For city dwellers, it is often hard to get away into the country to breathe fresh air and enjoy rambling in nature, but many urbanites are lucky enough to have green spaces in their own backyard.
City parks consist of gardens, hiking trails, zoos, observatories and so much more. We've chosen ten of the most beautiful from around the world.
On a 60-meter high hill in downtown Singapore lies a lush green park with a rich history of having been used for either government or military needs. Now, of course, it is a beautiful park containing many different elements, from the historical to botanical.
There are two other main elements worth mentioning in the Master of the Nets Garden: one is the Barrier of Cloud grotto, a cypress as old as the Ming dynasty, and the other is a pine that is itself hundreds of years old. The garden itself first came into being in 1140! The areas of the garden to the north of Rosy Cloud Pool were designed for intellectual goings-on, while those to the south were for social uses. The pool itself actually looks larger than it is because a 'close to the water' design style was used, whereby small buildings are positioned directly on the water, while larger ones are set far back with trees used to help minimize their appearance.
The Master of the Nets Garden is a calm and peaceful garden in the bustling city of Suzhou (home to over 6 million people!) and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 'Classical Gardens of Suzhou'. These beautiful gardens surround the central feature of the Rosy Cloud pool – the name alone is enough to bring peace to an overly busy mind! Different seasons are represented by different views of plants and rocks in the gorgeous western section of this 5,400 sq m garden.
3. Silesian Zoological Garden, Katowice and Chorzów, Poland
Not only does Poland’s Silesian Zoological Garden have a zoo that’s home to 2,500 animals; this urban green space is unique because of its stunning dinosaur valley, which contains full-scale reconstructions of 16 different dinosaurs found in an exhibition about the Gobi Desert. Walking through this amazing outdoor feature must be rather like walking in a valley millions of years ago when these huge creatures roamed the earth! The zoological garden – a mainstay of the larger Silesian Central Park – was founded in 1954 on 47.6 hectares of land.
Roundhay also has a folly, built in 1812 to resemble a castle gate, which originally had a wooden roof and an upstairs room that was used by the owners at the time. After belonging to the Nicholson family for the best part of a century, the land was purchased by a group that included the Mayor of Leeds and became a public park in 1871.
There are three main gardens in Roundhay: the Canal Gardens, containing old trees, a rectangular lake flanked by brilliant colored flowers and a lovely rose garden; the Monet garden, which was built in the style of the artist’s garden path in Giverney as depicted in one of his most famous paintings; and the Alhambra Garden, featuring a rectangular pond and fountains
Roundhay Park is an unexpected treasure in the city of Leeds, England. Visiting it, you might think yourself a world away from a bustling city center! Spread over 700 acres, it is one of the largest urban parks in Europe.
The park was made possible by Colonel Griffith J. Griffith, who donated land to the city of Los Angeles in 1896. At first, its future as a park didn’t really take off (partly due to Griffith’s being convicted of shooting his wife!) but in 1912, he set up a trust fund in order to see his dream of seeing an observatory, planetarium and amphitheater instituted in the park come to life, as well as a boys’ and girls’ camp. Later, further donations and purchases allowed the park to expand it to its current size. Overlooking Los Angeles and providing incredible views, it is a shining light for inhabitants of the Californian metropolis.
