**5. Conclusions**

In Hungary and especially in Transylvania, the current conditions of historic gardens and the scarce availability of historical sources on garden history in most of the cases do not allow for a full restoration of the original design. Despite this, the restoration or renovation of our historic castle gardens is an actual necessity.

Taking into consideration the driving forces (of natural or human origin) behind the change of landscapes and gardens, the original conditions of planned visual links of a garden may change during the times. A bi-directional visual link may become unidirectional or completely perish. The main factors that can have an impact on visual links may be of natural or human origin. Most of all, the loss of the former eye-catcher, the absence (disappearance, damage, relocation) of the architectural/artistic work, is the reason behind the change. Sometimes the change or the loss of a visual link may be the result of natural processes (and the lack of human intervention), for example, with the development of a forest cover. Occasionally, the modified or lost visual link is possible to restore during the landscape and garden restorations. Eye-catchers not only provide aesthetic experience but, through their positions and functions, also deliver messages. They are objects of symbolic occupation of space and represent national identity.

If scarce authentic information is at hand, contemporary tools are applied in order to evoke the atmosphere of the former garden, or the possibility of creating a new work arises.

Renovation should increase the value of the garden, ensuring the authenticity of the restoration. What is decisive during the process of restoration in the case of historic gardens is the application of the original spatial structure, spatial- and mass proportions, the restoration of the contemporary uniform composition.

During the restoration of the built elements (roads, pavements, garden structures, fixtures, etc.), the correct use of materials and traditional technologies is important. The distinction between original and restored elements, however, is expected to be unaffected even when using the same material, based on the principle of monumental authenticity. During the restoration of historic gardens, the application of the original plant species may prove difficult due to newly emerging pathogens or to the often limited variety of plants readily available. In this case, the use of substitute plant species is permitted.

The picturesqueness and the visually encoded message of the castle gardens, as well as the visual relationship between the castle estate and the surrounding landscape, are important for the conservation and restoration of our historic cultural landscapes. Owing to their visual features, artistic compositions, agelong processes of existence, and messages delivered, historic gardens bear a significant emotional substance. Their restoration is important also for experiencing natural processes. Redefinition of the relationships between the society and the heritage, humankind, and the landscape is a duty of all periods, and it urges us to always find the appropriate tools to do so.

Despite the difficulties in exploring their past, from the surveys of the actual conditions, it is possible to establish that our historic castle gardens still represent a part of our garden heritage that is possible to restore in the most authentic way. Regarding garden reconstructions, if we have no sufficient authentic information available on the original conditions, then there is the opportunity to recall the atmosphere of the former garden or occasionally to create a contemporary work of art.

The value of the presented renewals lies in the vast experience gained through the preparation of the inventor, which comprises a garden and landscape history review of nearly 400 years and complex documentation of numerous sites. Results highlight that manor estates were complex and functional units regarding their role in arts, society, and economy. Through their establishment, the maintenance, and the various agricultural activities contributing to economic sustainability, they had significant impacts on landscapes. The planners and owners made them an important tool and element of the transformation of the 18th- and 19th-century landscapes, and they still play a significant role in the character of the landscape nowadays. Their survey and documentation has an inestimable value for heritage conservation and is absolutely necessary for any future restorations. The research project won the Europa Nostra award in the research category in 2014, and the assessment by the jury highlights that the subject is one of great importance and has revealed something of a gap in our understanding of European garden history. The outcome provides the means not only to tackle the problems of decline and dereliction in the castle gardens themselves but also to learn ways in which other neglected gardens and garden-landscape relations in other regions can be rescued and restored [35].

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, A.F.; methodology, A.F. and L.K.; software, L.K.; validation, A.F. and L.K.; formal analysis, A.F.; investigation, A.F.; resources, A.F. and L.K.; data curation, A.F.; writing—original draft preparation, A.F.; writing—review and editing, A.F. and L.K.; visualization, A.F. and L.K.; supervision, A.F. and L.K.; project administration, A.F.; funding acquisition, A.F., L.K.

**Acknowledgments:** This material was published using the generous support of Fábos Foundation. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
