The Gulbenkian Park also known as Gulbenkian Garden is located in Lisbon, Portugal. It was created in 1969 and is part of the cultural center where the headquarters of the

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation ( pt, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian), commonly referred to simply as the Gulbenkian Foundation, is a Portuguese institution dedicated to the promotion of the arts, philanthropy, science, and education. One ...

, Gulbenkian Museum and the José de Azeredo Perdigão Modern Art Centre are situated enriching the cultural importance of the garden. The park is spread over an area of and has one large and another small lake within it.

History

The park was inaugurated in 1969. It was the parkland of the former Palacio Azambuja or dos Meninos de Palhavã in 1918 and the Spanish Embassy used to be located here. The park was sold in 1957. The park was designed by the landscape architects Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles and António Facco Vianna Barreto in close collaboration with Alberto Pessoa, Pedro Cid and Ruy Athouguia who were architects of the buildings of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation erected in the park; Armenian oil tycoon and art collector

Calouste Gulbenkian Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (, Western hy, Գալուստ Կիւլպէնկեան; 23 March 1869 – 20 July 1955), nicknamed "Mr Five Per Cent", was a British-Armenian businessman and philanthropist. He played a major role in making the petrole ...

played an important role in the post-war cultural life of Lisbon. Its gardens are pleasant and the art center is contemporary.

Features

The lawns have been tended to fit the natural landscape right up to the central lake. The stream inlets in the park are crossed by small bridges, and paths are well laid out to stroll around. Irises and waterside marginals are planted along the course of the streams. The land area has been modified to build not only the structures but also create a lake environment. The floral collection planted in the park has been done very selectively with well laid footpaths to stroll through the gardens. The natural vegetation chosen consists of feathery pampas grass,

Brazilian pepper ''Schinus terebinthifolia'' is a species of flowering plant in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae, that is native to subtropical and tropical South America. Common names include Brazilian peppertree, aroeira, rose pepper, broadleaved pepper tree, ...

(''Schinus terebinthifolia'') tree with small leaves, ribbon gum,

Turkey oak Turkey oak is a common name for several species of oaks and may refer to: *''Quercus cerris'', native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor *''Quercus laevis ''Quercus laevis'', the turkey oak, is a member of the red oak group of oaks. It is n ...

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as e ...

and poplars. There is also rose garden within the park. Statue of rhinoceros in Gulbenkian Park

Of the two lakes built in the garden, the larger lake, located in the centre of the park, is the habitat for water birds such as mallard,

moorhen Moorhens—sometimes called marsh hens—are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family (Rallidae). Most species are placed in the genus ''Gallinula'', Latin for "little hen". They are close relatives of coots. They are of ...

ring-necked parakeet The rose-ringed parakeet (''Psittacula krameri''), also known as the ring-necked parakeet (more commonly known as the Indian ringneck parrot), is a medium-sized parrot in the genus Psittacula, of the family Psittacidae. It has disjunct native ran ...

white wagtail The white wagtail (''Motacilla alba'') is a small passerine bird in the family Motacillidae, which also includes pipits and longclaws. The species breeds in much of Europe and the Asian Palearctic and parts of North Africa. It has a toehold in ...

, wren, blackbird,

blackcap The Eurasian blackcap (''Sylvia atricapilla''), usually known simply as the blackcap, is a common and widespread typical warbler. It has mainly olive-grey upperparts and pale grey underparts, and differences between the five subspecies are sm ...

, house sparrow,

serin ''Serinus'' is a genus of small birds in the finch family Fringillidae found in Europe and Africa. The birds usually have some yellow in their plumage. The genus was introduced in 1816 by the German naturalist Carl Ludwig Koch. Its name is New L ...

, and

greenfinch The greenfinches are small passerine birds in the genus ''Chloris'' in the subfamily Carduelinae within the Fringillidae. The species have a Eurasian distribution except for the European greenfinch, which also occurs in North Africa. These fi ...

. In view of thick bushes around the lake, the park is a preferred location for moorhens to breed. The small lake is also a habitat for water birds. The garden also has an open-air amphitheater to seat 1,000 people which has the lake as its backdrop. The amphitheater is the venue for holding many programmes on dance, drama, and music. Jazz music programme is held in the gardens every year during first two weeks of August. The park is also enlivened with statues and sculptures made by national and international artists which are fixed strategically at many places.

References

Bibliography

* * *{{cite book, last=Tranaeus, first=Tomas, title=Top 10 Lisbon, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Dt1wOQrf98C&pg=PT64, date=3 June 2013, publisher=DK Publishing, isbn=978-1-4654-1317-8

Parks in Lisbon Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation National monuments in Lisbon District

History

Features

See also

References

Bibliography