This article presents the procedure of putting valuable town parks under protection in the category of monuments of park architecture, according to the Law on protection of nature. Besides the procedure itself, the aim is to present the expert documents as the foundation for the procedure using the Sv. Jakov Park in Opatija as an example. Since this is the first park to put under protection according to the new Law, and since this is the result of several years of scientific research, this example can be used for the future protection of parks in our country. The scientific methods used here were the method of analysis and synthesis, historical method, method of proof, case study method and method of induction and deduction. Analysis of data from the Registry of protected natural heritage at the Ministry of Culture showed that no historical parks were protected at that time in the category of the monuments of park architecture according to the new Law on protection of nature. The method of analysis also identified the phases of procedure of protection and the need for cooperation of various experts – architects-urbanists, agronomists, biologists and jurists and also various local, county and republic institutions. Using the historical method, we collected information on the historical development, characteristics and value of the Sv. Jakov Park, and using the method of proof, we established that it was not protected. The case study method was used to examine the procedure of putting the Sv. Jakov Park under protection, and the method of induction and deduction showed that this particular example of protection, based on scientifi c research, should become a model for similar procedures in the Republic of Croatia.

historical park; the monument of park architecture; putting under protection; Sv. Jakov Park; Opatija

Published by University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagreb, CROATIA
Sponsored by Ministry Science and Education of the Republic of Croatia