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Kārlis Barons - the Most Outstanding Garden Architect of the Second Half of 20Th Century

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Kārlis Barons - the Most Outstanding Garden Architect of the Second Half of 20Th Century Proceedings of the Latvia University of Agriculture Landscape Architecture and Art, Volume 3, Number 3 Kārlis Barons - the most outstanding garden architect of the second half of 20th century Gundega Lināre, Latvia University of Agriculture Abstract. Building on the territory of Riga is blessed with talented urban planners. After pulling down of the medieval city’s ramparts, the cleared territory was turned into a circle of parks and boulevards. Only five European cities can boast of such planning. These cities are Gothenburg, Brno, Graz, Vienna and Riga. In Riga, the fortress ramparts were begun to be leveled in 1858. The authors of the first planning of boulevards and parks of Riga are the architects – urban planners J.D. Felsko and O. Dietze. In 1859, instead of the former ravelins and bastions of Riga Fortress, on either side of the picturesque canal of the fortress, a park belt was created by Vendt, the architect of Lübeck. In 1880, this park was transformed by Georg Kuphaldt, the brilliant and talented garden architect, who acquired his education in Germany, at the Royal Gardener’s Institute in Potsdam. After him, the gardens and parks of Riga are designed by G. Kuphaldt and K. Barons, the brilliant landscape architects. Keywords: urban garden architects, system of greenery. Introduction Riga is blessed with excellent urban garden Kārlis Barons was born in the parish of Drusti of architects. Georg Kuphaldt has created a structure of the district of Cēsis (1912). The picturesque the system of greenery in Riga that serves the romantic landscape, the hills and valleys, the serene residents of Riga still today. His student peace of the farmstead surrounded by large trees Andrejs Zeidaks has rebuilt the parks of Riga are the unforgettable childhood impressions, according to the new, modern-style of gardens of the which formed the basis for the further creative work 20th century. His most outstanding work is the idea in the garden art. and implementation of the ensemble of the Warrior’s Cemetery in Riga. The Latvian riflemen slain in World War I in the battles for independence of Latvia are buried in this cemetery. The architectonic part of this ensemble is crowned by the sculptures of Kārlis Zāle. For the first time in the world in the architecture of memorial ensembles as a dominant - linear plantings of perennials in beds are used, creating a typical linear arrangement of flowers in beds characteristic to Latvian farmhouses. Over the grave yard in the summer, the phlox and rose fragrance is lingering in the air, which is also characteristic to farmhouses. In the short interval between the two World Wars, A. Zeidaks managed to recreate the gardens and parks of Riga in accordance with the latest requirements of the garden art. Kārlis Barons, a student of A. Zeidaks, maintained and further developed both his ideas and the parks created by him. Each of them came out to live in different social structures. The most productive years in the life of Kārlis Barons were spent under the yoke of the Soviet Union, where even the list of occupations did not contain the profession of the landscape or the garden architects [1, 2]. Many talented creative people come from Fig. 1. Karlis Barons, 1974 Vidzeme- writers, poets, composers, painters, etc. [Source: photo from author private archive]. 107 Scientific Journal of Latvia University of Agriculture Landscape Architecture and Art Fig. 2. The sketch of cottages garden. K. Barons, 1932 [Source: material from author private archive]. While learning at Bulduri, a deep interest in the but one has to work in a new style of the garden art, decorative gardening is created as the garden art was rooted in the traditions of the Latvian nature and the taught by architect Andrejs Zeidaks. Only then, rustic greenery of the Latvian farmstead that echoes the next garden architect realized that the garden art with the modern architecture of the 20th century. is not lovely outlined flower beds, beautiful shrubs, The aim of the study is to reflect the work of the trees and neat paths, but it is the outdoors building first landscape architects of the independent Latvia art. The garden design is not based on the idea of in the areas of the city environment. abstract beauty, but rather on the functional utility The assignment – to reflect the idea of garden and human needs. In the composition of greenery, projects and the quest for the Latvian identity the past century manor parks should not be copied, context in the compositional creation of the gardens. Materials and methods Kārlis Barons immediately used the newly acquired beautiful, aesthetic greenery”. “Let’s take care of knowledge and rescheduled the greenery of his father's nature and nature will take care of us!” Here, the first