The appearance of emblematic parks in the first half of the 20th century

In this period, the gardens and parks stood out for the incorporation of ornamental plant species, both native and exotic, and for the inclusion of architectural and sculptural elements, such as statues and temples. Over time, these green spaces were subject to improvements and remodeling, adapting to the urban and social needs of their environments, consolidating themselves as important elements of the urban landscape.

At the beginning of the century, the expansion of the bourgeois expansion gave rise to the creation of the Parque de las Palmeras, one of the most emblematic parks of the city.[13] This space, former fairground, experienced a gradual development in its landscaping since 1902, consolidating itself as a prominent element of the urban landscape and the most central park of the city. On the other hand, also in the first years of the century, the Indian Casimiro Gómez Cobas created an ornamental garden on his property in Monte Porreiro, Villa Buenos Aires, which decades later would be transformed into the current Mirador park.

The Parque de las Palmeras, with approximately 23,000 m², has a central promenade with Canary Island palm trees, the Vincenti Gardens with magnolia trees and camellias, and the Columbus Gardens with ponds and statues. It also houses the monument to the navigators and the monument to Columbus "Monumento a Colón (Pontevedra)"), inaugurated in 1959, and the historic café Blanco y Negro, founded in 1944. The park, originally Campo de San José, began to be developed at the end of the century, based on an unfinished project by architect Alejandro Sesmero. The land of this field was transformed into a garden at the beginning of the century. During that century, the park underwent several renovations. In 1924, after the removal of a wooden circus-theater, its space was expanded, and in 1929, the Alameda pond was moved to the park. In the 1940s, swings were installed, and in the 50s, birdhouses. In 1985, the park was redesigned in the English style, with grass and granite edging, and in 2007 the birdhouses were removed, the children's play areas were expanded and the lighting was improved.[13]​[14][15][16][17]​.

The Parque del Mirador de Monte Porreiro, originally a private garden created by the Indian Casimiro Gómez Cobas at the beginning of the century, was designed by the Portuguese landscape designer Jacinto de Matos. The garden included a central avenue flanked by trees and a gazebo. With the urban development of the neighborhood in the 1970s, part of the old park was transformed into a public space around the central promenade lined with two rows of exotic eucalyptus trees. Since 2000, it was improved with rest areas, trails, a playground, and sports courts.[18][19][20]​.

In 1911, the Campo del Conde de la Peña del Moro, located in front of the façade of the recently rebuilt San Fernando barracks "Cuartel de San Fernando (Pontevedra)") and in front of the Alameda, was transformed with the incorporation of trees, gardens and a new street leading to the entrance of the barracks. This urban renewal gave rise to the Doctor Marescot Gardens.[21]​.

The Civil War interrupted the city's landscaping projects, and post-war, the focus shifted to maintaining and restoring existing parks and gardens, rather than developing new green areas.

In 1949, the 54-hectare Botanical Garden of Lourizán was created, which brings together a rich collection of exotic and native species, becoming the most important botanical garden in Galicia.[22]​ The germ of this arboretum dates back to the garden and park that surround the Pazo de Lourizán, where in the 1840s the first magnolias and camellias were planted. Later, Eugenio Montero Ríos beautified the environment at the end of the century and beginning of the century, adding various ornamental species to adorn the paths. The Lourizán botanical garden is home to 700 species and more than 1,900 trees from around the world, including a cedar from Lebanon that is more than 130 years old and the oldest metasequoia in the Iberian Peninsula, planted in 1951. Since 1993, it has had the Parque de las Autonomías, which represents almost 50 species of flora from the different autonomous communities of Spain. Areas dedicated to the flora of Taiwan and Australia also stand out, as well as Eucaliptetetum and Coniferetum, with more than 85 and 170 species, respectively. In addition, the park is home to a notable collection of camellias and other native and exotic trees, many included in the Catalog of Singular Trees of the Government of Galicia.[23][24]​.

