The History of Gardens: Geistesgeschichte or Naturgeschichte?

The article discusses Wiesław Juszczak’s essay entitled Dzieło sztuki czy fakt historyczny? [A work of art or a historical fact? (1973)], which focuses on his theses on the material dimension of artworks. Claiming that Juszczak’s point of view is mainly idealistic, the author shows that such a perspective is highly debatable when historic gardens are concerned. The controversy is illustrated by an analysis of the Italian debate over the Florence Charter, an ICOMOS document on the preservation of historic gardens (1981).