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Portugal

Portugal, with a fairytale palace

Portugal, a country that excels in diversity. For example, Portugal is known as the country with the most beautiful beaches in the world. In addition, you will find true cultural treasures in its major cities. Of course, you will eat their fantastic food! Mondo Verde placed in its World Garden Portugal the Palacio dos Marquises da Fronteira, to put Portugal in a beautiful cultural light. 

Palacio dos Marquises da Fronteira

In the Portuguese Garden in Mondo Verde, you will find a part of the Palacio dos Marquises da Fronteira. The real palace stands in Benifica, at the foot of the hills surrounding Lisbon. The excellent condition of this monument makes it one of the most important monuments in Portugal.

In the 14th century, people constructed the gallery building of the Palacio dos Marquises da Fronteira. It received multiple purposes, from a monastery to a court of justice and from a hunting castle to a burial chamber for numerous prominent historical figures. You admire this building in the Portuguese Garden of Mondo Verde.

Azulejo's

Mondo Verde richly decorated the gallery building with Azulejos, the most distinctive Portuguese art form. The beautiful baked and hand-painted clay tiles adorn numerous historic buildings and palaces, including the gallery building of the Palacio dos Marquises da Fronteira. This Portuguese art form dates to the 15th century. That’s when the Portuguese King Manuel I visited Zaragozza, Toledo and Andalusia. There, he became charmed by the beautiful tiles. He decided not to use the tiles as floor coverings, but to decorate the walls. This increased the importance of the subjects and painting.

At the pond near the Palacio dos Marquises da Fronteira in Mondo Verde, you can see several tableaus with Azulejos. These tableaus tell the legend of Camões, the greatest writer in Portuguese history. He wrote an epic about Vasco da Gama’s journey to India, starring in Os Luciadas. Each tableau on the pond refers to a chant from this masterpiece by Camões. The above tableaus of the gallery are based on old everyday scenes from the Netherlands.

Portugal, a diversity of flora

English rose

David Austin came up with the idea of creating a new variety. There had to be a rose with the beauty and fragrances of the ancient roses, but with the advantages and strong characteristics of modern roses. David Austin turned this idea into hundreds of beautiful varieties of roses. As a result, the completely new variety “English Rose” was created. The English rose contains the fragrance and charm of the ancient rose varieties and the resistance and long flowering time of the modern rose varieties.

Around 1963, the ancient roses lost their relevance among English landscapers and gardeners. Because David Austin brought out the beautiful English Rose ‘Constance Spry’, in the same year, a new trend was caused. The English community embraced the new rose variety, soon creating a new image in English gardens. As a result, the English Rose has an important historical fact the English garden architecture.

David Austin gave each English Rose a distinct but special name. He named the roses after important people who embraced the beauty of the ancient roses and after writers who inspired David Austin. Some English Roses have also been given names of important Shakespeare characters, British landscapes, castles, royalty and dignitaries.

Rose of Sharon

The Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is native to a big part of Asia. This plant is descended from the Mallows family. It is also called the Korean rose. In western Europe, this plant grows as a deciduous shrub. It grows approximately to a size of 2 to 3 meters. The shrub has fresh green and oval leaves.

Starting in July, visitors admire the many exotic flowers of the Rose of Sharon. These flowers grow solitary in the leaf axils of the upper leaves on the young shoots. The flowers reach a diameter of 5 to 10 centimeters. The flower colors vary from white, blue, pink, red to purple depending on the type of plant of course. 

Also discover the other world gardens, such as