HISTORIC GARDENS

(THE FLORENCE CHARTER 1981)

Adopted by ICOMOS in December 1982.

PREAMBLE
The ICOMOS-IFLA International Committee for Historic Gardens, meeting in Florence on 21
May 1981, decided to draw up a charter on the preservation of historic gardens which would
bear the name of that town. The present Florence Charter was drafted by the Committee
and registered by ICOMOS on 15 December 1982 as an addendum to the Venice Charter
covering the specific field concerned.

DEFINITIONS AND OBJECTIVES

Article 1.

"A historic garden is an architectural and horticultural composition of interest to the public
from the historical or artistic point of view". As such, it is to be considered as a monument.

Article 2.

"The historic garden is an architectural composition whose constituents are primarily vegetal
and therefore living, which means that they are perishable and renewable." Thus its
appearance reflects the perpetual balance between the cycle of the seasons, the growth and
decay of nature and the desire of the artist and craftsman to keep it permanently
unchanged.

Article 3.

As a monument, the historic garden must be preserved in accordance with the spirit of the
Venice Charter. However, since it is a living monument, its preservation must be governed
by specific rules which are the subject of the Present charter.

Article 4.

The architectural composition of the historic garden includes:

• Its plan and its topography.

• Its vegetation, including its species, proportions, colour schemes, spacing and
respective heights.

• Its structural and decorative features.

• Its water, running or still, reflecting the sky.

Article 5.

As the expression of the direct affinity between civilisation and nature, and as a place of
enjoyment suited to meditation or repose, the garden thus acquires the cosmic significance
of an idealised image of the world, a "paradise" in the etymological sense of the term, and
yet a testimony to a culture, a style, an age, and often to the originality of a creative artist.

Article 6.

The term "historic garden" is equally applicable to small gardens and to large parks,
whether formal or "landscape".

Article 7.

Whether or not it is associated with a building in which case it is an inseparable

complement, the historic garden cannot be isolated from its own particular environment,
whether urban or rural, artificial or natural.

Article 8.

A historic site is a specific landscape associated with a memorable act, as, for example, a
major historic event; a well-known myth; an epic combat; or the subject of a famous
picture.

Article 9.

The preservation of historic gardens depends on their identification and listing. They require
several kinds of action, namely maintenance, conservation and restoration. In certain cases,
reconstruction may be recommended. The authenticity of a historic garden depends as
much on the design and scale of its various parts as on its decorative features and on the
choice of plant or inorganic materials adopted for each of its parts.

MAINTENANCE, CONSERVATION, RESTORATION,

RECONSTRUCTION
Article 10.

In any work of maintenance, conservation, restoration or reconstruction of a historic

garden, or of any part of it, all its constituent features must be dealt with simultaneously.
To isolate the various operations would damage the unity of the whole.

MAINTENANCE AND CONSERVATION

Article 11.

Continuous maintenance of historic gardens is of paramount importance. Since the principal

material is vegetal, the preservation of the garden in an unchanged condition requires both
prompt replacements when required and a long-term programme of periodic renewal (clear
felling and replanting with mature specimens).

Article 12.

Those species of trees, shrubs, plants and flowers to be replaced periodically must be
selected with regard for established and recognised practice in each botanical and
horticultural region, and with the aim to determine the species initially grown and to
preserve them.
Article 13.

The permanent or movable architectural, sculptural or decorative features which form an

integral part of the historic garden must be removed or displaced only insofar as this is
essential for their conservation or restoration. The replacement or restoration of any such
jeopardised features must be effected in accordance with the principles of the Venice
Charter, and the date of any complete replacement must be indicated.

Article 14.

The historic garden must be preserved in appropriate surroundings. Any alteration to the
physical environment which will endanger the ecological equilibrium must be prohibited.
These applications are applicable to all aspects of the infrastructure, whether internal or
external (drainage works, irrigation systems, roads, car parks, fences, caretaking facilities,
visitors' amenities, etc.).

RESTORATION AND RECONSTRUCTION

Article 15.

No restoration work and, above all, no reconstruction work on a historic garden shall be
undertaken without thorough prior research to ensure that such work is scientifically
executed and which will involve everything from excavation to the assembling of records
relating to the garden in question and to similar gardens. Before any practical work starts, a
project must be prepared on the basis of said research and must be submitted to a group of
experts for joint examination and approval.

Article 16.

Restoration work must respect the successive stages of evolution of the garden concerned.
In principle, no one period should be given precedence over any other, except in
exceptional cases where the degree of damage or destruction affecting certain parts of a
garden may be such that it is decided to reconstruct it on the basis of the traces that
survive or of unimpeachable documentary evidence. Such reconstruction work might be
undertaken more particularly on the parts of the garden nearest to the building it contains
in order to bring out their significance in the design.

Article 17.

Where a garden has completely disappeared or there exists no more than conjectural
evidence of its successive stages a reconstruction could not be considered a historic garden.

USE
Article 18.

While any historic garden is designed to be seen and walked about in, access to it must be
restricted to the extent demanded by its size and vulnerability, so that its physical fabric
and cultural message may be preserved.

Article 19.

By reason of its nature and purpose, a historic garden is a peaceful place conducive to
human contacts, silence and awareness of nature. This conception of its everyday use must
contrast with its role on those rare occasions when it accommodates a festivity. Thus, the
conditions of such occasional use of a historic garden should be clearly defined, in order that
any such festivity may itself serve to enhance the visual effect of the garden instead of
perverting or damaging it.

Article 20.

While historic gardens may be suitable for quiet games as a daily occurrence, separate
areas appropriate for active and lively games and sports should also be laid out adjacent to
the historic garden, so that the needs of the public may be satisfied in this respect without
prejudice to the conservation of the gardens and landscapes.

Article 21.

The work of maintenance and conservation, the timing of which is determined by season
and brief operations which serve to restore the garden's authenticity, must always take
precedence over the requirements of public use. All arrangements for visits to historic
gardens must be subjected to regulations that ensure the spirit of the place is preserved.

Article 22.

If a garden is walled, its walls may not be removed without prior examination of all the
possible consequences liable to lead to changes in its atmosphere and to affect its
preservation.

LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROTECTION

Article 23.

It is the task of the responsible authorities to adopt, on the advice of qualified experts, the
appropriate legal and administrative measures for the identification, listing and protection of
historic gardens. The preservation of such gardens must be provided for within the
framework of land-use plans and such provision must be duly mentioned in documents
relating to regional and local planning. It is also the task of the responsible authorities to
adopt, with the advice of qualified experts, the financial measures which will facilitate the
maintenance, conservation and restoration, and, where necessary, the reconstruction of
historic gardens.

Article 24.

The historic garden is one of the features of the patrimony whose survival, by reason of its
nature, requires intensive, continuous care by trained experts. Suitable provision should
therefore be made for the training of such persons, whether historians, architects,
landscape architects, gardeners or botanists. Care should also be taken to ensure that there
is regular propagation of the plant varieties necessary for maintenance or restoration.

Article 25.

Interest in historic gardens should be stimulated by every kind of activity capable of

emphasising their true value as part of the patrimony and making for improved knowledge
and appreciation of them: promotion of scientific research; international exchange and
circulation of information; publications, including works designed for the general public; the
encouragement of public access under suitable control and use of the media to develop
awareness of the need for due respect for nature and the historic heritage. The most
outstanding of the historic gardens shall be proposed for inclusion in the World Heritage
List.
Nota Bene

The above recommendations are applicable to all the historic gardens in the world.

Additional clauses applicable to specific types of gardens may be subsequently appended to

the present Charter with brief descriptions of the said types.