Hungarian gardeners on western study tour in the early 19th century

Better trained gardeners at the most influential Hungarian country seats of the 18th century were almost exclusively from abroad, mainly from the German-speaking lands. They must have travelled substantially to take up their position in farther parts of Hungary but very little if anything is known about their experiences as visitors of other gardens. Whether Hungarian-born gardeners, on the other hand, crossed the borders of the Habsburg Monarchy while on their obligatory study tour during larger part of the 18th century is difficult to establish, but by the turn of the 19th century it started to be the norm for the more ambitious ones and for those whose travels were sponsored by their employers. This paper introduces a handful of travelling gardeners from the first half of the 19th century. Some travelled on their own budget while others on their masters‘ but they all reached prestigious positions in their later career such as princely estate gardener, college professor or highly influential landscape designer. Analysing the similarities and differences of their travel destinations is equally fascinating for it reveals much about the specific period in which they travelled, their sponsors‘ expectations and social connections but also their personal choices and limitations.