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Here is a text in english that relates the story of El Pasatiempo, the large scale art environment and public park in the Spanish city of Betanzos, that was developed by Juan Garcìa Naveira and his brother Jésus.
The text is derived from the Spanish website Academia Cajander, authored by Amio Cajander.
What follows is a compilation of a number of posts in that weblog, published here in agreement with Amio Cajander, who also reviewed the translation.
Between [...] I have introduced some headings and an occasional clarification.
The original Spanish texts, published in the weblog in march 2010, can be found here: part 1, part 2, tree, lions, part3
EL PASATIEMPO, ORIGINS, FEATURES, DECAY AND PRESENT STATE
EL PASATIEMPO, ORIGINS, FEATURES, DECAY AND PRESENT STATE
[ORIGINS]
Located within the city of Betanzos, El Pasatiempo was a great project, that was begun in the late nineteenth century by Juan Garcia Naveira. Along with his brother Jesús, after having emigrated to Argentina -where they had acquired culture and wealth-, they returned to invest time and money to improve the quality of life of their fellow-citizens.
In 1908 the Gazette of Public Works stated that "as Juan (Naveira) does not know how to be idle, he bought uncultivated, washed land and with an incredible perseverance he has transformed it into an admirable property, admired throughout the world, with which he is completely obsessed"
The El Pasatiempo park, at that time popularly known as the Huerta de Don Juan and described by Luis Seoane because of its content as an "encyclopedic park", came to appear in the Michelin guide of the 20’s [(of the former century] as a must-see tourist spot in Galicia. Nowadays a variety of publications refer to El Pasatiempo when they discuss the origin of theme parks.
In its origins El Pasatiempo covered an area ten times larger than nowadays, and it had, according to its founder, a triple purpose:
[Purposes of the project]
El Pasatiempo was a complement to the educational work, which was undertaken by the García Naveira brothers. It was a "book in stone", that would serve to educate people while they enjoyed a pleasant walk. Therefore, it includes statues, biblical scenes, maps, reproductions of artworks and of historical happenings. But it also had to make ordinary people more familiar with the monuments in the world, the latest technology of the time or the exotic animals
that the brothers had seen during their travels,
Secondly, in a time of agricultural crisis, the construction of the park provided work for unemployed workmen and a training facility for many of them. The project offered employment to up to two hundred workers, who -in addition to receiving a salary- were trained to work in a team, learned how to care for gardens and especially how to work with new construction methods and materials in which El Pasatiempo was a pioneer. As an example, it was the first construction site in Spain where Portland cement was used. In addition to this vocational training, Juan Garcia Naveira insisted that the workers would attend school classes, where from twelve to two in the afternoon, they had free lessons in reading and writing. In this way they were encouraged to seek better paid work, assuring them a place in El Pasatiempo, in case they had to leave or lost their job. Finally, he set up a primitive system of social security for the employees, covering accidents or illness.
The third objective of El Pasatiempo was to financially sustain the Garcia Brothers Charity Fund, founded to fund schools and nursing homes. So the park was an enclosed area and an admission fee was charged for a visit. The money collected this way, together with the returns from the sale of albums of postcards -what also was good for publicity- went to benefit the Foundation.
Throughout the years of construction, El Pasatiempo would be turned into a real “collage”, an encyclopedia which, like a living organism, would be fed and made grown over time. One can perceive, that each travel made by the Garcia Naveira’s and every new invention that came to their knowledge, is just reflected in different spots of the park.
[FEATURES: THE WONDERS OF EL PASATIEMPO]
El Pasatiempo distinguishes itself not only by its constructive innovations or its triple philanthropic goals: the site was and still is unique because of what is presented there.
We will give an overview of some of its wonders.
Lions
In October 1899, the García Naveira brothers made a trip through France, Switzerland and Italy, accompanied by a friend, Rogelio Borondo, who described the places they visited in a book printed in Betanzos and entitled Memories of an improvised trip. From his story we can infer, that one reason to make the trip, was to visit the contemporary and classic gardens and parks in order to gather ideas to include in their ongoing project El Pasatiempo.
