GARDENS AND CEMETERIES AS THE PLACES OF CONTEMPLATION. COMMEMORATIVE SPACES IN THE CONTEMPORARY URBAN LANDSCAPES

Increasing desacralisation of landscapes related to chaotic built-up processes, commercialization of places formerly considered to be holy, and the disappearance of wilderness areas became the starting point for research on satisfying spiritual human needs in the contemporary living environment. The author analyses selected contemplative spaces and places where one can meet with nature, which demonstrate both the need for sacralisation of the built environment as well as the general lack of understanding among designers and decision makers in regard to the spiritual values of places. The former is subject of interest mainly in relation to memorial and worship sites, while the archetypic forms of a labyrinth, sacred grove or sacred circle create a wide field for new artistic interpretations concerning also other types of public spaces. Without these new places of contemplation, it will be difficult to meet spiritual needs of multicultural postmodern societies of the twenty-first century. Presented analysis aims to identify the means of spatial composition and other landscape circumstances under which urban gardens, cemeteries and places of remembrance can become gateways to spirituality.