Fülöp Éva Mária – László János szerk.: Komárom-Esztergom Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei 15. (Tata, 2009)
P. Tóth Enikő: A tatai angolkert 18-19. századi építészeti és képzőművészeti emlékei. Újabb adatok a kert történetéhez - Architectural and artistic monuments of the english landscape garden of Tata from the 18–19th centuries. Additional data on the history of the garden
A TATAI ANGOLKERT 18-19. SZÁZADI ÉPÍTÉSZETI ÉS KÉPZŐMŰVÉSZETI EMLÉKEI stones of the ruined church of Vértesszentkereszt, are supposed to be designed by Charles Moreau; this supposition, however, is not corroborated by published archive sources. A note made in 1801 informs us of the existence of two lion statues located in the English landscape garden. Another record from 1801 mentions the carved and painted stone statues of Luna, Cupido and Diana ; the fragment of a head, supposed to be the work of Antal Schwaiger, arid housed by the Tata Museum may be related to them. It is highly probable that the two busts of Roman men (also categorised as Schwaigers works, now housed by the Tata Museum) were placed in the garden. Sources dated to 1806 mention a bell situated next to the kitchen building, a belfry and a bridge near Lake Cseke; in the same year, references are made to a draw-bridge and columns. In 1808, construction works were being carried out at the Diana Temple. The easternmost building in the territory is the one constructed by Jakab Fellner around 1770 to accommodate the servants, house the winery and serve as a steading. Later, it housed the estate champagne factory. Contemporary maps show several buildings that no longer exist; they also depict one-time garden structures in the various phases of construction. In Tata and Tóváros, during festivals and garden parties, plays and ballets were performed. According to the sources, at the time of such festivals, temporary buildings were erected. A summary from 1798 informs us of the plan of a stone memorial, presumably intended to be a permanent building; however, as for the actual construction, we have no information. When it comes to the festivals, it is worth mentioning that in Tata, near the Castle and the Count's residence there was a brewery built in 1767 (or some time later), where plays were performed. In 1793, the theatre in the English landscape garden was finished in Tóvároskert. The Castle Theatre, designed by Fellner Ferdinand and Helmer Hermann, operated from 1888 to 1913 near the Esterházy Castle. In the late 18 t h century and early 19 t h century, references were made to the English landscape garden in Tóvároskert and the garden adjacent to the Esterházy Castle as two separate gardens. However, as a result of the changes in the garden structures, the two territories came to be regarded as one. Even today, the parks of Tóvároskert and Tata are connected by a promenade that runs along the shore of Lake Öreg. The Castle of Tata, due to its Gothic-style additions, forms a harmonious unity with the two garden parts. Before designing the Count's residence (constructed in the 1760s and 1770s), the architect Jakab Fellner prepared a series of signed versions of his plans of a castle and an adjacent park. The maps, dated 1763, are preserved in the form of photos. The plans, which involved the deconstruction of the Castle, were not implemented; finally, a smaller and simpler castle was built between 1763 and 1778 (or in the period immediately after that). The building has a back garden and a park in front of the facade to the lake. The buildirig complex also incorporates the "Small Castle", with a pool and a fountain statue next to its entrance. The "Fountain Nymph" was produced by Antal Schwaiger around 1785. The grottos in the castle garden and a female figure on a pedestal (made in the first half of the 19 t h century) are also noteworthy. On the square in front of the Castle, there is a large-size carved vase of stone; it is dated to around 1780. Under the former Piarist monastic quarters, at a considerably lower level, stand the one-time estate stalls. The complex was created in the 1760s. Along the shore, towards Remeteségpuszta, on the border of a tended territory near the castle, there is a small-scale, i8' h-century building, which (on the basis of its character) may be regarded as a one-time hermit's lodge (a prevalent built element of English landscape gardens). Still, it should not be precluded that the small building had some economic purposes. The English landscape garden - given its considerable number of extant architectural and artistic monuments, living plants and waters - is an exceptionally beautiful Hungarian example from this period of historic gardens. Translated by Zsuzsanna Tóth 117
