The oldest preserved garden in the city of Barcelona will undergo a thorough rehabilitation. This is the labyrinth of cypresses in Horta Park, one of the most romantic corners of the city and with more than two centuries of life. The City Council has put out to tender the works to begin restoring this heritage space in March next year with a budget of 1.5 million euros, 67.6% financed with Next Generation European funds. Once work has begun, this action will mean that the labyrinth will be closed to the public for two years: 12 months for the works and another 12 months for the new planted vegetation to take root. The City Council highlights that the renovation of this place will allow its “historical and landscape recovery” to guarantee “its protection and conservation.”
Through a prior diagnosis, a basic and executive project was drafted establishing intervention criteria following the postulates of the international heritage charters. The document points out that the plant labyrinth, with an area of 1,846 square meters, is in a “damaged state” and has various injuries that need to be “reversed” to guarantee its conservation. In this sense, we warn about the need to replace and improve the planting conditions of the vegetation.
For this reason, this intervention will serve to change all the cypresses that form the labyrinth, a kilometer and a half long, and plant a total of 2,211. On the other hand, the irrigation system will be renewed, the soil will be improved to make more use of water and native plant species with “less water needs” will be installed, municipal sources report.
Horta Labyrinth Park
In addition, action will be taken on the sculptures, such as the symbolic statue of Eros, in the center of the labyrinth, which has some cracks and broken parts. Likewise, on the central island of the garden they want to recover a chestnut wood structure that formerly crowned the cypresses.
Recovery of the original route and capacity limitation
The executive project also proposes to slightly vary the layout of the current labyrinth to recover the original route designed by the Italian architect Domenico Bagutti in 1821. The document indicates that this action would not only provide “greater authenticity” to this space but that the vegetation would also “ will benefit” as dead-end paths will decrease “without weakening the mathematical game.” Precisely, one of the problems is that sometimes users, when they cannot find the exit, feel cornered and choose to cross the cypress barrier or the metal fences, causing damage. Along these lines, it is proposed to incorporate a QR system in order to explain the layout, contributing “to improving the user experience” and avoiding “the feeling of loss.”
Another measure focuses on the possibility of limiting the capacity to a maximum of 25 people taking into account the size of the labyrinth, an issue that would have to be finalized, as stated in the basic and executive project, prepared by the Feu Godoy studio. Architecture and promoted by the Municipal Institute of Parks and Gardens.
This neoclassical style garden was created at the end of the 18th century at the initiative of Joan Antoni Desvalls, Marquis of Llupià, Poal and Alfarràs, with the help of the master builder Jaume Valls y Bagutti. The labyrinth was completely renovated in the late 1960s and opened as a public park in 1971. In 1994, an extensive restoration was also carried out. This place is classified as a Cultural Asset of Local Interest (BCIL) although it is in the process of being a Cultural Asset of National Interest (BCIN), the highest category of protection.
Source: www.lavanguardia.com
