Japanese Garden

What makes it special

This is a contemplative strolling garden: you walk a set route slowly and look at water, stone and trees. The pond is the piece to study, because its shoreline was shaped to match the Japanese characters for the word friendship, so trace the outline as you go round.

The stone lanterns and ritual hand-washing basins along the route are originals from the 18th and 19th centuries. The paths and streams were laid by specialists from Nagoya working alongside Wrocław gardeners.

The first garden here was made for the Centennial Exhibition of 1913. The 1997 flood all but destroyed it, and the garden you walk today is the rebuild.

Some two hundred species and varieties of trees and shrubs grow here. Nearly forty varieties of rhododendron and azalea give the most colour, and cut-leaf Japanese maples draw the eye through the whole growing season.

Visiting

Sukiya Mon, the main gate, opens onto a marked route that runs in one direction. You keep to the paths and follow the arrows, and the pond, cascades and streams are off limits.

The path heads first for the bridge over the pond, then to the male cascade, Otoko-daki, which drops hard over a stone sill. Stepping stones carry you across the water to the female cascade, Onna-daki, where the water winds down in gentle rapids.

The covered pavilion bridge, Yumedono Bashi, stands in the middle of the pond. Crossing the arched Taiko Bashi ends the set part of the route, and after it you can wander freely or sit on a bench by the water. The Azumaya tea house is on the southern edge, and you leave by the side gate, Fuku Mon.

Tips

Irises flower in June and the maples turn red in autumn, so the garden holds up well beyond spring. In April, arrive at opening time.

The bridges turn slippery after rain, and nothing fences the water off from the walkways, which matters if you bring small children. There is no cafe inside, so eat before you come or after you leave. Traffic from the roads around the park carries into the garden, so expect calm rather than silence.