Development of parks in neighborhoods and squares (1970-1997)

The arrival of democracy promoted the creation of new green areas in the city, marking an era in which gardening became closely linked to urban planning. During this period, a vision was adopted that combined aesthetics with functionality, also incorporating recreational areas and children's play areas. During the 1970s and 1980s, a significant effort was made to provide the main neighborhoods of Pontevedra with public parks. In 1975, the Campolongo park "Plaza de la Constitución (Pontevedra)") was created in an undeveloped natural space[25] with a great variety of trees, including ginkgos, magnolias and Canary Island palms and with grass areas, a central monument to the Constitution, a children's playground, a pond and a small ornamental granary, while the historic garden of the old Villa Buenos Aires de Monte Porreiro was converted into a public park, with its temple. octagonal, rest areas, trails, a playground and a mini golf.

In 1986, Rosalía de Castro Park "Parque Rosalía de Castro (Pontevedra)") was consolidated to the east of the O Burgo neighborhood "O Burgo (Pontevedra)") on land previously drained from the old marshes of the Lérez River. On its left side, there is a children's playground and a water play park. The Monument to Rosalía de Castro, located at the west end, is a granite monolith with a bronze bust of the writer. At the other end of the park is Tom Carr's "Lookout" monument, a stepped granite structure that culminates in a small viewpoint. The park is home to a variety of trees, including plane trees, American oaks, Atlas cedars, American maples, and weeping willows, among others.[26]​.

In addition, starting in 1991, various public squares and avenues were renovated and landscaped, such as Augusto García Sánchez Avenue, the Plaza de Galicia "Plaza de Galicia (Pontevedra)"), transformed into a park in 1991 with a new design with multiple ash trees of Dutch origin, various paths and a central ornamental fountain, and the Plaza de Barcelos, which was landscaped in 1997 and which houses the Monument to the Tree, memory of the many plane trees that the square had and that were cut down for the construction of an underground parking lot.[27]​[28]​ In 1996, the Seta Park was created in Campolongo "Campolongo (Pontevedra)" on land formerly occupied by a eucalyptus tree.[29]​[30]​.

Creation of natural parks and integration of trees in the streets (1997-2010)

At the end of the century, a more naturalistic trend emerged in the city in the design of urban green spaces, aligned with the principles of environmentalism and environmental sustainability. This new vision not only focused on the creation of parks and large green areas, but also on the incorporation of trees in streets and walks, reflecting a growing concern for the urban environment.

In this way, Pontevedra began a significant stage of green expansion, focused on the creation of large natural parks and the revitalization of riverside spaces. This process began in 1997 with the opening of the Sculpture Island Park, an innovative space where nature and art are integrated in a unique environment next to the Lérez River and its bank, transformed into a tree-lined promenade that same year.[31] The park, connected to both banks of the Lérez by pedestrian bridges, has reed beds, meadows, a small eucalyptus forest, a central promenade and various secondary trails.

In 2000, the Xunqueira de Alba Park was developed, an extensive natural park of 80 hectares located next to the Rons River and the Alba marshes very close to the Corrientes Bridge.[32] The park is made up of three main areas: the marsh, the scrubland, and the swampy plain at the mouth of the Rons River. The swampy area is subject to tidal flow, which means that part of it is covered by water and uncovered every six hours. This ecosystem is of great landscape and ecological value, with rich biodiversity.

The creation of this natural park was followed in 2007 by the inauguration of the Gafos Park, a linear park that accompanies the course of the Gafos River in its urban section through paths and bridges.[33] The park is home to a varied undergrowth and native trees such as laurels, willows and oaks, and is home to various birds, including warblers, swifts and swallows.

In parallel to the creation of these parks, the first years of the century were marked by an extensive incorporation of trees in the city streets, with the planting of numerous ornamental species, especially in the streets of Ensanche, contributing to a greener and healthier environment.

