Les Jardins de l'Imaginaire

It's at the begining of the nineties that the city of Terrasson, strong thanks to her natural and monumental heritage, overseeing the Vézère, decided to be engaged in the touristic development. At the same time, the Mayor (Pierre Delmon) was thinking of a site which could be the engine of the city development: a contemporary garden of six acres, in heart of the old town. The mayor wanted to combine culture, tourism and wealth of Black Périgord and Aquitania. During the nineties it was a real challenge for an industrial city like Terrasson.

This committed and gained challenge by the Municipality was at first a competition won by Kathryn Gustafson, and the architect Ian Ritchie confirming the International ambition of the project. Create "Les Jardins de l'Imaginaire" recover from then from the Art!

It's in 1997 that "les Jardins de l’Imaginaire" opened their doors to the public for the first time, and they welcome since then 40 000 visitors a year. To create a place of interest does not inevitably impose to make a clean sweep of the existing. On the contrary ! Idealy situated, facing the old town of Terrasson, this natural site offered panoramic terraces and a vegetable wealth, favorable to a creation of quality. 
It only remains to create "Les Jardins de l’Imaginaire".

The name « Vézère » is associated to « Cradle of Humanity».
It's naturally that the creation of "Les Jardins de l’Imaginaire" leaned on this originality. The gardens created in Terrasson will be an evocation of the story of Humanity through the story of the gardens. Comparing to the complexity of the gardens' story, the main idea of Kathryn Gustafson was to present "fragments" of the story of the gardens, by making references in a allusive way to the universal myths bound to the nature. "Les Jardins de l'Imaginaire" would so be a set of gardens for subjects.

But how treat in a allusive way so many cultural models? Simply by making references to invariant elements of Humanity's Gardens. Water, Earth, Wind, Perspectives…So many elements which symbolize on the site of Terrasson nature in all its states.

To be rooted in Périgord, to be intergrated in the landscape, associating high technology materials or contemporary architectural lines was a real challenge. Challenge gained! The marriage of native elements and modernity reveals the character of those gardens.

So is born "Les Jardins de l’Imaginaire".
Pure creation of the spirit, this gardens are made to dream.
With aesthetic and poetic researches, the creators offer the pleasure of a big garden, the pleasure of a beautiful walk.

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How to get to the "Jardins de l'Imaginaire"