Lyusien Shevalas – The Minister of Flowers

Lyusien Shevalas is Swiss by birth, but his heart always belonged to Plovdiv

Lyusien Shevalas graduated from the Forestry College in Paris. He worked not only in Europe, but also in Africa, Brazil and the Ottoman Empire. In Bulgaria he came at the invitation of knyaz Aleksander Bogoridi.  That was after the Liberation of Bulgaria and he was given the task to teach Bulgarian gardeners to design beautiful gardens, like the ones in Europe.

In Plovdiv

Once in Plovdiv, he fell in love with the city. The Gardner knew in his heart that he will never leave. He gave it his best effort and Plovdiv bloomed in his care. Shevalas created his best work here and his gardens are still appreciated and loved today – over 130 years later. In 1901 he received the award for Honourable Citizen of Plovdiv. Since then he was endearingly called the Minister of flowers. And it’s no wonder – he transformed what was a wasteland into a beautiful park with bamboo, palms, pines, cacti and cypresses, that is still one of the most spectacular places in Plovdiv.

Those are some of the gardens he designed:

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