In the urban area of ​​Pontevedra, the streets and squares are adorned with a wide variety of ornamental trees.[34]​ Among them, the camellia stands out, present in numerous avenues and streets such as Eduardo Pondal or García Camba street, and the Californian fan palm, which beautifies streets such as General Gutiérrez Mellado, Sagasta "Calle Sagasta (Pontevedra)") or Peregrina. Other notable trees include the common ash on Augusto García Sánchez Avenue and in the Plaza de Galicia "Plaza de Galicia (Pontevedra)"), the sófora in Benito Corbal, the bitter orange tree in streets such as Rosalía de Castro or Peregrina, and the Callery pear tree in streets such as Daniel de la Sota or Gorgullón.[35] The Pissard plum tree is also found in several avenues such as Reina Victoria "Avenida". of Queen Victoria (Pontevedra)") or Virxinia Pereira Renda, the liquidambar in the Plaza del Hospital Provincial-Doctor Loureiro Crespo Street,[36]​ in the Plaza de la Verdura, on Uruguay Avenue or on Espincelo Street, and the common cherry tree on Cobián Roffignac Street and the Japanese Cherry Tree on Rosalía de Castro Street. In addition, the plane tree adorns Buenos Aires Avenue, the Port Jackson fig tree is on Castelao and Cruz Gallástegui streets, and the symbolic olive tree is on Oliva street. The Jacquemont birch on Paseo de Colón "Paseo de Colón (Pontevedra)"), the China magnolia on Alfonso

Also in these years, the Pasarón park was created, the Family park on the other side of the Sculpture Island was renovated,[37]​ and the Orillamar section of the Pontevedra promenade was planted with trees and conditioned in 2000. Along the latter, grass, shrubs and trees such as stone pines, weeping figs, sweetgum, camphor trees, Callery pear trees or privets were planted.[38]

In 2008, more green areas were created: Parque dos Soutos, in A Parda; the Lérez path on the left bank of the Lérez river, from Monte Porreiro upstream;[39]​ the María Vinyals park in Campolongo "Campolongo (Pontevedra)"), in front of the Administrative City;[40]​ and the Puente Bolera Park, located near the Gafos river and Gorgullón street. In 2009, the Parque de las Camelias was inaugurated in the A Parda neighborhood.[41]​.

Expansion of urban parks and development of peri-urban forest parks (2010-present)

Starting in the second decade of the century, Pontevedra continued with its green expansion policy, focusing both on the provision of new parks in the neighborhoods and on the creation of large forest parks in peri-urban areas. In 2010, the first phase of the Valdecorvos Park was inaugurated,[42]​ and that same year, the first of the forest parks around the city began to be prepared, the Pontillón de Castro Park.[43]​ Later, in 2021, the forest parks of A Fracha and A Tomba were created.[44]​[45]​.

The Pontillón de Castro forest park, located around the reservoir of the same name, covers an area of ​​50 hectares and stands out for its 4.5 kilometer path, which offers viewpoints and benches to contemplate the landscape. The park has more than 3,000 trees, children's play areas, picnic areas, rest areas and a climbing wall.[43]​[46]​ The A Fracha forest park, located south of the city and covering the parishes of Marcon, Tomeza and Canicouva, extends over 406 hectares. It has more than 26 kilometers of trails for pedestrians and cyclists, with adapted routes and offers four viewpoints, wooden walkways and picnic areas surrounded by trees such as chestnut trees and catalpas.[47]​ The A Tomba forest park, located north of Pontevedra in the parish of Campañó, covers 82 hectares and is located 4 kilometers from the urban center. It offers 17 kilometers of trails and has two viewpoints, with views of the Lérez River and nearby mountains. It is populated by chestnut trees, oaks, alders, olive trees and cork oaks, among other tree species.[48]​[45]​.

In 2010, the Martín Balea Park was inaugurated in the A Parda neighborhood. Five years later, in 2015, the Tafisa Park was opened in the homonymous neighborhood,[49]​ followed in 2016 by the creation of the Amalia Álvarez Park in A Eiriña.[50]​ That same year, the right bank of the Senda del Lérez was rehabilitated.[51]​ In 2018, the park attached to the Camino Viejo de Castilla was inaugurated.[52]​ In 2022, The bank of the Gafos River next to the bus station was renaturalized, and in 2024 the Parque da Gándara was completed, located near the entrance to the Xunqueira de Alba Park.[53]​[54][55]​.

In the future, starting in 2025, the creation of the new A Parda Park is planned,[56]​[57]​ of the Camelia Park,[58]​ the renaturalization of the banks of the Gafos River as it passes through Campolongo "Campolongo (Pontevedra)") to create a river park of 81,000 square meters, as well as the rehabilitation of the old orchard and garden of the Convent of Santa Clara "Convent of Santa Clara (Pontevedra)"), which will be open to the public for their enjoyment, continuing with the design of an increasingly green and accessible Pontevedra.[9]​[10]​[59]​[60]​[61]​.

