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The History of Water Management in the Iberian PeninsulaDams in the Renaissance Gardens of the Iberian Peninsula

The History of Water Management in the Iberian Peninsula: Dams in the Renaissance Gardens of the... [Dams constitute an important dimension of many of the hydraulic systems developed by different cultures down through history. Not only relevant for their practical benefits, the scale of the territorial intervention entails deep impacts on the surrounding landscape. Great dams store large volumes of water and create perfectly horizontal surfaces within organic perimeters, which fluctuate according to the topography and the amount of water stored at each moment. In addition, they produce radical changes in their ecosystems, with important environmental consequences. Usually linked to agricultural developments, during the reign of Philip II in Spain, these structures undertook symbolic values as key facets of the territorial reorganization undertaken in that period to affirm the king’s power. Generally attributed to Flemish and Dutch constructors (called “diqueros” in Spain), they also reflect the survival of the Roman techniques that were profusely employed on the Iberian Peninsula. Although these extraordinary examples have been subject to well-grounded prior research, the importance and originality of their widespread use in garden ensembles during the reign of Philip II represents an unusual fact that deserves highlighting. The exceptional example of El Bosque de Béjar, where a dam features as the main element of an axial terraced garden, complements the varied royal initiatives (Aranjuez, Casa de Campo, Valsaín, El Escorial and La Fresneda; all with irrigation structures that also served playful or compositional purposes). Based on documentation and field work, this chapter focuses on the general arrangement of these structures, their relationships with garden layouts and, especially, the hydraulic system of La Fresneda, one of the least known and best preserved. ] http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

The History of Water Management in the Iberian PeninsulaDams in the Renaissance Gardens of the Iberian Peninsula

Part of the Trends in the History of Science Book Series
Editors: Duarte Rodrigues, Ana; Toribio Marín, Carmen
Toribio Marín, Carmen
The History of Water Management in the Iberian Peninsula — Mar 19, 2020
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18 pages

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References (5)

Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Copyright
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020. This work was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia under the research projects IF/00322/2014 and PTDC/HARHIS/28627/2017.
ISBN
978-3-030-34060-5
Pages
159 –177
DOI
10.1007/978-3-030-34061-2_8
Publisher site
See Chapter on Publisher Site

Abstract

[Dams constitute an important dimension of many of the hydraulic systems developed by different cultures down through history. Not only relevant for their practical benefits, the scale of the territorial intervention entails deep impacts on the surrounding landscape. Great dams store large volumes of water and create perfectly horizontal surfaces within organic perimeters, which fluctuate according to the topography and the amount of water stored at each moment. In addition, they produce radical changes in their ecosystems, with important environmental consequences. Usually linked to agricultural developments, during the reign of Philip II in Spain, these structures undertook symbolic values as key facets of the territorial reorganization undertaken in that period to affirm the king’s power. Generally attributed to Flemish and Dutch constructors (called “diqueros” in Spain), they also reflect the survival of the Roman techniques that were profusely employed on the Iberian Peninsula. Although these extraordinary examples have been subject to well-grounded prior research, the importance and originality of their widespread use in garden ensembles during the reign of Philip II represents an unusual fact that deserves highlighting. The exceptional example of El Bosque de Béjar, where a dam features as the main element of an axial terraced garden, complements the varied royal initiatives (Aranjuez, Casa de Campo, Valsaín, El Escorial and La Fresneda; all with irrigation structures that also served playful or compositional purposes). Based on documentation and field work, this chapter focuses on the general arrangement of these structures, their relationships with garden layouts and, especially, the hydraulic system of La Fresneda, one of the least known and best preserved. ]

Published: Mar 19, 2020

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