Explore themed worlds and paradise recreated on earth

In this age of globalisation, places which permit people to take a step back from their hectic everyday lives and explore new horizons assume a special significance. In this context, settings which symbolise permanence and tradition in the face of the all-pervasive pressure to speed up and to change become important. This goes some way towards explaining our appreciation of landscapes which allow people to immerse themselves in bygone times and which promise to provide cultural meaning through continuity. Garden art developed centuries ago as a means of bringing the order of nature into harmony with court culture. Nowadays this function has been assumed by modern theme parks and interactive exhibitions, which must reconcile our appreciation of entertainment - finely honed by the multimedia world in which we live - with the equally important need for recreation and relaxation.