The appearance of emblematic parks in the first half of the 20th century

In this period, the gardens and parks stood out for the incorporation of ornamental plant species, both native and exotic, and for the inclusion of architectural and sculptural elements, such as statues and temples. Over time, these green spaces were subject to improvements and remodeling, adapting to the urban and social needs of their environments, consolidating themselves as important elements of the urban landscape.

At the beginning of the century, the expansion of the bourgeois expansion gave rise to the creation of the Parque de las Palmeras, one of the most emblematic parks of the city.[13] This space, former fairground, experienced a gradual development in its landscaping since 1902, consolidating itself as a prominent element of the urban landscape and the most central park of the city. On the other hand, also in the first years of the century, the Indian Casimiro Gómez Cobas created an ornamental garden on his property in Monte Porreiro, Villa Buenos Aires, which decades later would be transformed into the current Mirador park.

The Parque de las Palmeras, with approximately 23,000 m², has a central promenade with Canary Island palm trees, the Vincenti Gardens with magnolia trees and camellias, and the Columbus Gardens with ponds and statues. It also houses the monument to the navigators and the monument to Columbus "Monumento a Colón (Pontevedra)"), inaugurated in 1959, and the historic café Blanco y Negro, founded in 1944. The park, originally Campo de San José, began to be developed at the end of the century, based on an unfinished project by architect Alejandro Sesmero. The land of this field was transformed into a garden at the beginning of the century. During that century, the park underwent several renovations. In 1924, after the removal of a wooden circus-theater, its space was expanded, and in 1929, the Alameda pond was moved to the park. In the 1940s, swings were installed, and in the 50s, birdhouses. In 1985, the park was redesigned in the English style, with grass and granite edging, and in 2007 the birdhouses were removed, the children's play areas were expanded and the lighting was improved.[13]​[14][15][16][17]​.

The Parque del Mirador de Monte Porreiro, originally a private garden created by the Indian Casimiro Gómez Cobas at the beginning of the century, was designed by the Portuguese landscape designer Jacinto de Matos. The garden included a central avenue flanked by trees and a gazebo. With the urban development of the neighborhood in the 1970s, part of the old park was transformed into a public space around the central promenade lined with two rows of exotic eucalyptus trees. Since 2000, it was improved with rest areas, trails, a playground, and sports courts.[18][19][20]​.

In 1911, the Campo del Conde de la Peña del Moro, located in front of the façade of the recently rebuilt San Fernando barracks "Cuartel de San Fernando (Pontevedra)") and in front of the Alameda, was transformed with the incorporation of trees, gardens and a new street leading to the entrance of the barracks. This urban renewal gave rise to the Doctor Marescot Gardens.[21]​.

The Civil War interrupted the city's landscaping projects, and post-war, the focus shifted to maintaining and restoring existing parks and gardens, rather than developing new green areas.

In 1949, the 54-hectare Botanical Garden of Lourizán was created, which brings together a rich collection of exotic and native species, becoming the most important botanical garden in Galicia.[22]​ The germ of this arboretum dates back to the garden and park that surround the Pazo de Lourizán, where in the 1840s the first magnolias and camellias were planted. Later, Eugenio Montero Ríos beautified the environment at the end of the century and beginning of the century, adding various ornamental species to adorn the paths. The Lourizán botanical garden is home to 700 species and more than 1,900 trees from around the world, including a cedar from Lebanon that is more than 130 years old and the oldest metasequoia in the Iberian Peninsula, planted in 1951. Since 1993, it has had the Parque de las Autonomías, which represents almost 50 species of flora from the different autonomous communities of Spain. Areas dedicated to the flora of Taiwan and Australia also stand out, as well as Eucaliptetetum and Coniferetum, with more than 85 and 170 species, respectively. In addition, the park is home to a notable collection of camellias and other native and exotic trees, many included in the Catalog of Singular Trees of the Government of Galicia.[23][24]​.

