Trsteno Arboretum is a Mediterreanean arboretum located in

Trsteno Trsteno ( lat, Cannosa, Dalmatian: ''Canait'') is a village in southern Croatia, administratively located in the City of Dubrovnik. It is located on the D8 road, between the Orašac and Brsečine. Trsteno Arboretum Trsteno is most famous for ...

, southern

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. The arboretum was erected by the local noble family Gucetic - Gozze (''see'' House of Gozze) in the late 15th century, who requested ship captains to bring back seeds and plants from their travels. The exact start date for the arboretum is unknown, but it was already in existence by 1492, when a 15 m span aqueduct to irrigate the arboretum was constructed; this aqueduct is still in use. It has been the property of the

Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts ( la, Academia Scientiarum et Artium Croatica, hr, Hrvatska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti, abbrev. HAZU) is the national academy of Croatia. HAZU was founded under patronage of the Croatian bishop J ...

since 1948, when it was donated. The Arboretum reserves a very special place among the old Ragusan, Dalmatian and

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

parks. It includes a park surrounding the fifteenth century summer residence, which is a monument of garden architecture, and a nineteenth century park at Drvarica. The arboretum passed into Yugoslav state ownership in 1945, and was declared a natural rarity in 1948. Since 1950 it has been managed by the

. In 1962 the Arboretum Trsteno was registered in the list of protected natural monuments list as a monument of landscape architecture. The protected area covers around 255,000 square metres. Trsteno suffered extensive damage and looting during the Croatian War of Independence when on October 2 and 3rd, 1991, the

Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska ar ...

launched a series of gunboat and air attacks and set the Arboretum afire, destroying a large part of it, and causing partial damage to the summer residence and the oldest part of the arboretum. The arboretum was further severely damaged in 2000 by a forest fire during a drought, when around 120,000 square metres were lost in fire. The pride of the arboretum, two

Oriental Plane ''Platanus orientalis'', the Old World sycamore or Oriental plane, is a large, deciduous tree of the Platanaceae family, growing to or more, and known for its longevity and spreading crown. In autumn its deep green leaves may change to blood red ...

s located on the central

market place A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from the Arabic), '' ...

of Trsteno, survived both disasters undamaged. They are over 500 years old and are unique specimens of their kind in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

. The ancient trees are both about 45/60 m tall and their trunks are 5 m in diameter. Within what was once the noble family's country house, there is the oldest

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

park in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, designed in 1502, with numerous exotic plants.

In popular culture

In the third season and fourth season of the television series '' Game of Thrones'', Trsteno Arboretum was used as the setting of the Red Keep palace gardens in King's Landing.

References

Gallery

Image:Arboretum Trsteno-1.JPG , Arboretum Trsteno Image:Arboretum Trsteno, Croatia.JPG , Arboretum Trsteno Image:Arboretum Trsteno-3.JPG, Arboretum Trsteno Image:Neptunova fontana Trsteno.jpg, Neptune's fountain in arboretum Trsteno

External links

Trsteno at the Academy website

Trsteno Arboretum, the oldest renaissance garden in Dalmatia
{{Coord, 42, 43, N, 17, 59, E, region:HR_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Botanical gardens in Croatia Arboreta in Croatia Protected areas of Dubrovnik-Neretva County