Miklouho-Maclay Park - the Object of Historical, Cultural and Architectural Heritage

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE MIKLOUHO-MACLAY PARK - THE OBJECT OF HISTORICAL, CULTURAL AND ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE Fedir Markov Zhytomyr National Agricultural University, Ukraine e-mail: [email protected] Abstract The article is devoted to the analysis of historical, cultural, and architectural importance of Miklouho-Maclay park, a monument of landscape art. It examines the archive data about the family of the famous traveler, ethnographer, anthropologist Mykola Mykolayovych Miklouho-Maclay who lived in Malyn (Zhitomir district Ukraine) at the end of XIX and the beginning of XX century, his contribution to the development of landscape art. It is shown that the park contains 57 species of arboreal-shrub plants including 34 species of trees, 22 shrubs, and one shrubbу liana. 23 of them (40%) are introduced species. The author offers the direction of parkland reconstruction and points out recommendations on territory zoning. Key words: park, the monument of landscape art, introduced decorative species. Introduction During 1917-1941 the park fell into decay. Nobody As a rule, ancient parks convey the historical and took care of it, most of the introduced species perished cultural information. The City Park of Culture and on its territory. As a result, most of its dendroflora now Recreation in Malyn, Zhytomyr Region, is named are represented by aboriginal arboreal and shrubby after the famous Ukrainian traveler, ethnographer, species. During the Second World War, some trees ethnologist, anthropologist, biologist, and humanist were cut by Germans; the park became the execution of the past century M.M. Miklouho-Maclay. The first ground for captured Resistance fighters. information about the purchase of the estate appeared Revival of the city park began in the 1960’s through in his letter to his friend A. Meshcherskiy dated 1873, the 1970’s: avenues were cleaned and asphalted, December 11, where he wrote: “I am not happy with ponds were cleared and the boating station was the things you told me about my mother, but I know built. The summer theatre and children’s playground the estate was her (mother’s) desire.” with carousels and attractions were also constructed Maclay’s mother, Kateryna Semenivna, moved there; though, with time, they became obsolete and to Malyn with her older son Sergiy and her daughter consequently were dismantled. Olga. Soon, a new two-story brick house along with The landscaped park obtained its status on some other buildings including a stable, shed for December 22, 1973 by the order of the Zhytomyr cattle, and hen house were built. The bakery and a Regional Executive Committee. According to the deep well were already there. The orchard was planted; decision, the area was 43 hectares large. Later, in flowerbeds and a small fish pond were constructed. 1973-1992, it was diminished to 29.6348 hectares due The main building was located in the big ancient park to the construction of a nearby school, kindergarten, where later a riding hall, an area for croquet, and two and private houses (Figure). arbours were made. While there is enough information about the In 1886 Myklouho-Maclay visited his mother, Miklouho-Maclay, the information about arboreal- in Malyn. He admired the way of life, customs, and shrub composition of those days and of today’s park traditions of the local people. He was fond of folk is practically missing. It is known only that the park dances, songs, and games of local young people on the was created on the base of oak and pine plantings in a Irsha river. The scientist was interested in Drevlyan’s landscape style with the introduction of new species. origin and their history. He visited nearby villages and Unfortunately, we have no information about the studied anthropological constitution of Polishchuks. species brought from different countries including Following August, Mykola Mykolayovysh visited New Guinea. Malyn again. Unfortunately, his visit was shorted by The aim of our investigation was to determine the illness. He died shortly thereafter. species composition of the current park’s dendroflora. After the death of his mother Kateryna Semenivna, the estate was estimated at 200,000 roubles in 1905. Materials and Methods The park with a lot of rare 500-600-year-old trees was In our investigation, archived materials of State the most valuable. It was planned in a landscape style. archive of Zhytomyr region, Central State Historical Unfortunately, most of the plants including those Archive of Ukraine in Kyiv, commercial and brought by Myklouho-Maclay from New Guinea, industrial statistics’ materials of ХІХ century and have not survived to our days. M.M. Myklouho-Maclay’s work collections were 148 RESEARCH FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT 2012 MIKLOUHO-MACLAY PARK - THE OBJECT OF Fedir Markov HISTORICAL, CULTURAL AND ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE Figure. The scheme of Miklouho-Maclay’s park. used. Research was done in Malyn Zhitomir district project, it is recommended to introduce a greater Ukraine. percentage of decoratively valuable arboreal-shrub The qualitative structure of park’s dendroflora was species. identified with the help of Atlas ‘Trees and Bushes of On the most park’s territory, trees are in good Western Ukraine’ (Бродович, 1979). sanitary condition. However, some plants, especially Populus nigra and Salix babylonica growing on the Results and Discussions pond banks are nearing their age limit and losing their Besides the historical and memorial value, the biological hardiness. Such trees should be closely research of the park has also scientific significance. monitored, timely eliminated, and replaced. More In particular, its territory preserved the landscape thorough examination of vegetation will be conducted planning, which creates picturesque views. The age during the functional zoning of park’s territory. of many trees, especially Quercus and Pinus, is more The territory of investigated park comprises a than 150 years. Our preliminary counts show that complicated set of areas with arboreal-shrub planting 57 species of arboreal-shrubby plants, including 34 in different degrees of preservation and complex of species of trees, 22 shrubs, and one shrubby liana, grounds of sporting, recreational, and cultural value grow in the park. Most of them are local aboriginal as well as an unfinished building of sporting complex. species (Table). In current condition, without functional zoning of The quantitative analysis of plant species park’s territory its re-planning, finishing the sporting composition showed that the group of decorative and complex construction, and equipping children’s fruit species comparatively recently introduced into playgrounds are forbidden by the Law as the park’s the park’s dendroflora was represented by 23 species territory is protected. and accounted for 40% of all species. Thus, the base To optimize the usage of the territory of park- of the park is formed by aboriginal plants, which are monument of landscape gardening art, the activity more typical for a forest landscape, than for a park on its territory should comply with the Law. After the one. Therefore, while working out the reconstruction approval of new borders, the functional zoning should RESEARCH FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT 2012 149 MIKLOUHO-MACLAY PARK - THE OBJECT OF HISTORICAL, CULTURAL AND ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE Fedir Markov Table 1 Dendroflora Composition of Miklouho-Maclay Park Introduced Introduced No Species No Species species species Family Aceraceae 26 Pinus silvestris L. - 1 Acer platanoides L. - 27 Pinus nigra Arn. + 2 Acer sacharinum L. + 28 Thuja accidentalis L. + 3 Acer negundo L. + Family Rosaceae 4 Acer tataricum L. - 29 Armeniaca vulgaris L. - 5 Acer tataricum f. minor - 30 Sorbus aucuparia L. - Family Berberidaceae 31 Pyrus communis L. - 6 Berberis orientalis L. + 32 Malus domestica Borkh. - Family Betulaceae 33 Malus prunifolia (Willd.) Borkh. + 7 Betula pendula L. - 34 Prunus divaricata Ledeb. + 8 Carpinus betulus L. - 35 Cerasus domestica L. - 9 Corylus avellana L. - 36 Rubus caesius L. - Family Carpifoliaceae 37 Rubus idaeus L. - 10 Sumbucus nigrа L. - 38 Spiraea japonica L. + 11 Viburnum opulus L. - 39 Spiraea x vanhouttii Zabel + Family Celestraceae 40 Rosa canina L. - 12 Evonymys verrucosa L. - 41 Rosa caesia L. - 13 Evonymys europea L. - 42 Physocarpus opulifolia Maxim + Family Cupressaceae 43 Chaenomeles japonica (Thunb.) + Lindi 14 Juniperus sabina L. + 44 Crataegus curvesipala L. - Family Fabaceae 45 Crataegus ucrainica Pojark. - 15 Robinia psevdoacacia L. + Family Saliaceae 16 Genista tinctiria L. - 46 Salix babylonica L. + 17 Chamaecytisus ruthenicus - 47 Salix pentandra L. - (Fisch. ex Wolłosz.) Klásk. 18 Laburnum anagyroides Med. + 48 Salix fragilis L. + 19 Caragana arborescens Lam. + 49 Salix caprea L. - Family Fagaceae 50 Salix alba L. - 20 Quercus robur L. - 51 Populus nigra L. - 21 Quercus rubra L. + 52 Populus tremula L. - Family Hippocastanaceae Family Tiliaceae 22 Aesculus hyppocastanum L. + 53 Tilia cordata Mill. - Family Oleacea Family Ulmaceae 23 Syringa vulgaris L. + 54 Fraxinus excelsior L. - Family Pinaceae 55 Ulmus laevis Pall. - 24 Picea pungens Engelm. + 56 Fraxinus viridis Michx. + 25 Picea abies (L.) Karsten - Family Vitaceae 57 Partenocyssus qiunquefolia(L.) + Planch. Introduced species (total) 23 Сomment: «+» - introduced species, «-» - indigenous species. be implemented according to the Law of Ukraine excursions), 1b – a zone of the limited recreation on ‘About the Naturally-Protected Fund’ from 1992, June the pond shore protective

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