Magdalenengarten
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Magdalenengarten is a baroque park in Hildesheim in Lower Saxony, Germany.
Magdalenengarten is in the western part of the historic city center of Hildesheim. On the west side a well-preserved part of the medieval moat and rampart can be seen. On the east side the garden joins the Michaelisplatz and St. Michael's Church, one of the most famous sights of Hildesheim which is a World Cultural Heritage. St. Magdalena's Church, another sightworthy church is close by as well. The garden covers an area of about six acres.
History
Magdalenengarten is one of the oldest historic parks in Lower Saxony. Originally, the area was used by the nuns of a nearby monastery (Magdalenenkloster), which had been founded in 1224, to grow medicinal herbs and vegetables.[1] The name refers to the monastery and its church, Saint Magdalena's Church which is in the south of the park. A small hill in the north of the herb garden was used as a vineyard.
In 1720–25 the monastery garden was enlarged and transformed into an ornamental Baroque garden with a regular network of footpaths.[2] In 1810 the monastery was dissolved during the secularization and transformed into a lunatic asylum in 1827. The garden grew wild and was closed to the public. On 22 March 1945 the Magdalenengarten was devastated by bombs during an air raid.[3] The former monastery was destroyed, rebuilt in 1952 and used as a home for the aged afterwards.
When the home for the aged did not need the garden any longer it was restored in the original Baroque style of the early 18th century. Restoration works using old paintings and maps started in 2003. More than 1,500 roses were planted. The original system of footpaths as straight as a die was found well-preserved under the sod. On the former vineyard 198 vines were planted. The restoration of Magdalenengarten as a baroque park was completed in summer of 2004.[4]