Development of parks in neighborhoods and squares (1970-1997)

The arrival of democracy promoted the creation of new green areas in the city, marking an era in which gardening became closely linked to urban planning. During this period, a vision was adopted that combined aesthetics with functionality, also incorporating recreational areas and children's play areas. During the 1970s and 1980s, a significant effort was made to provide the main neighborhoods of Pontevedra with public parks. In 1975, the Campolongo park "Plaza de la Constitución (Pontevedra)") was created in an undeveloped natural space[25] with a great variety of trees, including ginkgos, magnolias and Canary Island palms and with grass areas, a central monument to the Constitution, a children's playground, a pond and a small ornamental granary, while the historic garden of the old Villa Buenos Aires de Monte Porreiro was converted into a public park, with its temple. octagonal, rest areas, trails, a playground and a mini golf.

In 1986, Rosalía de Castro Park "Parque Rosalía de Castro (Pontevedra)") was consolidated to the east of the O Burgo neighborhood "O Burgo (Pontevedra)") on land previously drained from the old marshes of the Lérez River. On its left side, there is a children's playground and a water play park. The Monument to Rosalía de Castro, located at the west end, is a granite monolith with a bronze bust of the writer. At the other end of the park is Tom Carr's "Lookout" monument, a stepped granite structure that culminates in a small viewpoint. The park is home to a variety of trees, including plane trees, American oaks, Atlas cedars, American maples, and weeping willows, among others.[26]​.

In addition, starting in 1991, various public squares and avenues were renovated and landscaped, such as Augusto García Sánchez Avenue, the Plaza de Galicia "Plaza de Galicia (Pontevedra)"), transformed into a park in 1991 with a new design with multiple ash trees of Dutch origin, various paths and a central ornamental fountain, and the Plaza de Barcelos, which was landscaped in 1997 and which houses the Monument to the Tree, memory of the many plane trees that the square had and that were cut down for the construction of an underground parking lot.[27]​[28]​ In 1996, the Seta Park was created in Campolongo "Campolongo (Pontevedra)" on land formerly occupied by a eucalyptus tree.[29]​[30]​.

Creation of natural parks and integration of trees in the streets (1997-2010)

At the end of the century, a more naturalistic trend emerged in the city in the design of urban green spaces, aligned with the principles of environmentalism and environmental sustainability. This new vision not only focused on the creation of parks and large green areas, but also on the incorporation of trees in streets and walks, reflecting a growing concern for the urban environment.

In this way, Pontevedra began a significant stage of green expansion, focused on the creation of large natural parks and the revitalization of riverside spaces. This process began in 1997 with the opening of the Sculpture Island Park, an innovative space where nature and art are integrated in a unique environment next to the Lérez River and its bank, transformed into a tree-lined promenade that same year.[31] The park, connected to both banks of the Lérez by pedestrian bridges, has reed beds, meadows, a small eucalyptus forest, a central promenade and various secondary trails.

In 2000, the Xunqueira de Alba Park was developed, an extensive natural park of 80 hectares located next to the Rons River and the Alba marshes very close to the Corrientes Bridge.[32] The park is made up of three main areas: the marsh, the scrubland, and the swampy plain at the mouth of the Rons River. The swampy area is subject to tidal flow, which means that part of it is covered by water and uncovered every six hours. This ecosystem is of great landscape and ecological value, with rich biodiversity.

The creation of this natural park was followed in 2007 by the inauguration of the Gafos Park, a linear park that accompanies the course of the Gafos River in its urban section through paths and bridges.[33] The park is home to a varied undergrowth and native trees such as laurels, willows and oaks, and is home to various birds, including warblers, swifts and swallows.

In parallel to the creation of these parks, the first years of the century were marked by an extensive incorporation of trees in the city streets, with the planting of numerous ornamental species, especially in the streets of Ensanche, contributing to a greener and healthier environment.

