Athens National Garden - Visit of Saxonian Gardens

The Schwarz Foundation organized a three-day program from October 14th to 17th to educate Greek staff and officials from the Athens National Garden and the City of Athens on modern methods for cultural heritage preservation.

Upon arrival in Berlin, the group traveled to Dresden, where they were welcomed by the Saxonian Castle Association. The Association’s Managing Director, Dr. Christian Striefler together with speaker of press Anita Radicke, provided an overview of the administration of Saxony’s state-owned palaces and gardens, highlighting the organization's goals and upcoming programs. The day ended with a dinner for the Greek group in Dresden’s scenic “Neustadt” district.

The following morning, the delegation visited Pillnitz Castle, where they met with the head manager, Mrs. Josefine Frank, and the head of the Saxonian Garden Department, Dr. Claudius Wecke. The hosts shared insights into the castle’s history, organization, and conservation strategies. The group also observed an innovative project by the Technical University Dresden's `Barkhausen Institute´, featuring a robot designed for automated watering to address climate-related challenges in garden maintenance.

Later, the group met with Thomas Riedel, the Head Gardener of Großsedlitz, who answered specific questions on park maintenance. On the third day, the delegation visited the Großsedlitz Baroque Garden. The director, Dr. Andrea Dietrich, gave a tour of the Orangerie, and garden director Steffen Pabst discussed orange tree maintenance. A memorable moment was Mr. Pabst’s demonstration of orange plant grafting, after which he gifted the Athenians the grafted plant as a keepsake.

In Dresden's Great Garden, the group learned about historical architecture and climate-adaptive projects. On their final day, they traveled to Bad Muskau to see the historic Pückler Garden, gaining insight into its unique landscape architecture and the complexities of maintaining a cross-border park spanning Germany and Poland.

The delegation later returned to Berlin to catch their flight back to Athens.