Allées in Landscape Architecture and Garden Art—Types, Preservation, and Renewal of the Living Heritage of Baroque Allées in Hungary

Examining the history of garden art since ancient times, we find many examples of linear tree layouts supporting orientation or being used for the purpose of composition. Allees gained special significance during the Baroque as dynamic and grandiose space-forming garden design elements. They mostly consist of trees of taxonomically similar species planted along a regular line equidistant from each other in single or multiple rows. The two-dimensional compositional elements of the layout form three-dimensional longitudinal space forms. During their evolution, both their proportions and openness constantly change. Analyses of the compositional role and functions of allees of exemplary Hungarian Baroque garden complexes in the 18th century provided a basis for setting up a novel typology. Five compositional types have been defined as the primary result of archival research. The significance of the still-subsisting historic Hungarian allees calls for unique protection similar to European heritage protection. Taking a summary of significant, surviving examples of Hungarian Baroque allees into account, methods for allee renewal are defined along with the core question of whether allees are natural landscape elements or strict architectural compositions where authenticity may be an important criterion. The methodological research is partially based on three plans for the renewal of Baroque allees in Hungary that have been worked out by the Author as the chief landscape architect of the projects.