methods such electrometry, magnetometry and ground penetrating radar devices. The subject aims to address how heritage objects can be secured using 3D scanning technologies. The case studies were conducted on the Bezdin Monastery Complex, the ”Saint Martyr Gheorghe” Church, the ”Saint Martyr Filimon” Monastery and the former Metropolitan Summer Residence in Sibiu. The selected case studies illustrate the methodology for obtaining and processing field data, as well as the use of this data in the diagnosis process and in selecting appropriate consolidation options for these historical structures based on obtained results. These technologies have provided specialists with the possibility of extracting vital information both in the diagnostic phase and throughout the implementation of restoration works. Advanced scanning technologies of today have enabled the creation of a database with the capability of providing pertinent information about a building’s past, starting from its initial stage, up to the completion of execution works, which significantly aids in facilitating the process of diagnostic analysis and structural calculation.

An Overview of Listed Summer Residences and Villas in Zagreb

The goal of the research was to establish a complete overview of summer residences, villas and (family) houses in Zagreb, exclusively on the basis of listing criteria. 60 listed buildings were identified, all located in the northern part of Zagreb, on the southern slopes of Medvednica. The paper provides a review of listed building locations, authors, time of construction, historical stylistic classification, analysis of the pertaining listing documentation and literature review. Summer residences for an occasional stay were built during the 18th and 19th century in secluded hilly locations surrounded by vineyards and orchards. In the 20th century, the construction of summer residences decreased, while the construction of villas for permanent residence begins forming elite residential parts of the city. With a transition from a semi-rural to a semi-urban context, accompanied by the disappearance of the term summer residence and the introduction of the terms villa and (family) house, the stylistic transition from historicism to functionalism and modern architecture is evident. Three main historical-stylistic periods have been recognized and all the researched buildings have been classified accordingly.

FUNCTIONAL USE OF THE AREA OF PRAGUE CASTLE WITH EMPHASIS ON THE NORMALIZATION PERIOD

This paper deals with individual typological types and units in the Prague Castle area. It also focuses on the urban and historical development, as it is significantly influenced by the situation in the period under study. It focuses more closely on the period of the second half of the 20th century, and especially the period of normalization - the 1970s and 1980s. Prague Castle was and still is the seat of the monarch, or today the President of the Czech Republic. The historical context has had a considerable influence on the shape of the Castle (the succession of ruling personalities from different dynasties, the transformation from the position of the seat of the Habsburg monarchy and therefore the most important center in Central Europe to the position of the summer residence of the ruling family, etc.). Also unprecedented is the concentration of the main buildings of secular and ecclesiastical power in one area. The castle is a huge complex, combining morphological assumptions with the result of the work of a huge number of people. A number of foreign artists worked here, reaching world-class standards and both understanding and supporting the local genius loci. There are also many contrasts - political and constructional. For example, the imprints of monarchy and republic, church and secular power, ancient and modernist architecture, contrasts between the smallest buildings of houses and the largest palaces. On the basis of archival research and the study of expert literature, the reader is introduced to the progressive changes in the layout of the Castle complex and the associated changes in the functional use of the buildings and spaces in the aforementioned complex.

Documenting the early history of the grotto in the National Palace of Sintra (Portugal)

The National Palace of Sintra, the summer residence of the kings and queens of Portugal, underwent important transformations during the reign of Manuel I of Portugal (1495–1521). These changes significantly affected the water infrastructure of the building. Among numerous tanks and fountains, a very early 16th-century grotto was constructed. Its existence has gone unnoticed as it was completely refurbished during the 18th century. Nevertheless, it was described by a contemporary Spanish traveller. In this essay, we would like to present the original documentary and morphological details of the so-called Gruta dos Banhos and vindicate its role in the history of grottoes.

