Enea Tree Museum | Grandi Giardini Italiani

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The Tree Museum is set within a spacious 75'000 m2 park at the Upper Lake of Zurich in Rapperswil-Jona. This open-air museum showcases a remarkable selection of trees and shrubs that world-renowned Swiss landscape architect and tree collector Enzo Enea has gathered over the past 25 years.

With over 3,000 trees and plants, the museum has become a unique sanctuary of nature. In a series of open spaces, Enea expresses his deep appreciation for trees, using them as focal points to create a world that reflects his distinctive aesthetic vision, commitment to sustainability, and recognition of their vital role - all conveyed with due respect. The collection consists exclusively of species from the local climate zone, all of which were preserved from being felled. The museum features over 50 trees and more than 25 species, some over 100 years old, evoking a sense of timelessness.

Sculptures by contemporary artists engage with the theme of nature, standing alongside the trees and reviving the age-old dialogue between art and nature. The Tree Museum embodies Enzo Enea's vision, allowing him, for the first time, to seamlessly integrate landscape, botany, architecture, art, and design.

Arena for a Tree

From Basel to Zurich to Venice, the art intervention “Arena for a Tree” now occupies its final place at the Enea Tree Museum. This work by Klaus Littmann is presented as a gift from the Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger to Enzo Enea's Tree Museum, ensuring that “Arena for a Tree” remains accessible to the public, providing space for various activities that convey the value of trees and nature in dialogue with people. The “Arena for a Tree” has emerged as a seed from Klaus Littmann's temporary art intervention “FOR FOREST - The Unending Attraction of Nature. While the focus of FOR FOREST was on 299 trees, the “Arena for a Tree” centres on a single tree. These two pioneering projects were presented, sending a strong message for environmental awareness and sustainable urban development. As the tree of the future, the Japanese Zelkova has been selected for the arena at the Enea Tree Museum. This highly climate-resilient, deciduous tree generates a pleasant microclimate with its large crown and provides ample shade. Zelkova trees are considered very robust street trees in large cities like Tokyo and New York.

Grandi Giardini Italiani Srl

Grandi Giardini Italiani Srl