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Living art. Top 16 Most Unusual and Original Parks and Gardens

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Many inhabitants of the planet imagine the classic urban park with familiar spreading trees, in the shade of which there are benches and tents with ice cream and soft drinks. However, in some cities, parks have got the status of outstanding attractions. Some of them became a nice collection of sculptures and rare plants, while others attract an attention with their unusual theme. In some parks, visitors can enjoy the thousands of fragrant flowers, while in others watch the rare birds. The real breakthrough in the modern landscape art are parks and gardens at the roofs and facades of houses. Anyone who likes to relax in picturesque natural places will find it delightful to visit the parks and gardens from the review.

Garden of Cosmic Speculation, Scotland

One of the most unusual parks in the world is located in the Scottish city of Dumfries. Here, on the initiative of the landscape designer Maggie Keswick Jencks, the wonderful Garden of Cosmic Speculation has been created. The idea to turn the territory of a small estate into the unique park came in 1988. Today, visitors can see the most incredible landscape designs that demonstrate the various stages of the world creation and together represent a small model of the universe.

Garden of Cosmic Speculation, Scotland One of the main decoration of the park is the zigzag staircase  that consists of 25 spans. Each step represents a certain stage of the evolutionary development of the universe. Many of the sculptures in the park have a spiral shape, a unique form of which not only recalls the structure of DNA, but also reminds about many other important phenomenon and forms of the universe. Walking through the garden, you will notice unusual flower compositions that symbolize the black holes. You can also see the amazing model of Fibonacci sequences and many geometric shapes, in one way or another connected with the processes in the universe.

A lot of secrets are hidden within the garden. To get to some of its hidden corners and attractions, visitors have to solve intricate puzzles and math problems. After the death of Maggie Keswick Jencks, the garden stays under the supervision and control of her husband, Charles Jencks. The place is open for public to visit only a few days a year. All funds that are gained from the tours, the owner pends on charity to help oncological patients. Next - Xieng Khuan Buddha Park

Xieng Khuan Buddha Park, Laos

Xieng Khuan Buddha Park, Laos In Laos, travelers will have an opportunity to visit  the unusual Buddha Park. It is located in the immediate vicinity of Vientiane. The opening of the park took place about 50 years ago. It is not about nice exotic plants, but uncommon sculptures instead. Total in the park, there are about 200 statues of Buddhist and Hindu subjects, among which you can see not only the Buddha sculptures, but also incredible mythical monsters. Complete article

Underwater Park Gruner See, Austria

Underwater Park Gruner See, Austria In Austria, fans of unusual places will be able to visit the Gruner See park located in the small town of Tragoess. In winter, the park doesn’t differ from the usual one. It has a comfortable zone for walks with wooden benches and a stone-paved pathwalks. The main decoration of the unusual park of Gruner See is the lake of the same name. At the beginning of spring, it changes the appearance of the park beyond recognition. Complete article

Ashikaga Flower Park, Japan

Ashikaga Flower Park, Japan Those who love to enjoy the beauty of exotic flowers beyond everything else, are sure to like Ashikaga Park. It’s located in the city of the same name, in Japan. The wonderful park is situated at the heart of the island of Honshu. Year-round, its territory is adorned by millions of fragrant flowers. The appearance of the park varies depending on the time of year. Between February and March, its guests can enjoy the flowering plum, daffodils, and tulips. Complete article

Park Guell, Spain

Park Guell, Spain Barcelona can boast with the world famous Park Guell. That’s the wonderful city-garden, which is notable not only for landscapes, but also for architectural decorations. The opening of the park took place in the early 20th century. Originally, it was planned to build 60 houses. However, only two buildings were constructed. In the period from 1906 to 1926, Antonio Gaudi has lived in one of them. Today, there is a museum dedicated to the life and work of the world-renowned architect in this notable building. Complete article

Beihai Gongyuan Park, China

Beihai Gongyuan Park, China Beihai Park is in a central vibrant area of ​​Beijing. That’s an outstanding historical landmark of the country. Beihai Gongyuan is one of the oldest Chinese imperial parks, which was founded more than a thousand years ago. An amazing legend tells about the founding. According to it, since ancient times, there were three magic mountains in this area. Gods who possessed the invaluable knowledge about the power of herbs used to live in these mountains. For thousands of years, the rulers tried to find these mountains and recreate them later. Complete article

