Pasport - nástroj péče o památky zahradního umění

Zprávy památkové péče 2014, 74(3):238-245

A technical survey: a tool for caring for heritage properties of garden art

Jiří Olšan, Daniel Šnejd

Historic gardens and parks are an important part of the material culture of mankind. Their specific nature is also reflected in international documents on the protection of cultural heritage, and specific system tools were subsequently created for the care of this part of the cultural heritage in several countries of Western Europe and in Anglo-Saxon countries. In the Czech Republic, the situation in the field of the inventory and identification of the heritage value of garden art has long been unsatisfactory. This is why the methodology of technical surveys of historic gardens and designed landscapes has become a topic of institutional research within the National Heritage Institute.
The methodological procedure of a technical survey (passportization) is based on an analysis and classification of the material structures of garden art heritage properties. It establishes the procedure for collecting inventory data and other information which is substantial in terms of executive heritage care and which facilitates the creation of additional superstructure documents and concepts aimed at the long-term sustainability of the property. The result of such a technical survey of a specific historical garden is the "passport" of a garden art heritage property. The basic form of its preparation consists of a mapping project in IISPP which contains an accompanying report, a spreadsheet database and a mapping application.
The methodology of a technical survey of garden art properties presents, in their description and typology, a practical application of the principles set out by the International Charter on Historic Gardens (Florence, 1982). The methodology was tested with data acquisition and the preparation of the surveys of twenty model structures of historic gardens and parks. The experience gained has shown that a "passport" of a garden art heritage property is very useful for the identification and detailed inventory of the structure of historic gardens and parks and can become an effective tool for conservation.