In the urban area of ​​Pontevedra, the streets and squares are adorned with a wide variety of ornamental trees.[34]​ Among them, the camellia stands out, present in numerous avenues and streets such as Eduardo Pondal or García Camba street, and the Californian fan palm, which beautifies streets such as General Gutiérrez Mellado, Sagasta "Calle Sagasta (Pontevedra)") or Peregrina. Other notable trees include the common ash on Augusto García Sánchez Avenue and in the Plaza de Galicia "Plaza de Galicia (Pontevedra)"), the sófora in Benito Corbal, the bitter orange tree in streets such as Rosalía de Castro or Peregrina, and the Callery pear tree in streets such as Daniel de la Sota or Gorgullón.[35] The Pissard plum tree is also found in several avenues such as Reina Victoria "Avenida". of Queen Victoria (Pontevedra)") or Virxinia Pereira Renda, the liquidambar in the Plaza del Hospital Provincial-Doctor Loureiro Crespo Street,[36]​ in the Plaza de la Verdura, on Uruguay Avenue or on Espincelo Street, and the common cherry tree on Cobián Roffignac Street and the Japanese Cherry Tree on Rosalía de Castro Street. In addition, the plane tree adorns Buenos Aires Avenue, the Port Jackson fig tree is on Castelao and Cruz Gallástegui streets, and the symbolic olive tree is on Oliva street. The Jacquemont birch on Paseo de Colón "Paseo de Colón (Pontevedra)"), the China magnolia on Alfonso

Also in these years, the Pasarón park was created, the Family park on the other side of the Sculpture Island was renovated,[37]​ and the Orillamar section of the Pontevedra promenade was planted with trees and conditioned in 2000. Along the latter, grass, shrubs and trees such as stone pines, weeping figs, sweetgum, camphor trees, Callery pear trees or privets were planted.[38]

In 2008, more green areas were created: Parque dos Soutos, in A Parda; the Lérez path on the left bank of the Lérez river, from Monte Porreiro upstream;[39]​ the María Vinyals park in Campolongo "Campolongo (Pontevedra)"), in front of the Administrative City;[40]​ and the Puente Bolera Park, located near the Gafos river and Gorgullón street. In 2009, the Parque de las Camelias was inaugurated in the A Parda neighborhood.[41]​.

Expansion of urban parks and development of peri-urban forest parks (2010-present)

Starting in the second decade of the century, Pontevedra continued with its green expansion policy, focusing both on the provision of new parks in the neighborhoods and on the creation of large forest parks in peri-urban areas. In 2010, the first phase of the Valdecorvos Park was inaugurated,[42]​ and that same year, the first of the forest parks around the city began to be prepared, the Pontillón de Castro Park.[43]​ Later, in 2021, the forest parks of A Fracha and A Tomba were created.[44]​[45]​.

The Pontillón de Castro forest park, located around the reservoir of the same name, covers an area of ​​50 hectares and stands out for its 4.5 kilometer path, which offers viewpoints and benches to contemplate the landscape. The park has more than 3,000 trees, children's play areas, picnic areas, rest areas and a climbing wall.[43]​[46]​ The A Fracha forest park, located south of the city and covering the parishes of Marcon, Tomeza and Canicouva, extends over 406 hectares. It has more than 26 kilometers of trails for pedestrians and cyclists, with adapted routes and offers four viewpoints, wooden walkways and picnic areas surrounded by trees such as chestnut trees and catalpas.[47]​ The A Tomba forest park, located north of Pontevedra in the parish of Campañó, covers 82 hectares and is located 4 kilometers from the urban center. It offers 17 kilometers of trails and has two viewpoints, with views of the Lérez River and nearby mountains. It is populated by chestnut trees, oaks, alders, olive trees and cork oaks, among other tree species.[48]​[45]​.

In 2010, the Martín Balea Park was inaugurated in the A Parda neighborhood. Five years later, in 2015, the Tafisa Park was opened in the homonymous neighborhood,[49]​ followed in 2016 by the creation of the Amalia Álvarez Park in A Eiriña.[50]​ That same year, the right bank of the Senda del Lérez was rehabilitated.[51]​ In 2018, the park attached to the Camino Viejo de Castilla was inaugurated.[52]​ In 2022, The bank of the Gafos River next to the bus station was renaturalized, and in 2024 the Parque da Gándara was completed, located near the entrance to the Xunqueira de Alba Park.[53]​[54][55]​.

In the future, starting in 2025, the creation of the new A Parda Park is planned,[56]​[57]​ of the Camelia Park,[58]​ the renaturalization of the banks of the Gafos River as it passes through Campolongo "Campolongo (Pontevedra)") to create a river park of 81,000 square meters, as well as the rehabilitation of the old orchard and garden of the Convent of Santa Clara "Convent of Santa Clara (Pontevedra)"), which will be open to the public for their enjoyment, continuing with the design of an increasingly green and accessible Pontevedra.[9]​[10]​[59]​[60]​[61]​.