Reclaiming history: Cơ Hạ Garden was one of five royal gardens inside the inner citadel complex. |
THỪA THIÊN - HUẾ — The remnants of a royal garden of the Nguyễn dynasty, located east of the Huế Imperial complex in the central city of Huế, are being excavated.
Excavation of a 600sq.m area in Cơ Hạ Garden is taking place between July 25, 2016, and January 25, 2017, under the supervision of researcher Phan Thị Thúy Vân, an official of the Huế Monuments Conservation Centre.
The garden was one of five royal gardens inside the inner citadel complex; the others include Hậu Hồ, Trường Ninh Cung, Ngự Viên and Thiệu Phương Viên gardens.
The Cơ Hạ garden was built in 1837, under the reign of King Minh Mạng (1791-1841). It was renovated by kings Thiệu Trị (1807-1847) and Tự Đức (1829-1883).
In the early 20th century, due to limited funds for taking care of the garden, the Nguyễn dynasty knocked down some of the garden’s main buildings. Since then, the garden had been neglected.
In 2014, the centre renovated three traditional houses among the old buildings in the garden, taking guidance from old photos of the area. The landscape, comprising lakes, plants and flowers, has been revived. — VNS