Discover the historical and botanical wonders that await you in these royal residences around the world.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – May 8, 2021 – Tourism and Travel
In 1993 Buckingham Palace opened its doors to allow visitors for the first time in its 314-year history. Queen Elizabeth II needed to fund renovations at Windsor Castle after a devastating fire broke out at the royal residence in 1992 and caused damage worth more than 36 million pounds (about $ 61 million), and she gave her permission to allow visitors to enter the palace and sell tickets. Three years in advance once it goes on sale.
The palace opens for 10 weeks each summer as the Queen moves to Balmoral in Scotland, but the palace gardens have always been closed to the public. Space has only been used by the royal family, along with their guests, most notably during the three annual garden parties hosted each summer, as the Queen recognizes those who have made contributions to the military, society, arts, education, and more.
This year, with the UK’s Covid restrictions eased, the Royal Collection Trust, a charity that manages and manages palaces and royal lands, is opening the gardens at Buckingham Palace for the first time.
Besides the British royals’ residence, there are five royal gardens here that are open to visitors this year.
1. Buckingham Palace, England.
History: The park with an area of 15.8 hectares is the largest private park in London. While the palace was built in 1703, the gardens date back even further, to the year 1608, when James I established a mulberry farm to raise silkworms on the site.
Originally built for the Duke of Buckingham, the palace and gardens became royal property in 1761 when George III bought it as a private residence. During his reign, the park was home to an elephant and one of the first zebras in England.
George IV later hired William Townsend Eton of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to reshape the grounds after a taste for landscaping replaced the earlier fashion for formal gardens.
Visitors will be able to stroll the draped summer house, view the Waterloo vase designed for George IV, and visit the Palace tennis court where King George VI and Fred Perry played in the 1930s.
Nature: The park includes more than 325 species of wild plants, more than 1,000 trees, a 156-meter long grassy border, wildflower meadows, and a rose garden. It is also home to more than 30 species of birds, including the common sand bird, broadleaf, and lesser pharynx.
Visitors will also see flat trees planted by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and a lake with an island in the center on which Buckingham Palace bees reside.
2. Versailles Palace, France.
History: French landscape artist Andre Le Notre was commissioned to create and restore palace gardens by Sun King, Louis XIV, in 1661.
The famous Orangery was built, while the fountains and the Grand Canal were dug from the surrounding meadows and marshes in a project that required thousands of men, with entire military regiments assigned to help.
The trees were brought from different regions of France, while the likes of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the superintendent of the buildings for the king, Charles Le Brun, the king’s first painter, and Jules Hardwin Mansart, the king’s first architect collaborated on the design.
The garden must be replanted every 100 years and after Louis XVI, Napoleon III oversaw the next replanting.
Nature: On 788 hectares – an area larger than both Manhattan and Paris – grand streets and orchards are lined with Corsican pine, beech, poplar, chestnut, and hawthorn.
3. Imperial Palace East Gardens, Japan.
History: Both the palace and the gardens were built on the site of the Edo Castle ruins dating back to 1457. The ownership of the castle has changed several times over the years and one of its most famous tales is the Sword Battle of 1701 between Asano Takumi.
Nature: The Eastern Gardens are home to many seasonal flowers, which means they bloom all year round. Plum and cherry trees abound, and Musashino’s peel shines a beautiful golden and crimson hue in autumn. Ninomaru Grove is a woodland area that is considered one of the most beautiful parts of the park.
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Source: Ukrgate