*3.1. Thesis No 1: The Castle, the Castle Garden, and the Surrounding Landscape Altogether Represent a Single Artistic and Compositional Unit*

From the 100 investigated locations in 79 cases, during the field survey, we discovered strong visual connections still existing between the castle, the garden, and the landscape.

Neither the castle or the castle garden should be interpreted independently. They are a single unit, and all the man-made and natural elements of the castle garden—often specific elements beyond the garden boundaries—make part of this unit. The castle and the garden altogether represent a composition that is an integral part of a complex system developed on artistic, cultural, historical, ecological, and economic bases. When the estate complexes were established, the views and visual axes made use of the landscape potential, relying on architectural and artistic tools to explore.
