Eduard Petzold European Centre for Garden Art

A key assumption behind the establishment of ECSO is the location of the Centre within a revitalised historic building. An example concept for the adaptation of a historic barn (with an area of 1,000 m²) to serve as the ECSO exhibition hall and public reception point was prepared by the design studio Szcz – Jakub Szczęsny.

The Centre’s permanent exhibition will present the history of Silesian gardens from the Middle Ages to the present day. Its principal themes will include the cultural history of gardens, craft traditions, garden engineering and design, the workshop practices of gardeners and designers, and the various types of garden layouts. The entire narrative will be illustrated through accessible compositional analyses and precise scale models of the most valuable sites and their elements, including the garden of Laurentius Scholz in Wrocław, the Cistercian Abbey in Lubiąż, the parks in Kamieniec Ząbkowicki, Moszna and Muskau, as well as the exhibition grounds surrounding the Centennial Hall.

A separate section of the exhibition will be devoted to the life and work of Eduard Petzold, with particular emphasis on his design practice and his contribution to European garden art. Visitors to this part of the exhibition will gain a closer insight into the gardens and parks he designed, around eighty of which are located within present-day Poland. The adapted building will also contain a gallery for temporary exhibitions devoted to selected themes from the history of garden art and the cultural landscape. This space will host both national and international exhibition projects.

Through its programme narrative, as well as through workshop spaces extending beyond the walls of the building—such as ornamental and productive gardens—the Centre will act as an incubator for the development of skills in horticulture. As a place of social integration, the Centre will also provide space for audiences of all generations, including people with disabilities. The Eduard Petzold Foundation is currently seeking a suitable building that could be adapted for social purposes, including the implementation of these programme objectives.