International Festival "Imperial Gardens Of Russia"

French gardens on the banks of the Neva

In the Mikhailovsky Garden of St. Petersburg in June, in the midst of the white nights, for the third time the annual international festival "The Imperial Gardens of Russia" was held. The main event of this festival was the exhibition-competition "French Garden on the Banks of the Neva", timed to coincide with the Year of France in Russia and Russia in France. The exhibition featured 23 projects - 18 in the competitive program and 5 outside of it.

Competitive projects were considered in two nominations: "Royal Gardens" (with an appeal to the traditions of the French regular courtesan gardens of the 16th-18th centuries) and "Gardens of the Republic" (with an appeal to the gardening traditions of France in the late 18th - early 21st centuries - from the gardens of the Enlightenment to modern avant-garde). The competent jury, which included specialists in landscape design and plants from Russia, France, Germany, Finland, New Zealand, singled out the most interesting projects in their opinion:

Nomination "Royal Gardens"

1st place - the "Convention Garden" project.

2nd place - the project "French Lessons".

3rd place - the project "Philosophy of Time".

Nomination "Gardens of the Republic"

1st place - the project "Corner of Provence in St. Petersburg".

2nd place - the project "Belle Epoque".

3rd place - the project "Giverny".

As before, the festival was organized by the Russian Museum, which is in charge of the Mikhailovsky Garden, with the support of the government of St. Petersburg, a number of foundations, commercial organizations and the media. The opening ceremony was attended by the governor of the northern capital Valentina Matvienko, Princess of Kent, representatives of the Union of Russian Gardeners and the Fund for Parks and Gardens of France. Participants and guests of the festival had the opportunity to attend lectures, master classes and consultations of landscape designers, florists, gardeners, an exhibition and sale of works of blacksmithing art, could enjoy performances by musical, vocal and dance groups, see the masterpieces of French cinema, learn the basics of fencing skills, get acquainted with selection novelties of roses - the Little Prince variety, dedicated to the festival, and the Valentine variety,named after the governor of the city.

And as part of the festival, the Russian Museum organized two art exhibitions: "The Versailles Dream of Alexander Benois" in the Mikhailovsky Palace (about 50 graphic and pictorial works of the master with views of Versailles) and "Flowers in the Fine Arts" in the Marble Palace (works of the 19th-21st centuries from Museum collection).