The ‘geobiography’ of an extraordinary artifact, or a conserved relic from the Iranianized ‘Dacha’ culture

Since one of cultural geography’s aims is to understand how human cultures influence the landscape, the geobiography of a modest artifact can be a readable clue concerning a larger cultural context. This article discusses how diasporic cultural mobility finds its way from the place of origin to the place of settlement. The story begins in Soviet Russia in the twilight of the 1930s when the Red Revolution has driven many people to flee their homeland and continues in Iran before and during World War II. A family of White emigrants from Ukraine came to Iran in the 1930s. They tried to relive sweet memories of distant years in the village of Damavand outside Tehran by finding a Russian-style summer residence, ‘dacha’, in the context of Iranian culture and geographical territory. In late Summer 1941, a taxi driver entrusted an old engraved copper pot to them as a guarantee to return and take them to Tehran, which Allied forces had occupied. Four generations have continuously cared for this unbreakable relic, whose story, valued much more than the object itself, illustrates the cultural dynamics of migration in the form of portable property. A geobiographical approach helps us better understand diasporic cultural practices in a new socio-cultural context: 1930s–40s Iran.

Juyong Gate

Abstract In 1345 the Mongol ruling house of the Yuan (1271–1368) built Juyong Gate along China's Great Wall. The gate stood on a road connecting the empire's twin capitals, Dadu and Shangdu. Those two cities possessed vastly different built environments. Dadu, the emperor's winter residence, evoked the tradition of Chinese imperial-city building. It provided the ruler with wooden and stone buildings laid out on an orthogonal grid. Shangdu, the emperor's summer residence, delivered a space for grassland containing pastures, where the ruler could set up collapsible tents filled with wall hangings. In other words, the seasonal movement between the two capitals entailed a shift in the habit of seeing and visual representation. To reflect that shift, Juyong Gate's passageway was carved with imagery that could simultaneously belong to the two visual worlds: planar reliefs that could be perceived as both stone carvings and wall hangings. Juyong Gate thus became a site where two major visual systems in constant negotiation in the Mongols' China could come together and coexist as one.

Battered by Geopolitical Winds, Bulgaria Struggles to Restart Much Needed Reforms

Battered by Geopolitical Winds, Bulgaria Struggles to Restart Much Needed Reforms

Baseline Health and Nutritional Parameters of Wild Sand Tigers Sampled in Delaware Bay.

Species-specific hematological reference values are essential for diagnosis and treatment of disease and maintaining overall health of animals. This information is lacking for many species of elasmobranchs maintained in zoos and aquaria, thus reducing the effectiveness of care for these animals. Descriptive statistics and reference intervals were calculated for hematocrit and complete blood cell counts, biochemistry and protein electrophoresis parameters, trace minerals, vitamins, heavy metals, reproductive hormones, and fatty acids in the blood of 153 wild Sand Tigers Carcharias taurus of both sexes and a range of sizes caught in Delaware Bay (Delaware, USA). Mean hematocrit, total white blood cell counts, lymphocyte differentials, glucose, phosphorus, amylase, and aspartate aminotransferase levels were significantly higher in juveniles than in adults. Levels of estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, and differences in selenium and eicosapentaenoic acid (a polyunsaturated fatty acid) between males and females suggest that they are important parameters for improving Sand Tiger breeding success in managed care. Finally, blood metal levels for arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury suggest low levels of contaminant exposure for Sand Tigers during their summer residence in Delaware Bay. The results of this study provide baseline health parameters for wild Sand Tigers that will aid in effective maintenance of aquarium animals and contribute to a greater understanding of the biology of these sharks and efforts to accomplish sustainable management of their populations.

Обзор дачного строительства Петербургской губернии с XVIII до начала XX века (типология по-селений и периодизация)

The historical and architectural heritage of St. Petersburg dacha (summer residence) as part of Russia’s cultural heritage was studied. The research methods included on-site inspections and architectural measurements, photo-fixation of studied objects, archive and museum search, historico-bibliographical search in the repositories of rare ancient books and cartographic divisions of scientific libraries. As a result, the phenomenon of "dacha recreation" was studied. Specific features of the St. Petersburg dacha environment were revealed. On the one hand, the dacha environment is associated with the traditions of spatial organisation of cities and rural settlements in Russia. On the other, the dacha environment is characterised by originality and the absence of a rigid hierarchy in its planning and composition, with the natural environment representing the major formative factor. The determined periodisation of dacha construction included the 1703–1830s, 1830s–early 1860s, 1860s–1890s and 1890s–1917 periods. Areas of active dacha construction were revealed. Thus, dacha construction in the St. Petersburg province was performed predominantly along highways, waterways, railroads and coastline of the Gulf of Finland. A typology of dacha settlements was proposed, including dacha suburbs, dacha villages, dacha resorts and dacha settlements. These types were differentiated in terms of size and population, title and organisation of living activities, type of foundation and administrative status, as well as principles of 3D-planning structure. Particular attention is paid to the unique historical and architectural value of dacha settlements of the St. Petersburg province and importance of its exploration and preservation. It is proposed to use the traditions of creating highly-artistic and optimally-organised dacha recreation environments during the design of contemporary suburban recreational spaces.

Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk jako vizuální symbol první republiky

The first Czechoslovak president, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, is inseparable from the values of the First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–1938). The three initials of his name, ‘TGM’, represented democracy and Czech statehood. His extraordinary personality inspired respect and Czechoslovak citizens were proud of their president, a man on horseback who was upstanding, vigorous and youthful. Masaryk was a charismatic man who took pride in his appearance. His white military-style riding outfit, seen in period films, photographs and portraits, has become symbolic. At a time when most men dressed in dark clothes, the president built his image and popularity with the help of this iconic clothing that became part of his identity and ingrained in the collective consciousness. He wore this typical outfit to ride through Prague on horseback during military parades, host important foreign guests in Topoľčianky, a summer residence of Czechoslovak presidents in Slovakia. He would play with his grandchildren in his white suit and was even buried in it.

Городище Искер: архивные материалы в изучении памятников времени освоения Сибири русскими

The article considers new data, which are becoming actual in our days, concerning the Isker settlement - the last General Headquarters of Khan Kuchum on the Irtysh. From the 19th century to the present, a large collection of archaeological materials, which has been accumulated, allowing its to be dated, classified, and study the culture of one of the administrative centers of the Siberian Khanate. However, there are plots that can not be solved only on the data of archaeology. For example, what is the historical nature of the site: the capital of the khanate, one of the General Headquarters of Khan Kuchum, summer residence of his and his close relatives, the settlement of different times, the late layers of which belong to the late Medieval time, etc.? The key to solving such issues is archaeological and historical researches. And this requires the use, along with archaeological, and historical sources. The author introduces into scientific circulation unpublished materials obtained by A.F. Palashenkov in 1937 and 1938 during his examination of Isker. They are stored in the Historical Archive of the Omsk region. Materials about the landmark are contained in two dossier. These are plans of the complex, sections, photos, descriptions, drawings of finds, etc. Three folders contains information about the “Kuchum trail” - the road along which the khan went to the Ishim steppes. These documents record the state of Isker at the end of the 1930s, when the degree of its destruction was not strong enough. The introduction of these data into scientific circulation will supplement the information about Isker, will allow to correct the ideas about the nature of the monument, and make it one of the basic complexes in the archaeological and historical research of the cities of the Siberian Khanate.

The founding of first Russian Open-air Museum of Architecture in Kolomenskoye: The hard struggle of P.D.Baranovskiy

This article considers the founding and first years of existence of museum in Kolomenskoye. The history of the museum in 1923–1930 is traced basing on a rich archive material from archive of Kolomenskoye museum-reserve, Central state archive of Moscow region and Department of Written sources of State Historic Museum. In this article, the condition of architectural monuments in Kolomenskoye during first years after the revolution and their use by different organizations is described in detail. The administrative struggle of Petr Dmitrievich Baranovskiy for transfer of monuments of former tsar’s estate of 16th–19th centuries to museum is in focus. The author considers difficult issue of museum — church relations at that period and their influence on the attitude of Kolomenskoye dwellers and dwellers of another nearest villages to the museum. The article also touches upon the problem of museum’s security and its existence in conditions of hard criminal situation of first post-revolutionary years. The article indirectly considers the issues of the formation of museum staff and restauration of the monuments. Above the frames of this article are the issues of the formation of the museum’s collection and biographies of its first employees, including the biography of P.D.Baranovskiy, about whom many works have already been written. The actuality of the theme of founding of the museum in Kolomenskoye is due to the forthcoming one hundred anniversary of the museum. At this moment, there are no researches in scientific literature, which could give a holistic view of the founding of the first open-air museum of architectural monuments in Russia in former summer residence of Russian tsars.

