Frequently asked question
The history, purpose and examples of belvederes
www.lakelandbelvedere.com – you may have wondered why our website is called this, so we hope you’ll find this section about belvederes of interest. You may also like to check out our companion Photo gallery on Rooftop buildings of the world, which has some stunning pictures of high level living and views from all over the globe.
The word ‘belvedere’ is more common than you first think. There are Belvedere streets and hotels across the land. Belvedere is also an area near Erith adjoining the River Thames in Greater London. It was so named because years ago there was a watchtower there overlooking the marshes – just like our Lakeland Belvedere commands a view across the Derwent marshes. But what does the word actually mean?
It comes from the Italian for fine and view and the Oxford English Dictionary notes its first use in English as 1596. It’s a generic term used in architecture for a raised turret or cupola on the top of a building or for a summerhouse (linked with a house) with a view.
The original concept is however wider and European in scope and is earlier than the OED reference. Examples of belvederes can be found in Europe, Africa, America, Asia and elsewhere – and these belvederes commonly involve the idea of journeying, however short.
Belvederes have features in common with penthouses, tree-houses, gazebos and garden sheds, but their primary purpose for relaxation and viewing marks them out. The composer Joseph Haydn, regarded by some as ‘father’ of the symphony, used his small wooden hut in his garden at Eisenstadt near Vienna (left) for composing from the 1760s, but the inspiration for his music came from the garden not the views!
Belvederes were used certainly in defensive contexts, as in this picture of the 12th century Turkish fortress at Volissos on the island of Chios, Greece. The turret protruding from the main wall of the castle made it possible to see your enemy much better and with a great height advantage!
Another and later example is the Forte di Belvedere (often called simply Belvedere), which is a fortification in Florence Italy, built by the Medici family in the 1590s. Its purpose was to protect the city, the family and their treasury.
However the notion of a belvedere as a place you went to for viewing, enjoyment and sometimes retreat – which has inspired our building of the Lakeland Belvedere (opposite) in Seldom Seen – had emerged earlier. In 1484 Pope Innocent VIII began construction of a belvedere (or summerhouse) or on high ground above the Vatican palace overlooking the old St Peter’s basilica. Designed by the Florentine architect Antonio Pollaiuolo, it had spectacular views across Rome. The concept of the Belvedere drew generally from the work of the Roman architect Vitruvius whose treatise in 10 books, De architectura (c 25 BC) had been ‘rediscovered’ in 1414 by the Florentine humanist Bracciolini. This had an enormous influence on Renaissance thinkers and architects. His statement that “well building hath three conditions: firmness, commodity and delight (my italics)” is still widely quoted.
The construction of the Cortile del Belvedere (Courtyard of the Belvedere) linked to this first Belvedere was started by Pope Julius II from 1506 to join the belvedere with the Vatican and was the forerunner of many garden design plans and formal piazzas across Europe. To this new building were brought a number of statues like the ‘Belvedere Apollo’ and this set a pattern for the linking of formal gardens and statuary.
The two photos below of the Belvedere Palace and Fine Arts Museum in Vienna, which was commenced in the early 1700s – with the upper Belvedere being completed in 1723 – show this influence with both sculptures and the symmetrical use of trees; while the third in Valencia extends the piazza idiom to include both the formal use of trees and a different kind of 21st century sculpture – the Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias, the largest cultural centre in Europe! [Photo of the Sphinxes in Vienna by permission of ladymay79, on flickr]
Two further examples of belvederes can be seen at Gonder in northern Ethiopia from late 17th and early 18th centuries. A giant pool built for Emperor Fasilidas in the 1690s had several large turrets (below left) overlooking the magnificent central building and pool.
Later in the 1730s the palace complex of the Empress Mentewab – built at Kuskuam at a height of 2234 metre and just outside the old city – was famed for its view across the valley to Gonder. Its walls had several belvederes (Below right).
Better known is the belvedere on the Klausberg in Potsdam in Germany, which was built for Friedrich the Great from 1770-1772 after the completion of the New Palace. Part of a larger garden project, which was never completed, this was built on a ridge which bordered the northern edge of Sanssouci Park. At the time of construction the belvedere could be seen from far away. [Potsdam photo below left by permission of gari.baldi, on flickr.]
The building of belvederes may have been more popular in Europe and hotter countries but here in England there are examples too. Shortly after the Potsdam belvedere was completed, Sir Robert Palk decided to build an imposing belvedere in 1785 on his 11,000 acre Haldon Estate. [Night photo below right by permission of Quay Studios.]
The Haldon belvedere in Devon generously commemorated Palk’s friend General Stringer Lawrence, who had been the commander of the Indian army. Overlooking Exeter and the Exe valley, it is now in the hands of the Devon Historic Buildings Trust. (http://www.dhbt.org.uk/)
Good ideas have a way of spreading across continents! The last four examples of belvederes are from North America and French Polynesia. All have been associated – like our own Lakeland Belvedere – with outdoors activities, hiking or mountains. Indeed this requirement to use some energy for their enjoyment is a common feature of all belvederes; and maybe one day could turn them into a lifestyle choice like 5 daily portions of fruit or veg!
In Canada the belvedere (a viewing platform) is part of the “sentier l’Envol” hike in the Mont-Tremblant Park, Quebec, while in French Polynesia the Belvedere lookout point at Moorea opens up a huge landscape to the magnificent Opunohu Bay. [Photo below left by permission of RGB12, on flickr.]
Three New York belvedere images help to capture the spirit of excitement and edgy humour in the Big Apple, where innovation and fresh eyes are part of the territory. In the city’s Central Park an imposing Belvedere Castle was erected in 1869, when the park was being first created. It was the imaginative brainchild of two men, Calvert Vaux and Frederick Olmsted, who envisaged it being found by those strolling through the Ramble area of the park. Originally without doors or windows, it is now one of the Central Park’s visitor centres and houses the US Weather Bureau.
Belvedere Castle, New York
Mystery over Belvedere is a stunning picture of a sunset over the Park with the gothic Castle and orange sky reflected in the lake below in a burst of colour and energy. [Photo below left by permission of flyingpanther, on flickr.]
The second was taken using kite aerial photography (KAP) techniques. In a study of contrasts, the same Belvedere Castle rises cleanly from the rock striking like an arrow into the dark green canopy. Behind at a distance a tight parade of Manhattan’s sentinel skyscrapers line up on the Park boundary. [Photo above right used by permission - Copyright © Scott Dunn.]
D. Ogilvie / stadtbild.ch
The third is an eye catching image of an advertisement for Belvedere Vodka. Well positioned and viewable from the top of a flight of steps in a Manhattan subway, it shows the compelling nature of (a modern rendering of) the belvedere or ‘fair view’ theme! Is there a pun here too on the B D F V lettering – BelveDere = Fair View? [Photo: D.Ogilvie /stadtbild.ch]
To round off this introduction to belvederes and collection of famous and less well known examples, just click on the image below of M C Escher’s 50 year old engraving . entitled ‘Belvedere’. His drawing in its quirky style is a metaphor for everything that belvederes offer – mountains, steps and a climb to reach the vantage point, changing vistas during the journey, the reward of rest, a stunning panorama at the top and finally a sense of fun and exuberance.
The losers are those who don’t join in. All these rewards you will find with your short climb to the Lakeland Belvedere at The Larches! A full size version of Escher’s engraving can also be found at the cottage. Where? In the Belvedere of course at the top of those garden steps.