French Garden In Front Of The New Wenken

The French garden in front of the Neue Wenken, the New Wenken, is the formal centre of the Wenkenhof estate in Riehen. It is a small piece of 18th-century garden design on the edge of Basel, laid out in the manner that spread from France across Europe in the age of Louis XIV and his successors, and across European courts. The principles are simple: order, symmetry and a clear axis that leads from the house into the landscape, so that the garden appears as an extension of the architecture.

The layout is made up of beds shaped by low hedges, called parterres, divided by gravel paths that run at right angles and meet at central points where a basin or fountain might stand. Hedges are clipped to precise lines, shrubs are trimmed into regular forms, and flower beds are planted in careful patterns that change with the seasons. The garden is built on terraces, which gives it a feeling of formality and allows the eye to travel from the manor house across the beds to a view over the town and the countryside beyond. In the evening the lines and shadows are most striking, and in early summer the beds are fresh and green.

The New Wenken, the house at the garden’s head, gives the layout its focus. The manor is a restrained building with a symmetrical facade, long windows and a tall roof, and from the garden you see it as the architect intended, framed by hedges and trees. It faces the older Alte Wenken across the garden. Benches are placed along the edges, and the paths invite slow walking more than energetic exercise, so the French garden works as a place for quiet pauses. The English-style park nearby offers a contrast, with loose lawns, winding paths and old trees, and moving between the two shows how different garden ideals can sit side by side.

Access to the garden is not necessarily daily, and the estate is managed by the municipality of Riehen together with a foundation, so check the current opening days before you plan a visit. The Wenkenhof entry covers the history of the estate, so this one concentrates on the garden itself. The nearby Fondation Beyeler, the Wiese river paths and the other Riehen attractions can be combined in an easy day.

The garden suits people interested in landscape design, history and photography, and anyone who wants a calm place to rest. The best months are May to September, when the beds are in flower.