Institution(s) in charge

• The Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands
  Part of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, it is responsible for the protection of circa 1400 parks & gardens. The Agency does not own monuments.

 Other actors

• Association of historic garden researchers and landscape-architects active in restoration (Vakgroep Groen Erfgoed) 
• Association of landscaping companies & gardeners (Erfgoedhoveniers)
• Association of head-gardeners of country homes and estates (Vereniging Gilde van Tuinbazen)
• Dutch Garden History Association (Cascade Tuinhistorisch Genootschap)
• Dutch Garden Foundation (Nederlandse Tuinenstichting Amsterdam) 
• Dutch Castles, Historic Country Houses and Rural Estates Foundation (Stichting Kastelen en Buitenplaatsen)
• Dutch professional association for garden and landscape architecture (Nederlandse beroepsvereniging voor tuin- en landschapsarchitectuur)

 Relevant legislation

• Heritage Act (Erfgoedwet) text: https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0037521/2026-01-01
• Information about the Heritage Act: https://www.cultureelerfgoed.nl/onderwerpen/e/erfgoedwet

 Protection measures

About 1400 gardens, parks, cemeteries, etc.  are protected on national level, one single level of protection. Additionally some gardens are protected by local authorities (total numbers of these are unknown).

 Existing inventories

Green Heritage Map (Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands): https://rce.webgis.nl/nl/map/groen-erfgoed

To see the Nationally protected green areas, select in the left menu only the first entry ‘Rijksbeschermde groenaanleggen’

Gids voor de Nederlandse tuin- en landschapsarchitectuur, Rotterdam: De Hef, 1995-2000, 4 volumes, by Oldenburger-Ebbers, C.S. ; Backer, A.M. ; Blok, E.

This "Guide to Dutch garden and landscape architecture" includes the protected and unprotected parks and gardens open to the public

 Online information

• Database on documents, park and garden descriptions and short biographies of architects, by Wageningen University
• RAF aerial Photographs
• Photographs by the Agency (Dutch)
• Maps of Green Heritage

 Specialised training

For gardeners (Hovenier Historisch Groen): https://erfgoedopleidingen.nl/nce-opleidingen-modules/hovenier-historisch-groen/

For landscape architects and managers (Hogeschool Utrecht): https://www.hu.nl/deeltijd-opleidingen/groen-erfgoed

Long-life learning :  

Platform Groen Erfgoed: https://www.cultureelerfgoed.nl/onderwerpen/groen-erfgoed/platform-groen-erfgoed

 Awareness-raising actions

• Website
• Brochures
• Books

 Terminology tools

Heritage thesaurus:  garden-terms are mixed in with other heritage terms (no separate set of terms for gardens)

 Documentation

E. de Jong (1981), ‘Bibliography of literature on Dutch landscape gardening and associated topics between 1960 and 1981’, Journal of Garden History 1 (1981) nr 4

Missel, Liesbeth  (2016), ‘Over de geschiedenis van de Nederlandse tuin- en landschapsarchitectuur : overzichtsbibliografie van werken gepubliceerd in de jaren 1980-94’ https://library.wur.nl/WebQuery/groenerfgoed/1005853