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With nine sites, Galicia has become the territory with the largest number of spaces included in the network.

The immense and spectacular floral heritage that Galicia treasures continues to gain recognition and consolidate this land as an essential destination for lovers of garden tourism. The general assembly of the European Route of Historic Gardens held on the 6th in Lloret de Mar served to officialise the incorporation into this organisation of nine sites located in Galicia, making the region the European territory with the highest concentration of spaces included in the network.

Six of the nine gardens that have received this recognition for the first time are in the province of Pontevedra: those located in the “pazos” of Oca (A Estrada), Quinteiro da Cruz (Ribadumia); Quiñones de León (Vigo), Lourizán(Pontevedra) and Rubianes (Vilagarcía de Arousa), as well as the Castle of Soutomaior. The remaining three are located in the province of A Coruña: the “pazos” of Santa Cruz (Vedra) and Mariñán (Bergondo), and the Alameda de Santiago de Compostela.

All of them are united by the common denominator of the camellia, a flower that arrived in Galicia at the end of the 18th century from countries such as China and Japan, and which found in this land the ideal conditions to become a key element in the ornamentation of pazos, stately homes, parks and other gardens.

With their incorporation into the European Route of Historic Gardens, the nine Galician gardens will benefit from greater international visibility, training programmes and a better position to apply for European funds.

The Xunta explains that the event held in Lloret de Mar served to make official the agreement adopted at the end of last year. In addition, during that day the European Route of Historic Gardens received the diploma certifying its status as a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe, an umbrella under which the nine Galician gardens will also be placed. “The Council of Europe certification is a guarantee of excellence that allows these routes to promote their internationalisation and boost high-value tourism. Until now, the Itinerary had 31 gardens located in eight countries: Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain”, emphasise those responsible for the regional government.