A Cleveland Gem (Part One)

Rockefeller Park is the largest park in the city of Cleveland.  In 1896, the centennial of the founding of Cleveland, John D. Rockefeller, a long-time resident, paid for the purchase of a tract of land that followed Doan Brook from the University Circle district north toward Lake Erie.  That land became a seven mile long parkway named in honor of its benefactor.

The four stone bridges which cross the parkway are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Doan Brook meanders northward toward Lake Erie.

Rockefeller Lagoon at the southern end of the park

Rockefeller Park is the location of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens, a treasure which is unique in the world.  In the 1920s it was suggested that a chain of gardens be created along the parkway to represent the different ethnic communities which make up Cleveland's population.  Today there are thirty six gardens, and there is still room for more to be added. There are more than sixty statues honoring important people from many nationalities.

I have frequently driven through Rockefeller Park on my way to the Cleveland Art Museum and passed by the Cultural Gardens.  I have often thought that it would be interesting to park the car and take a closer look at the gardens.  Last week I finally did that.  I spent several hours and walked several miles.  I missed a few, but I visited almost all of the gardens.  Some are more impressive and better maintained than others, but it was an interesting trip around the world and through history.

The first garden that I came to is also one of the newest.  The Ethiopian Cultural Garden was dedicated in August of 2019.

It features a series of panels with mosaic work designed by a noted Ethiopian artist, Zerihun Yetmgeta.  It is the only monument to Ethiopia in the United States.

The next garden is one of the most impressive, the Irish Cultural Garden.

It is only from the terrace above that you realize that the garden is laid out in the form of a Celtic cross.

Although the garden dates back to 1939, there have been new additions such as this fountain, a replica of one in Dublin, which was dedicated in 2011.

Another newer feature is the Writer's Recognition Court which has monuments honoring famous Irish writers such as James Joyce and George Bernard Shaw.

The Syrian Garden (2011) is next.  It features a replica of the arches of the Roman city of Palmyra and an Arabic fountain.  Plaques tell the long history of the nation.

The Hebrew Garden (1926) was one of the first to be dedicated.  In fact it was the publisher of the Cleveland Jewish News who first promoted the idea of the Cultural Gardens.

The centerpiece is a fountain which rests on the Seven Pillars of Wisdom.

All around it are monuments to famous Jewish people.  This one honors Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, and Jonas Salk, the developer of the first polio vaccine.

The Croatian Garden (2012) has a poignant statue entitled "Immigrant Mother".

Steps climb the hillside, and next to them is a small cascade representing the many waterfalls in that country.

At the top of the hill is a replica of the font from which the first ruler of Croatia was baptized.

The British Garden which began as the Shakespeare Garden is oldest of the gardens.  It goes back to 1916 and predates the official creation of the Cultural Gardens.  I was underwhelmed by this empty area, but I later read that the garden is under redevelopment.  The British Garden Committee is currently working on restoration plans.

The attractive Hungarian Garden (1938) includes a tribute to the famous pianist and composer Franz Liszt.

The Centennial Peace Plaza was constructed in 2017 to commemorate the gardens' 100th anniversary.  It includes a 300 seat amphitheater for outdoor events.

The German Garden (1927) includes statues of the great writers Goethe and Schiller and the composer Johann Sebastian Bach.

The Lithuanian Gardens (1936) feature a bust of Jonas Basanavicius, the father of Lithuanian independence.

The entrance to the Greek Garden (1940) is flanked by two Doric columns similar to those in the Parthenon.

The wall at the far end of the garden is inscribed with the names of thirty four famous Greeks, including Socrates, Homer and Archimedes.

The Italian Garden (1930) includes a Renaissance style amphitheater.  The garden has been the site of summer performances by the Cleveland Opera Company.

I should have climbed the steps.  I did not realize that there was an upper garden which includes a replica of a fountain from the Villa Medici in Rome and a bronze statue of Dante.

In the Slovak Garden (1932) there is a statue of Milan Stefanik, a Slovak diplomat who worked for the sovereignty of Czechoslovakia at the end of World War I.

The Czech Garden (1935) contains statues and busts of numerous famous people.  I had never heard of the person portrayed by the most prominent statue... Jan Amos Komensky.  However, as a former teacher, he is someone about whom I ought to know! 

Komensky was a 17th century writer, philosopher and educator.  The Czechs consider him the father of modern education.  I did some research on him.  He proposed that beginning at the age of six all children should attend a primary school for six years.  They should then continue with six years of secondary education, followed by advanced schooling at an academy.  His ideas on the length of the school year, the school week and school vacations influenced our school calendars of today.  He also proposed that students of the same age should be together in the same classroom, and that each student should have a textbook.  Wow!

People from the U.S., at least those interested in classical music, are more likely to have heard of the Czech composer Antonin Dvorak.

  

The Polish Garden (1934) is also filled with statues of famous Poles.  Did you know that these famous people were all born in Poland?

 Copernicus, the Father of Modern Astronomy

The composer Frederic Chopin

The Nobel Prize winning scientist Madame Curie

A more recent addition is this bust of Pope John Paul II.

The main feature of the Azerbaijan Garden (2008) is this bowl-like sculpture of stainless steel which is entitled "Hearth".

The Armenian Garden (2010) centers around the Alphabet Monument, which honors St. Mesrop Mashtops who invented the Armenian alphabet in A.D. 404 in order to translate the Bible to the Armenian language.

That concludes my walk along one side of the parkway.  In the next post I will cross the boulevard and visit the gardens on the other side.