During their visit to Rome, the tomb of Pope Clement XIII attracted their great attention, in particular the Lions, carved by Canova in marble from Carrara. Before leaving the country they commissioned an Italian sculptor to make identical replicas of the same material.
To transport them from Italy was not easy, they first arrived at the port of A Coruña and then the transport to Betanzos made it necessary to reinforce the Carregal bridge. Finally, the magnificent lions were placed at the entrance of El Pasatiempo..
After the death of the last of the brothers (Juan in 1933) and the terrible Civil War, the park became neglected and was robbed, a fate from which the lions escaped because of their large size.
In the late sixties they were sold for 500,000 pesetas and taken to the entrance of the Santuario de Covadonga (Asturias), that they are monitoring ever since.
El árbol genealógico del Capital
Capital is the son of Saving and Perseverance
Saving is a child from the union of Labour and Economy
Perseverance is the daughter of Honor and Firmness
Labour is an offspring of Understanding and Will
Economy comes from Order and Prevsision
Firmness is the daughter of Character and Righteousness
Thus one can say that Capital is an offspring of of Understanding, Will, Order, Prevision, Honor, Character and Righteousness.
This surprising naive interpretation and its magnificent display, dates from the late nineteenth century. But perhaps it is more surprising to me that the promoters of this “mural”, strictly fulfilled this lesson. The brothers Juan and Jesús Garcia Naveira […] made a fortune and returned, like so many of those who had gone overseas, to invest part of their profits in improving their hometown.
[---]
[More features of El Pasatiempo]
El Pasatiempo was a real lesson in the history of living nature, with an important part allocated to gardens with alleys bordered with trees, pergolas, a greenhouse with exotic plants, and even a zoo with animals (deer, yaks, monkeys, etc.) in beautiful cages with tiles. Also throughout the park there were many animals (made from cement, or embossed shells and pebbles), with signs identifying them.
Neither was history omitted in the contents of the park. In the lower part were constructed the Avenida de los Escritores (Avenue of the authors) and the Avenida de los Emperadores (Avenue of the Emperors). The latter had faithful copies in marble of the twelve busts of the Roman emperors in the Musei Capitolini in Rome.
[Estanque de los Papas]
As a centerpiece of this area the Estanque de los Papas (the pond of the Popes) was created. This was an enclosure shaped like a four leaf clover, decorated with natural shells, with a central female figure carrying a jug on her shoulder. The border was adorned with a complete collection of busts of all the popes from St. Peter to Pius X . One of the features is that the two hundred sixty-five cement busts were made with a single mold, to which were incorporated minor changes to vary the appearances, and that the busts were deliberately placed several feet below the sandals of the statue of the Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (Sacred Heart of Jesus), that presided the group.
[Murals]
The park has various murals of cement. Among others we can see a scene of the apparition of the Virgin Mary to a peasant group, Christians devoured by lions in the Roman circus, the already discussed Arbol genealógico del Capital, clocks showing the time in different cities worldwide, and one entitled La paz por el arbitraje (Peace for arbitration) which proclaims peace between peoples through multilateralism.
There is a scene of a duel, which is believed to be referring to the one that in 1870 confronted Antonio of Orleans, Duke of Montpensier and Prince Henry of Bourbon, Duke of Seville. The latter died because of an intentional fatal shooting in a duel that was not meant to be a fight to death. This event prevented both contenders for the Spanish throne and left the options for Amadeo de Saboya [who was finally proclaimed king]
Of special significance is the Sacrificio de Tupac-Amaru (the sacrifice of Tupac-Amaru), a peruvian indigenous leader who would have no monument until many decades later. The series also includes El Fusilamiento de Torrijos (the execution of Torrijos), a copy in cement of the well known painting of Gisbert, that belongs to the Museo de Arte Moderno in Madrid
Another painting depicts the charity of Santa Isabel de Hungría curando a los enfermos (St. Elizabeth of Hungary healing the sick), a copy of an eponymous painting by Murillo.
