If you are a lover of plants and gardening in general, it is possible that, when you travel, you want to visit somewhere related to them. In this case we propose Navarra, where you can visit the Bertiz Botanical Garden, do you know him?
In case you have not heard of it, or if you want to know it a little more, below we are going to tell you about it and encourage you to visit it. Shall we start?
What is the Bertiz Botanical Garden
As we told you before, the Bertiz Botanical Garden is in Navarra. Specifically, it is part of the Señorio de Bértiz Natural Park and is located in Oyeregi, in the Pyrenean valley of Bértiz-Arana.
It is more than a hundred years old, which is why it is so appreciated and those who visit it know that they are going to have a very pleasant time, both for the plants that they are going to find and also for some small animals that you may be lucky enough to see. to see
The garden is designed through paths and paths where you can find yourself surrounded by hedges, flower beds, bushes, trees... In fact, only in this place will you be able to find rare species, such as sweetgums, swamp cypresses, sequoias, cedars, camellias, hydrangeas, bamboos...
In total, it has about four hectares of area.
What is the origin of the Bertiz Botanical Garden?
Si Te gusta to know the origin and history of the places, in this case we have to go back to 1392, which is when there is the first reference to the ownership of the Lordship. In this case it was from Pedro Miguel Bértiz. This man was named by King Charles III, the Noble, as Merino of the Mountains. At that time, that title referred to being a judge of broad jurisdiction.
The next thing that is known dates back to 1421, when this judge, called Micheto, accompanied Charles III as a squire to help him mediate with the aim of avoiding war. And he did such a good job that he gave him the shield of a lamia or mermaid, something that is still valid today.
Pedro Miguel had children and it was his children who inherited the property, which was actually a private estate. And so it continued until the 19th century, which changed ownership from the Bértiz family to the Ciga-Fernández family.
And why are we telling you about this family? Well because they were the last owners. The purchase was made in 1898 by Pedro Ciga and Dorotea Fernández. Pedro was the one who decided to invest in the place and rebuilt the old palace. He also built an access bridge (the same one that exists today), and organized the garden, expanding the Jardinzar and adding ponds, fountains, pergolas, gazebos... He was even the one who decided to add an access track to Mount Aizkolegi where they made a second residence (now not used).
He didn't stop there, he also managed everything to recover the forest and nature of the area, which in some points had been lost.
As a result, you have the Bertiz Botanical Garden. And in 1949, in the will of Pedro Ciga, the Lordship was donated to Navarra and the Provincial Council with the only requirement that it be preserved as is, without changing the characteristics that defined it.
A few years later, in 1984, the Government of Navarra declared it a Natural Park.
Thus, although the name really refers to its first owners, the one who really cared about the garden and recovering the old glory of nature was Pedro Ciga.
The most striking thing about the Bertiz Botanical Garden
If you visit the Bertiz Botanical Garden there will be many things to focus on. But this time we want to talk to you about two of them.
The first is the beech forest, that is, the enormous forest that you are going to find. In fact, if you're lucky, it's very possible that you'll see a deer there when you go for a walk.
The second is at the top of Mount Aizkolegi. If you have read the previous text, you will know that Pedro Ciga made a second residence at the top of this mountain, and created a path to get there. Of course, they had to travel about twenty-two kilometers.
We are not going to deceive you, there is no palace as such, but there are its ruins. And if you can do the walk, we recommend it, because the views from this mountain are worth it, seeing the ruins and appreciating the path that you will have to follow because you will find native and rare plants.
If we had to tell you about all the places that this park has, Then we would start with the parking, the place where we leave the cars, where the buses stop, etc. From there, you must go to the reception and information booth which is the entrance to the place and is in the renovated Caserío Etxeberría. Keep in mind that it has various prices based on what you want to see, whether only the Interpretation Center, the Garden or the Garage.
Next, you will have a picnic area that separates this information center from the Nature Interpretation Center, in the Tenientetxea Caserío. In it, the objective is to understand the conservation tasks, structure and operation of the park and why nature must be cared for.
The Garage would follow, and not because it is for cars, but because that is what this building is called where you can find a model of the park.
Next, you would have the garden which is the jewel of the park. And there you can get to the Palace, the residence of Pedro Ciga and Dorotea Fernández. It is in very good condition, in fact, it is used for conferences, meetings... and there are also temporary exhibitions.
How much does it cost to visit the park
Depending on which group you are, you will have one price or another. It is free to enter if you are a minor, unemployed, have a disability or functional diversity.
If you are a student or have a youth card, or are retired, pensioner or over 65 years old, the price will be 1,50 euros. AND for adults it will be three euros.
As you can see, the Bertiz Botanical Garden is well worth visiting and spending a whole day among the plants. Of course, it is a place where they say it is hot, but it also rains a lot, so don't forget an umbrella. Would you dare to go? Have you been to it by any chance?