<Tree Museum>

They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum. And they charged all the people a dollar and a half to see 'em“

The Tree Museum was opened in the summer of 2010 by the significant landscape architect and tree collector Enzo Enea in the grounds of a 14th-century Cistercian monastery on the shores of Lake Zurich near the town of Rapperswil-Jona. It is part of a 7.5-hectare complex surrounded by a park, centered on the headquarters of Enea Garden Design.
On 75,000 m², around fifty trees from twenty-five species are presented, many of which are older than one hundred years. Their uniqueness also lies in the fact that most of these trees were destined for felling to make way for urban centers. Enea collected them over various projects in the last seventeen years, and thanks to his sophisticated methods, he was able to save and transplant the trees.
The idea of creating the Tree Museum was a natural outcome of Enzo's work, who dedicated his entire life to trees and their study, learning to perceive and work with them. This gradually led, as he himself says, to “limitless admiration and respect for these most remarkable creations of nature.” And in order to share this knowledge with a broader audience, Enea decided to dedicate a “museum” to his trees.
The museum is conceived as an oval open space divided into kind of “rooms”, each with its distinctive character and atmosphere. This is ensured by buildings made of sandstone blocks that subdivide the space in such a way that each tree becomes an independent museum exhibit. They provide a backdrop against which the play of light, shadows, and colors unfolds, elevating the trees to works of art—transformable objects that change with the time of day, weather, and season. Each tree captivates not only with its specific habit, structure, texture, or color and shape of leaves but also with its location and proportions or the microclimate it creates around itself. Uniform grassy areas interwoven with gravel paths form a simple backdrop that does not disturb the overall impression of the composition, which is instead enhanced by flowerbeds and water surfaces. In the southwestern part of the museum, there is a greenhouse serving as a relaxation pavilion and gallery.

Selected trees from the Tree Museum collection:
Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum Atropurpureum’) – 130 years
Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) – 60 years
Saucer magnolia (Magnolia soulangeana) – 75/80 years
Persian parrotia (Parrotia persica) – 60/70 years
Japanese maple (Acer japonicum ‘Aconitifolium’) – 40/50 years
Elms (Ulmus minor) – 35/40 years
European yew (Taxus baccata) – 80 years

Park and headquarters of Enea Garden Design
Other equally interesting plantings and installations can be found in the park surrounding the museum. It serves as a sort of showroom for Enea’s company, where they exhibit luxury furniture from companies such as Paola Lenti, Sutherland, Royal Botanica, Roda, or Jerome Abel and is also their “garden-architectural laboratory”. Adjacent to the park and museum is a large area for a tree shop, which also offers containers, fountains, pergolas, etc.
The center of the entire complex is the building of the headquarters of Enea Garden Design, designed by American architects Oppenheim Architecture & Design, built on 2,500 m². A lake with a bed paved with lava stones is adjacent to it. Inside, there is an exhibition of garden furniture, artworks, and designs, a library, and a museum shop. The building received the American Architecture Award from the Chicago Athenaeum in 2009. Enzo Enea and Chad Oppenheim have been collaborating internationally for several years.
Enea Garden Design moved to Rapperswil from nearby Schmerikon. The entire complex, including the museum, could be created here thanks to a 99-year lease agreement with the Cistercian monastery that owns the land.