The largest mural is an inscription saying "monarchical Spain and its 18 republican daughters ", with the coat of arms of Spain and those of the South American republics The commemoration in 1910 of the first centenary of the independence of Argentina was as an ideal opportunity for mr Juan Naveira to pay tribute to the country that had welcomed him as an emigrant. He devoted a large space in the park to the republic of Argentina, where under an arcade were all the coat of arms of the Argentine provinces were arranged, and where a miniature replica of the obelisk on the Avenida 9 de Julio in Buenos Aires and cement busts of the twelve first Argentine presidents were displayed
On the same terrace the Panama Canal is represented, a symbol of progress, of communication and international agreement. Another highlight is the Mosque of Mohammed Ali in Cairo, another symbol of commitment to progress of a responsible monarch. Next to it is the sculptured representation of a photo of a trip made by the Garcia Naveira family to Egypt, depicting them next to the pyramid of Cheops. Above this group also an airplane is shown, that was probably the first one the galician people at that time had seen. Next to it, is an unfinished relief of the Chinese wall.
Standing in the terrace above the whole, the statue of a colossal lion emerged, facing the rising sun.
[Buildings]
The buildings of El Pasatiempo were inspired by the picturesque architecture of pavilions full of exoticism, that also characterized the world expositions at that time. At the entrance there was "the pavilion of mirrors", similar to the one on the world exposition in Paris, and next to it was a hedgerow labyrinth. The trimmer of the hedges succeeded in making very colorful examples, like a dining room and a bedroom in pruned myrtle. In the park there was a Chinese belvedère, of which was said that it was inspired on the one in the park in Palermo (Buenos Aires), and there was an octagonal pavilion that by a passageway connected the lower and the upper part of the garden, over a public road.
.[The role of water]
Water undisputedly played one of the important roles in the park. There were various fountains of Italian and Florentine style, like that of the Four Seasons and of Cupid. Others were allegorical such as Industry, Trade or Agriculture. In addition, in El Pasatiempo one of Spanish first public fountains of the Wallace model was installed. Various ponds, canals and waterplays culd be found though the park..
Among them was the Estanque del Retiro, a very complex sculptured ensemble. The centerpiece is an island, which contains a canopy in the center, with a statue of two nymphs pouring water from two separate pitchers. On the island are two lighthouses, inscribed with the letters S.O.S. The island is surrounded by boats, which appear to revolve around it, representing the evolution of navigation. The progress is represented by a zeppelin and two cars with revolutionary forms.
[Grottos]
But what caused more sensation and nowadays still does, are the artificial grottos, designed originally as a simple tunnel for conveying water to fonts, ponds and fountains. But a visit of mr Juan Naveira to some Italian parks and the roman catacombs was a strong inspiration. In fact, part of the underground galleries are still known nowadays in Betanzos as As Catacombas. In addition, to increase realism in the caves, some medieval anthropomorphic sarcophages were installed (it is thought that they may might be found during the building of the schools [that were funded by the Naveira’s]). Some dinosaurs were also reproduced.
[A creation with a open end]
In the upper level of the park there are three statues made from cement, which frame the staircase leading to the lowest terrace. The first figure, bottom left, represents Justice, who governed the actions of mr Juan Garcia Naveira throughout his life. On the right stands a figure, that seems to represent the Mother, and up in the center a figure -now defunct- of himself, holding his grandson in his lap.
No one knows what was planned to appear at this level, because it apparently is unfinished. His idea could have been to continue the park or adding a second component or, perhaps, he wanted that the park did not have an end and that a door would be left open for successors to continue his work. In any case, this sculptural group around mr Juan Garcia Naveira put on record what was the moral of his work, the ultimate conclusion of his life and the fundaments of what he proposed as order.
[DECAY OF THE PARK]
Mr Juan Garcia Naveira’s interest in maintaining and improving the park did not decline until his death in 1933. But without him El Pasatiempo was orphaned.
The Garcia Naveira brothers had carefully indicated -when alife and in their wills- the way the philanthropic institutions should be maintained after they passed away. However, nowhere it was foreseen how El Pasatiempo should be maintained and continued.