High Line Park, USA

High Line Park, USA A lot of amazing picturesque parks wait for locals and foreigners in New York. The most unusual one in the district of Manhattan is the High Line. It was recently opened in the abandoned railway viaduct that was in ruins for more than a decade. Now, it is planted with live plants. There are nice shops. Large terraces offer a nice panoramic view of the surrounding streets. Complete article

Passive House The Muse, United Kingdom

Passive House The Muse, United Kingdom There’s quite a unique park in London. It’s called The Muse. It has got the world fame not because of the variety of exotic plants and an impressive scale, and because of its unusual location. The park is set on a roof of the house with the same name. It is situated on one of the central streets of London. It is important to note that the house with greenery on its roof is passive. The residence was constructed by Bere Architects company. Its experts managed to equip a roof with a wonderful green area. Complete article

Osaka Board Game Park, Japan

Osaka Board Game Park, Japan The unusual chess park has appeared several years ago in Osaka. Its design is entirely devoted to board games. This park, located on the bank of the channel, has special benches, paths for skateboarding, and flowerbeds with check pattern. It’s difficult to imagine that the area in which the park is located, a few years ago was abandoned and was literally drowning in waste and debris. Complete article

Interactive Park i-City, Malaysia

Interactive Park i-City, Malaysia Malaysia has one of the most beautiful parks in the world. In the interactive i-City, visitors can admire colorful trees that are adorned with millions of glowing lights. The green zone is situated in Shah Alam city. The opening took place in 2010. The park is usually visited in the dark. Besides trees with scattering garlands, the green zone features spectacular figurines of flamingos and peacocks and other noteworthy installations. Complete article

Jurong Bird Park, Singapore

Jurong Bird Park, Singapore In Singapore, travelers can visit the amazing Jurong Bird Park. Its main feature is a rich collection of feathered inhabitants. Here, you can see birds typical not only for South-East Asia, but also for European and African countries and the United States. Jurong Park is unique because of a feeling that all the birds live free. Indeed, the park doesn’t have open-air cages, but natural areas for each type of bird. Zones are masterfully recreated there. Complete article

Keukenhof Flower Park, Netherlands

Keukenhof Flower Park, Netherlands One of the most beautiful flower parks in the world, Keukenhof, is in the Netherlands. Here, more than a hundred varieties of tulips are planted every spring on the territory of ​​32 hectares. The park is accessible for public only during the period from March to May. Most experienced tourists tend to visit the Keukenhof in April. This time of year, the park is a venue for the annual parade of flowers. The first park on this site was founded in the mid-19th century. In the 15th century, this area was occupied with dense forests, which for hundreds of years served as a source of wild game, mushrooms, and healing berries. Complete article

Parque Francisco Alvarado, Costa Rica

Parque Francisco Alvarado, Costa Rica The major attraction of Costa Rica is Parque Francisco Alvarado that can be called a real masterpiece of the landscape design. In this park, visitors will have an opportunity to see incredibly beautiful and amazing mazes of living plants, as well as living sculptures covered with moss. They represent the most unusual decoration of the park. Some sculptures are partly made of stone and complemented with plants. A special moss that allows creating a simulation of living sculptures is cultivated on the rocks. Complete article

ACROS Park, Japan

ACROS Park, Japan In 1995, the opening of one of the most spectacular urban parks of the planet called ACROS took place in Fukuoka. The history of the foundation of this unique park is very amazing. In 90s, the city authorities expressed a need to build a new office building. They managed to find a suitable place among the main streets of the densely built city. It was the place where there was the only park within district. Complete article

Artigas Gardens, Spain

Artigas Gardens, Spain In Spain, there is an amazing park called Artigas Gardens. It is located in the small town of La Pobla de Lillet and is considered one of the greatest works of Antonio Gaudi. The park is located in the incredibly picturesque natural surroundings on the banks of the Llobregat river. The green zone is equipped with very comfortable stone bridges and walking paths. A great number of sculptures in the typical style of Gaudi decorate the garden. The park has secret places too. Complete article
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