Meditation garden in County Wicklow, Ireland
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Victor's Way | |
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Ganesha statue in Victor's Way, with Sugar Loaf mountain in background. | |
Type | Sculpture and philosophy park |
Location | near Roundwood, County Wicklow, Ireland |
Coordinates | 53°05′09″N 6°13′11″W / 53.0857°N 6.2197°W / 53.0857; -6.2197 |
Area | 9 hectares |
Owned by | Victor Langheld |
Status | Open during summer months |
Collections | Statues |
Website | www |
Victor's Way (previously Victoria's Way), located near Roundwood, County Wicklow, Ireland, is a privately owned meditation garden which contains black granite sculptures. The 9-hectare property includes a number of small lakes and forested areas.
The park
The park, which has been known both as Victor's Way and Victoria's Way, closed in 2015, with the owner stating that "Too may day-trippers came turned it into a fun park for parents with children. It was designed as a contemplative garden for over 28's". He re-opened, under its original name of Victor's Way, in 15 April 2016, with new age restrictions and higher entrance fee.
The park is open to the public during the summer months. A plaque by the entrance says the park is dedicated to cryptographer Alan Turing.
Sculptures
Most of the park's statues are made of black granite and range in height from 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m) to 16 feet (4.9 m). The first structure by the entrance is a sculpted tunnel based on the idea of vagina dentata. The first statue added to the park was the fasting Buddha.
Eight statues are dedicated to Ganesha, showing the elephant god dancing, reading, and playing musical instruments. All the Ganesha sculptures were made in Tamil Nadu, India, and each took five craftsmen a year to make.
A number of the sculptures include small motifs of modernity, such as a small pint of Guinness beside a Ganesha and a mobile telephone tucked into the back of a starving Buddha.
- Fasting Buddha - the first statue in the park
- The entrance to Victor's Way
- Lord Shiva
- Band of Ganeshas
- Ganesh's buddy
Ownership
The park is owned and maintained by Victor Langheld, who was born in 1940 in Berlin and has lived with a number of different religious orders in India. He has also travelled in Thailand, Japan, and Sri Lanka. Family inheritance allowed Langheld to spend most of his adult life travelling to spiritual sites in Asia, before travelling to Ireland and sponsoring the construction of the sculpture park.
Langheld designed most of the sculptures, and continues to curate the park and welcome visitors.
References
- ^ "Victor's way Indian sculpture park Roundwood Co. Wicklow Ireland by Martin Varghese/IvisionIreland". youtube.com. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
- ^ "Victor's Way Opening Times & Access". victorsway.eu. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
- "Victor's Way Q&A answers by Victor Langheld". tripadvisor.co.uk. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
- "Victoria's Way - Originally Victor's Way (1:58s)". youtube. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
- "Victoria's Way, Spiritual Sculpture Park". Archived from the original on 21 September 2008 – via homepage.eircom.net.
- "Victoria's Way - First Statue (2:33s)". youtube. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
- "The Irish Ganesh Exhibition, @ Victoria's Way, Roundwood, Co Wicklow". victoriasway.eu. Archived from the original on 22 November 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
- ^ "David Kenny's Erindipity". tribune.ie. 10 August 2008.
- "Wicklow Daily Photo: Indian Sculpture Park VI". wicklowdailyphoto.blogspot.com.
- "Victor, of Victoria's Way". Archived from the original on 24 January 2010 – via homepage.eircom.net.
External links
- Current Official Homepage of Victor's Way
- Previous Official Homepage of Victor's Way
- Victor and his magical garden - The Irish Independent - 2 June 2004