Co-operation work with Lithuania was carried out in two stages: a mission of evaluation of an ensemble of cultural and natural parks in June 2001, and a seminar for the comparison of European case studies in May 2002. It concerns an exemplary pilot scheme that implements collaboration between the Institute, the Cultural Centre of Terrasson, the Lithuanian government, two Lithuanian cities, Vilnius and Palanga, and an ensemble of European experts from all disciplines and with complementary levels of responsibility.

a mission of evaluation and reconnaissance

The project of this mission was born in Terrasson in September 2000 during the first working seminar of landscape architects from the East and the West of Europe. Alfredas Jomantas, responsible for European co-operation within the division for the protection of the cultural heritage of Lithuania, made a general presentation of the range of landscape heritage in his country, which truly surprised the audience: "One can count approximately 1000 historical parks and gardens in Lithuania. Half of them have acquired significant structural deterioration, primarily because they lost their owners or their users, which happened for the long run. In short, they remained abandoned for years (for example, Belvederis park). That does not mean that they no longer have any chance to be revitalised if social conditions change. The proof for this assertion comes from two historical parks, which, after having faced very difficult conditions and having been abandoned for a long time, currently show their beauty and charm again, thanks to the work undertaken by the new owners. These are the park of Kairenai near Vilnius and the park of Burbiškis. There are currently about 500 parks whose architectural structures are abandoned: very often they are old administration centres of former kolkhozes or of already closed schools, or many properties very remote from main roads. The other 500 parks are under very unsteady conditions of maintenance...".

Parc Rietavo, Lituanie. Mission.
Cliché MTP

The mission was prepared by the Division for the protection of cultural heritage, which chose the course, the places to visit the people to meet and prepared the logistics of the visits (transportation, reception, gathering of the people in charge of municipal parks, of natural reserves, N.G.O., private owners....) under the supervision of Alfredas Jomantas and Kestutis Labanauskas, specialist in charge of the Parks.

The choice of experts was made according to several criteria: to bring knowledge of the issues of protection, restitution and restoration of historical parks, to bring knowledge of management and animation of historical and contemporary parks, to bring knowledge of management and animation of historical and contemporary parks, to bring knowledge of architectural dimension in a context of territory, and finally to confront the opinions and analyses of specialists from the West and East of Europe. The experts are: Mariachiara Pozzana, Italy, architect, person in charge of an independent agency of landscape design, and also in charge, with the French Cultural Institute of Florence, of training seminars on the restoration of historical parks; Marie-Paule Baussan, France, former CEO of a line of natural cosmetic products, former head of publicity for the "Festival of the Gardens" in Chaumont, mission leader and person in charge of the information policy for the Gardens of the Imaginary in Terrasson, director of the show of books on the garden and the imaginary "The feather and the rake" and series editor for the publishing house Actes Sud; and Claudia Constantinescu, Romania, architect at Prodomus Inc., Bucharest, expert of the Council of Europe (the programme Leonardo Caravella on the trades of restoration of patrimonial buildings) and of the European Institute of Cultural Routes, curator of the competition "Contemporary architectural interventions in rural areas in villages of heritage and tourist interest from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe".

general conclusions

The experts underlined the quality of the preparation of the mission. The extent and the diversity of visited sites constituted a true discovery for them. This indicates that there is potential for development, which can be used as showcase for Lithuanian tourism, as source for local development and as mobiliser of the civic society. That also means that the priority choice to develop historical and contemporary cultural parks should constitute for Lithuania a relevant step for mobilising a planned action of the services of patrimonial protection and a cultural action (books, visual arts, music...) as well as a transversal step, implementing long-term co-operation among the ministries concerned. An overall plan bearing an emblematic name should thus be adopted at the level of the government and of local authorities.

Europos Parkas, Lithuania.
Work of Magdalena Abakanowicz.
Photo MTP

They also agreed to consider that Lithuania could constitute a pilot country for the implementation of a route, "Parks and Landscape", which is likely to make possible a global cultural and tourist offer and to decline itself according to several sets of themes:

• a sacred space;
• landscape and memory;
• from geology to land art;
• the route of the parks of Edouard André...

Moreover, they underlined the need to start from locally anchored projects, from projects that can be related to emergency situations but whose exemplarity is likely to mobilise during meetings, seminars, training sessions and inter-ministerial meetings, a majority of the sites concerned.

For the implementation of these actions they proposed a certain number of words or key concepts. First of all, they concern recognition of the identity of the landscape: identity is in nature but also in the spirituality of the places and in the antiquated character of country culture. They also concern the physiology of change: landscapes are in danger of globalisation; the characteristics of historical parks: a history of the parks is to be put together. They also underlined outstanding facts: quasi non-existent training, no landscape school or horticulture school, no of structured horticulture firms. They marked the need for inter-ministerial connection concerning the protection of patrimony, cultural action, regional planning and tourist development, as well as the sensitising of the public. There is no demonstration of bonds between potential partners.

a founding seminar

The two other days, reserved for people in charge of sites, proceeded in the form of workshops allowing the confrontation of Lithuanian and European experiments starting from four questions: "To restore: why? Creation of a garden, where and how? Parks and landscapes for the tourists? Known and unknown skills?".

Lastly, in Vilnius four working teams were constituted and they made a first analysis of the potential for development of the Park of Bernardins, located within old town Vilnius, included on the World Heritage List.