farmstead, where the project was accepted by seeds of the garden and the park development of the A. Zeidaks. The Gardening and Beekeeping Magazine new independent state lie, based on the understanding / 1936, No. 6 / contains K. Baron’s article “Farmstead of the art of outdoor space creation in the context of the Greenery” where he published the greenery project of national identity. “Lejasmindaugi”, his reflections of ornamental The historical Valdeķi Manor (arch. T. Zeilers, horticulture and of the new “reformed type of gardens, 1882) has been rebuilt during the period of the at which a great merit belongs to the director of Riga independent state in Latvia, creating a pompous Gardens A. Zeidaks”. He wrote, “The Latvian enjoys baroque staircase in the entrance, where the new garden the beauty provided by art. Art awakens the man’s light is subordinated to it. By A. Zeidak’s project, K. Barons forces. Ornamental horticulture requires talent. There carries out the reconstruction of the park as it has plenty you will need each thing intuitively feel, consider". of big old trees, therefore only ornamental shrubs are And again, “I can safely say - we do not have a house planted, planting also 10 000 perennial flower in Latvia, where it would not be possible to have seedlings and installing walking paths. 108 Scientific Journal of Latvia University of Agriculture Landscape Architecture and Art Fig. 3. Riga.The park Ziedondarzs. K. Barons, 1940. The fountain (sculptor M. Lange) andrecreation pavilion (arch. A. Kalnins) [Source: photo from author private archive]. The creative work in the design of the Riga city environment begins with the creation of the Latvian Society of Horticulture Instructors. About his private practice K. Barons writes, “A beautiful neighborhood embellishes people”. It dates back to 06 November 1933. The archive of K. Barons contains a chalet’s garden draft of 27 November 1932, where the author writes, “My first project”. In April 1937, he arranged his own garden project office, which hired two more employees. Project orders for K. Barons were provided by the Latvian Chamber of Agriculture. In the place of the old army gunner barracks and gardening –in the corner of Artilērijas street and the present Čaka street, the Riga Garden architect A. Zeidaks had planned to lay out a new park - Ziedoņdārzs, on the project of which also worked the young garden architect K. Barons, passionately drawing plan options of Ziedoņdārzs. Several of his ideas A. Zeidaks included in the final version of the park’s plan. The paddling pool and the large, spacious lawns are accepted. Until 1940, K. Barons participates in the Esplanade, Latgale garden (now Fig. 4. Riga. The square Livu. The stylistic Moscow garden), Victory Park, Kronvalda Park and features of soviet times. P. Seleckis, 1950 other garden and park design and layout works. [Source: material from author private archive]. K. Barons took part in the International After the reconstruction works of the manor Horticultural Congress in Berlin (1938) and then house garden, A. Zeidaks invited K. Barons to work toured to Germany to see gardens there. In 1939, in the Riga Garden administration. With few breaks he familiarized with the greenery in Finland. he worked here for 34 years, running the way from Over the next years, it was expected to familiarize the junior drawer – technician to the principal also with French, Italian and English parks, architect of the Riga Gardens. but the intentions were overlaid by the war. 109 Scientific Journal of Latvia University of Agriculture Landscape Architecture and Art Fig. 5. Riga. The square Livu. Multistage flowerbed. P. Seleckis, 1950 [Source: photo from author private archive]. Fig. 6. Riga. The improvement of residential courtyard. A. Zeidaks, K Barons,1940 [Source: material from author private archive]. 110 Proceedings of the Latvia University of Agriculture Landscape Architecture and Art, Volume 3, Number 3 Fig. 7. Riga. The trees groups of Park Uzvaras. K. Barons, 2009 [Source: photo from author private archive]. Fig. 8. Riga. The trees groups of Park Uzvaras. K. Barons, 2009 [Source: photo from author private archive]. In his memoirs, K. Barons describes very vividly residential neighbourhoods of the 19th century in his first meeting with the first director of the Latvia that previously separated the earlier Riga Gardens Georg Kuphaldt in 1931. boundaries of private property. Yet, in the pre-war A. Zeidaks introduces them to each other and years, the Riga City Executive Board asked the Riga K. Barons spends time walking along the parks of Gardens Directorate to design a complex Riga together with G. Kuphaldt. At the canal, improvement and greenery of the city's old, the old white-haired man shows a linden tree that he 19th century residential neighbourhoods. In general, has planted long ago. Now this linden tree is felled, it was a highly advanced, but for those times just but gardeners have managed to root in one of the a utopian idea.
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