Japanese Garden (Wroclaw)

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Text from www.wroclaw.pl

Ogrod Japonski (The Japanese Garden), Located in Szczytnicki Park close to Hala Ludowa (Centenary Hall) on Mickiewicza St. it is one of few traces of the World Exhibition in 1913 that remain in the park. Prepared and set up by a most notable Japan connoisseur and enthusiast, count Fritz von Hochberg, together with Japanese gardener Mankichi Arai, it was a jewel of the exhibition. However, many of the Japanese-style details were borrowed for the time of the exhibition and have since been removed.

In 1994 the Wroclaw authorities decided to restore the garden. The Japanese Embassy in Warsaw was asked for essential help. The request met keen interest from the Japanese Ambassador - Mr. Nagao Hyodo.

In 1996 the restoration work started in cooperation with Japanese specialists from Nagoya (gardeners, stone arrangement architects, garden architects, etc.)

Thanks to the presence of Japanese specialists, the entire work corresponds to the style of Japanese garden art down to the fine details. Each element of the renewed garden has its place and meaning - which is often not visible to Europeans. The garden, bearing references to historical groundwork from 1913, acquired a lot of new elements that make its character really consistent with the rules of Japanese garden art.


The old cascade has been rebuilt into a "male" one, with fast flowing water curtain. Another cascade, "female", with slowly flowing water and two middle steps, has also been built. The water from both cascades goes to the lake which has a wandering shore line. There is an ornamental main gate to the garden, and a wide alley leading the visitors to the central and most attractive part of the garden - a beautiful bridge, covered with a decorative roof, joining the two banks of the lake. The garden has also acquired: a new island, stone lanterns and additional paths that allow visitors to approach the lake and admire the sights from the very bank of the stream.

Another attraction in the Southern part of the garden, refers to Japanese homestead gardens with a Sukiya type house - that is a pavilion and cropped hedgerows and a fragment of a stone - grass garden.

Whilst in previous years the garden had been Japanese by name only, now Wroclaw has gained a real piece of Japanese culture, something unique in this part of the world.

The garden is open
daily between April 1st and October 31st from 900 AM till 700 PM.
Tickets: standard – 3 PLN, discount – 1,5 PLN.
phone: 0-662-169-226