2.1.1. Garden History Research

The goal of the historical research of primary and secondary sources found (archives, library and museum materials, map and postcard collections, thematic bibliography reviews, internet sources, etc.) is to provide a clear idea of the establishment and development of the gardens. It comprises the role the sites play in the landscape and the urban character and layout, and the landscape scale relationships that served as a basis for the establishment of the castle garden and determined the character of the surrounding landscapes to a great extent. The garden history research also deals with the architectural history of the castle and the family history of the owners. Family history data proved to be especially important, as it was tightly linked to the initial creation or later transformation of parks, certain garden sections, or specific garden features. The owner families are the bearers of the intellectual and cultural substance that is essential for the spirit and identity of the place, and for the establishment of the castle gardens. Many of the gardens were shaped from the ideas of the owners, or the design was directly influenced by the owners. Owners of the castles and gardens may therefore also be considered as creators of these historic monuments. The results of the garden history research are the inventory and the cultural heritage assessment.

## 2.1.2. Site Survey

The site survey precisely records the actual conditions of each castle garden (sketches, minutes, GPS coordinates, geodetic surveys, geophysical surveys, aerial remote sensing survey, plant inventory, digital photographic inventory, etc.) as well as the valuable features, and thus, it serves as a status report or basis for comparison for conservation strategies and any future restorations. A topographic map (land registry map, etc.) provides the basis for the survey of the general conditions and valuable landscape features. Definition and classification of the survey criteria were important steps of the procedure. As a starting point, we took the criteria of historical heritage surveys in Hungary, complementing and adapting it to local circumstances as necessary. The survey form records aspects of heritage conservation, visual landscape protection, and dendrology, focusing primarily on the valuable botanical, architectural and landscape features, visual links, and spatial composition. The prepared survey form also integrates the recommendations from the English Heritage and the National Centre for Historic Monument Conservation in Hungary.

In the case of one of the most famous and influential British gardens, the Rousham House Garden, we can also bring up the eye-catchers and defined visual axes as the most significant compositional tools—as proof of their success in garden history to this day: "The many wandering walks through the gardens are full of delicious surprises, a sudden meeting with a dying gladiator, a glimpse of Apollo, or a long view of a Gothic mill, an ancient bridge or distant trees, or arrival at an unexpected seat in an alcove", says Hal Moggridge, an English landscape architect [17].

Concerning Transylvanian castle gardens and landscapes, we tried to determine those prospects, eye-catchers, and visual axes in cases of 100 locations, which through their meanings and symbolic messages play an essential role in the garden composition or landscape they are part of.

Similarly to Hungarian and other examples from the countries in Europe [18], planned visual links in Transylvania are specific mostly to landscape gardens from the 19th century, a period that was also the golden age for Transylvanian castle gardens (Figure 1).

**Figure 1.** Visual attractions represented by built features in the case of the Teleki estate from Gernyeszeg (Gornesti, R.O.). Photos and graphical processing by Fekete, A., based on [19].

The deliberate spatial layout resulted in landscape compositions with structures and ornamental elements that were not really functional in themselves; instead, picturesque elements were applied as eye-catchers, staffage, and effects to create a specific atmosphere.

As a highlight of the composition, the eye-catchers also played an important role in the case of the designed landscapes in Transylvania, providing the focus for visual axes, occasionally having an additional, symbolic meaning.
