Project « History and archaeology of the gardens: from the Renaissance to the 21st century »

In Mariemont estate you will find the foundations of Mary of Hungary’s hunting lodge, the extensions built at the time of Archdukes Albert and Isabella, and the Neo-Classical palace of Charles of Lorraine which is still standing today.  However, there are more archaeological treasures on the site.

The entire estate is packed with buildings (such as the superintendency), roads, ancient enclosures, ice house, fishponds and gardens and landscaping, all of which date back to at least the 16th century. Today, the latter are receiving particular attention.

Regularly renewed to suit the trends of the moment and the tastes of the owners, they reflect a versatile and ever-changing European landscape tradition. We are undertaking historical and iconographic research, archaeological prospection and investigation and paleoenvironmental examinations so we can gain a better understanding of how Mariemont estate has evolved over time in a natural, political, social, cultural and artistic context.

This topic will be covered in a future issue of the publication Cahiers de Mariemont.

Partnerships :  M. Dosogne, N. Authom (AWAP), Ph. De Smedt (UGent) et G. Vynckier (Flanders Heritage Agency)