Garden and horticultural museums constitute a unique yet still underexplored group of cultural institutions. Their role in documenting, safeguarding, and popularising garden heritage is becoming particularly significant in the context of contemporary environmental challenges. This study aimed to identify the scale of this phenomenon and capture the most noteworthy curatorial practices, thereby addressing a gap in the existing literature. Its original contribution lies in combining geographical, thematic, and institutional analysis with in-depth case studies of selected museums representing diverse profiles and narrative approaches.

The research was based on a comparative analysis of more than 50 institutions worldwide, 34 of which are located in Europe. The source material included academic publications, digital resources, and observations of exhibitions conducted between 2018 and 2024. The case studies examine in detail the Museum of Chinese Gardens and Landscape Architecture in Beijing, the Garden Museum in London, the Museum of Garden Art in Eckersdorf, the European Museum of Garden Art in Düsseldorf, the Austrian Horticultural Museum in Vienna, and the Garden History Centre in Somerset.

The findings demonstrate that garden and horticultural museums fulfil a role that extends far beyond the traditional collecting and displaying of objects. They are becoming active guardians of green heritage, combining a variety of curatorial practices—from conventional museum displays to contemporary, immersive forms that engage the senses and employ digital technologies, enabling visitors to experience the garden as a multilayered and symbolic space. In the face of global challenges—including the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and landscape degradation—these museums play a key role in safeguarding garden heritage and preserving the memory of gardens as bearers of universal values.

The text is available exclusively in Polish.

ISBN: 978-83-68928-05-1

The aim of this article is to answer the question of how the “memory landscape” of Eduard Petzold – one of the most eminent European garden designers of the nineteenth century – has been shaped from the late nineteenth century to the present day, and which narratives, practices, and material forms have determined his presence in social consciousness. The paper addresses a research gap by shifting the focus from the analysis of his design output to a reflection on the mechanisms of commemoration. Its original contribution lies in a synthetic juxtaposition of diverse forms of memory: writings, botanical nomenclature, commemorative sites, and contemporary initiatives and projects inspired by his legacy. The results demonstrate that the memory of Eduard Petzold has developed as a dynamic process based on selection, negotiation of meanings, and changing hierarchies of values, rather than as a straightforward record of his achievements. The analysis of the memory landscape reveals the mechanisms through which the history of landscape architecture reproduces, modifies, or marginalises the figures of its creators, thereby exposing the cultural and institutional conditions underlying the formation of its canons.

The full text is also available for download on the Polish Journal of Landscape Studies website.

The article is available exclusively in Polish.