Archeological Research of the Bishops’s Summer House

The article presents the results of the archaeological excavations of the Summer House of the bishop in Krasnoyarsk. An analysis of the finds revealed two historical complexes of objects. The pre-revolutionary complex opens the summer residence of the Metropolitan of Yenisey, Ahcinsk and Dormitory Monastery. Researchers noted the presence of expensive, prestigious things that are rarely found in archaeological complexes. Ceramics of the end of XIX – the beginning of XX are important for the development of the chronology of ceramics of the Russian population of Yenisei province. The second set of objects is connected with the first school-commune in Krasnoyarsk, which was opened after the revolution on the territory of the monastery. The inhabitants of the Bishop’s Summer House used not rare and expensive things, but they used consumer goods. Items came from the central supply of social institutions. Dishes with agitation images, export Soviet faience, flanged glasses and glass dishes were found. The complexes of 1920–1930 are not archaeological values now. But they demonstrate the specificity of this period in Russian history

Mystery and history: when did Catherine the Great purchase the Lyde Browne collection?

Abstract Documents preserved in the Russian State Historical Archives shed light on the acquisition by Empress Catherine II of the renowned collection of classical sculpture assembled by the antiquary Lyde Browne (d. 1787) – its purchase, arrival and first display in the pavilions of the imperial summer residence in Tsarskoe Selo near St Petersburg. The date for the sale, once assumed to have been 1787, is most widely accepted as 1785, or, as recently suggested, 1784. In fact, there are two dates – 1783 and 1784 – as established by Catherine’s payments (a total sum equivalent to £22,630) for the sculptures as delivered. The archival lists show considerably more items than does the catalogue of Browne’s collection from 1779, while the dispersal of Catherine’s collection of antiquities by her son, Paul I, a partial export to Poland, the formation of the Imperial Hermitage Museum, and later events all contribute to the complex history of the Lyde Browne sculptures in Russia.

Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in Greenland — mixed-stock origin, diet, hydrographic conditions, and repeated catches in this new fringe area

Based on collaboration with the Greenlandic fishing fleet, we document the presence of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in most years from 2012 to 2018 in the waters east of Greenland (northern Irminger Sea). In total, 84 individuals have been registered as bycatch in the commercial fisheries in Greenland waters, which indicates that the first catch of three individuals in 2012 was not a single extreme observation, but that East Greenland waters have become a new outer limit of an expanded tuna habitat. Genetic analyses indicate that specimens from this region are mostly of Mediterranean origin with a small proportion originating from the Gulf of Mexico stock. Stomach content analysis suggests that the main prey is Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus). The tunas ranged in size from 140 to 270 cm, corresponding to an estimated age range of 5–16 years; most were probably mature. The wide size–age range suggests that many year classes are participating in the migration to this region. Sea temperatures during summer have been above the long-term average in recent years of interest. Summer residence of bluefin tuna in the region could be due to a combination of increasing temperatures and higher overall abundances of both bluefin tuna and a key prey species (Atlantic mackerel).

Some like it cold: Temperature-dependent habitat selection by narwhals.

The narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is a high‐Arctic species inhabiting areas that are experiencing increases in sea temperatures, which together with reduction in sea ice are expected to modify the niches of several Arctic marine apex predators. The Scoresby Sound fjord complex in East Greenland is the summer residence for an isolated population of narwhals. The movements of 12 whales instrumented with Fastloc‐GPS transmitters were studied during summer in Scoresby Sound and at their offshore winter ground in 2017–2019. An additional four narwhals provided detailed hydrographic profiles on both summer and winter grounds. Data on diving of the whales were obtained from 20 satellite‐linked time‐depth recorders and 16 Acousonde™ recorders that also provided information on the temperature and depth of buzzes. In summer, the foraging whales targeted depths between 300 and 850 m where the preferred areas visited by the whales had temperatures ranging between 0.6 and 1.5°C (mean = 1.1°C, SD = 0.22). The highest probability of buzzing activity during summer was at a temperature of 0.7°C and at depths > 300 m. The whales targeted similar depths at their offshore winter ground where the temperature was slightly higher (range: 0.7–1.7°C, mean = 1.3°C, SD = 0.29). Both the probability of buzzing events and the spatial distribution of the whales in both seasons demonstrated a preferential selection of cold water. This was particularly pronounced in winter where cold coastal water was selected and warm Atlantic water farther offshore was avoided. It is unknown if the small temperature niche of whales while feeding is because prey is concentrated at these temperature gradients and is easier to capture at low temperatures, or because there are limitations in the thermoregulation of the whales. In any case, the small niche requirements together with their strong site fidelity emphasize the sensitivity of narwhals to changes in the thermal characteristics of their habitats.