Nevertheless, this situation was probably not the main problem for the future of the park. Only three years after the death of its initiator, the Civil War broke out. A few days after the uprising, a military contingent from A Coruña took Betanzos.
El Pasatiempo, like many other places, suffered from the repression that followed. For the adherents of the self-proclaimed "national crusade" and the regime that gave birth, El Pasatiempo was a complete provocation. The park contained many statues of naked women, pseudo masonic references, a mural that regarded Jesus as "the first socialist" or another that extolled the "Spanish monarchy and her 18 republican daughters”.
Many statues were decapitated and used as a target for shooting at, were robbed or simply destroyed.
The colossal Lion was dynamited. The legend say that this was for moral reasons, since it showed its genitals in detail. If that was the reason for such a compassionless action, its result was at least disappointing. The blast destroyed everything, except the basic support, that consisted of the rear legs and said organs. From this, decades later, the statue was rebuilt.
Amidst the destruction, the descendants of Juan Garcia Naveira tried to regain some of the most valuable pieces of the park.
An example is the wonderful collection of 12 marble busts of the Roman emperors. The daughter of mr Juan Naveira rescued them from El Pasatiempo, when the looting had begun and placed them in the garden of her emblematic and nowadays vanished residence Casa de Dona Agueda. The busts were sold in the late 60s to [the insurance company] La Union y el Fénix, where they were exposed in the boardroom on the topfloor of its headquarters in Madrid (nowadays the [insurance company] Mutua Madrilena). In 2000 they went to a public auction, but the city of Betanzos could not obtain them in the bidding against an anonymous collector.
Also at the end of the sixties the two lions at the entrance, made from Carara marble, copies of those of Canova in the tomb of the Pope, were sold for 500,000 pesetas and sent to the Santuario de Covadonga. The wrought iron fence surrounding the garden is now in the Pazo de Armuño de Bergondo [a manor near Betanzos]
The lead pipes of the complex hydraulic system were ripped to be sold and many other materials were plundered in a process that was to last for decades.
After the war a concentration camp was installed nearby in the abandoned tannery A Magdalena. Hundreds of prisoners were interned, most of them from the fronts of Catalonia. Among the many anonymous people was [the jesuit missionary] Vincente Ferrer, who recently [2009] died and who in one of his speeches memorized how the neighbors provided food, mail, tobacco and washed his clothes.
The enclosure of that prison bordered El Pasatiempo and that produced all kinds of stories. It has been said that, from time to time, the guards had fun chasing prisoners through the caves of the park. Also some people recall how some caves were used as punishment cells. Others however quoted that fences were installed to prevent its use as a hideout by wandering refugees from the resistance.
Be that as it may, the degradation of El Pasatiempo continued. The grounds of the lower area were plowed and transformed into farmland. The slope and the caves were saved from this traumatic change. But they were overgrown with wild vegetation that in the end almost completely covered it up..
Because of the construction of the ring road, the wall at the backside of the garden was thrown down. In the 70’s depositing of debris was officilally admitted and these filled up "Pond of the Popes". And still in the early 80’s there was the miserable scene of statues arising among the crops: the Estatua de la Caridad, the statue of the Garcia Naveira brothers and the Fountain of the Four Seasons, which was the center of a cabbage field (today it is surrounded by installations of questionable taste).
[Recovery]
In the mid-80s the discussion about the recovery of the Park began, if not in its former glory, then in a basic form, appropriate to its history. Since then, numerous efforts have been made, albeit with mixed results. A part of the lower area has become a park again, although not very different from those in many other cities. The sports and educational facilities -modelled in gray and eternit blocks- and the billboards that prospered in recent decades on the ancient territory of El Pasatiempo, are evidence of the irreversibility of history. The part of the hill and the caves were better off. The ruins have been gradually recovered and today their representation is the only way one can imagine the park's former splendor.
To round off this trilogy, let’s use the paraphrase Delfin Marino made about El Pasatiempo:
"another attempt of a feverish epoch to find new ways
to express the emergence of a complex civilization”.
(added to OEE-texts april 2010)
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