User:Symposiarch/Parks

Parks in Mainz include open spaces and facilities, developed and managed by the Grünamt Mainz (Fachamt 67). The City of Mainz devotes an average of 19.8% of its total land acreage to parkland and leisure parks. The Grünamt takes with its lawn and garden maintenance care of around 3.6 Millions of squaremeter parkland. Since the time of electoral Mainz and later on during the city extension in the 1900s, the parkland of Mainz is increasing. In addition to serving residents, a number of these parks also serve as tourist destinations, most notably the Stadtpark, Mainz's largest park. Notable architects, artists and landscape architects have contributed to the parks, including the Heinrich Siesmayer.

History
In the 1700s, during Lothar Franz von Schönborns reign, a baroque park As Mainz grew, demand increased for public spaces, but the Mainz Common Council did little to address these requests. Instead, real estate investors realized that small public squares could increase the value of their property. In 1842, Washington Square Park became the first of these ventures, developed by the American Land Company. Similar projects were completed with Goudy Square Park in 1847 and Union Park in 1853. Although the Cook County Court agreed to allocate a major park on the South Side in 1857, these plans were rescinded two years later, and public outcry continued.