The Making of a Maker’s House. The Auden Museum in Kirchstetten from a Visitor’s Perspective

ABSTRACT The famous Anglo-American poet W. H. Auden held a summer residence in a small village near Vienna from 1958 until his death in 1973. In 1995, the attic of his house was opened as a local museum dedicated to the writer. And in 2015, a relaunch of the exhibition tried to bring the heritage of Auden back to presence. A major challenge for the new installation was to integrate education in the curatorial process, for there is no staff on-site. The visitors to the museum are divided into locals, passers-by, and Auden-aficionados from all over the world. Due to this mixed visitorship, the new conception had to strike a balance between different expectations and, last but not least, between the fascinating aura of the original place and the danger of reproducing local Auden-folklore. Eventually, it is the visitors’ presence that keeps the museum alive, as they bring their experiences and personal connection to Auden’s life, work, and place.

Geothermal Technology for Sustainable Climate Control in an Historic House

ABSTRACT This paper discusses integration of twenty-first-century direct-exchange geothermal technology with nineteenth-century heat supply infrastructure to provide climate control at The Breakers, Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A. In 1892, Cornelius Vanderbilt II built an 11,600 m2 Italian Renaissance style summer residence equipped with the most modern domestic technology available. This house retains original architectural finishes, furnishings, and a decorative arts collection, to give visitors insight into America’s Gilded Age. The mansion’s original design relied upon the ocean setting for its natural ventilation during summer occupancy; a convection heat system maintained the building through winter. A century later, risks to the collection due to extreme fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity along with rising energy costs prompted a climate modification feasibility study. The expense and complexity of conventional systems were deemed prohibitive, intrusive, and unsustainable. A high-efficiency geothermal heat pump system was chosen because it could generate conditioned, filtered air, re-use historic convection heat shafts, and significantly offset heating costs. Since going online in 2018, the system has stabilized the interior environment and considerably reduced fuel consumption. Discussion will include challenges encountered through design, installation and start-up, and assessment of environmental data.

RECREATION SETTLEMENTS: MAIN FACTORS AND APPROACHES TO FORMATION

The modern and domestic experience of formation of recreational settlements in rural areas are generalized, the main factors contributing to the transformation of rural settlements into recreational settlements are identified, the uses of the types of use of rural territory in the arrangement of settlements for recreation are identified. The modern approaches to renovation and improvement of the functional and planning structure of the existing settlements territories are presented. The experience of renovation of rural territories, transformation of existing agrarian settlements into recreational ones and elaboration of approaches to the improvement of their functional and planning structure and design solutions are generalized. It is advisable to dwell on the definition of the term - recreational settlement. At the end of XX century, the following terms existed: suburban settlements, no analogues were found in foreign literature, but instead were settlements for recreation. We propose to use a more generalized term recreational settlement: a settlement whose main area of the business is recreation and tourism. In the course of our research we have identified the following types: 1.1. the settlement of tourism and recreation; 1.2. summer residence; 1.3. sports and health resort; 1.4. a cottage settlement with a fitness center; 1.5. а сottage settlement with a family-run guest house. In our opinion, the following main factors influence the formation of a recreational function, both in multifunctional settlements and in general, the transformation of settlements into recreational ones, or the creation of new recreational settlements: the population of the settlement; historical and cultural conditions; recreational resources available; free housing; seasonal housing stock; lack of significant livestock production; natural features of the area; dynamics of humanity; availability of free land stock. These characteristics, the presence of which leads to the formation of recreational settlements, can be evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively and, accordingly, to propose proposals for improving the functional and planning structure of existing settlements.