In the second half of the 18th Century, the area of the Public Gardens was owned by the Dugnani family and was mostly cultivated land; a number of canals irrigated the area that were later closed. The area also included the buildings of two former monasteries (the San Dionigi and the Carcanine monasteries) which had ceased activity under
Austrian rule. In 1780,
Ferdinand, Duke of Breisgau, who was
Viceroy of Milan in 1771–1796, assigned architect
Giuseppe Piermarini at the renewal of the area and the establishment of a city park. The works were completed between 1782 and 1786, and largely employed
prisoners serving a life sentence as manpower. Piermarini's design was largely influenced by
French formal gardens, with geometric
flower beds and large tree-lined pathways arranged in such a way to create pleasant perspective effects. At the north-eastern corner, an area was dedicated to the game of
soccer. In 1856-1862 landscape architect
Giuseppe Balzaretto designed the enlargement of the west side of the Gardens based on the
English landscape park model with artificial hills, rooks, and lakes. These works were concluded after the
Unification of Italy. In the 19th Century the Natural History Museum was established, along with other "animal attractions" such as
aviaries and exhibits with
deer,
monkeys and a
giraffe; this would later evolve in
Milan Zoo (which was dismantled in 1992). Some of the zoo's most popular animals have been stuffed and are exposed in the Natural History Museum; a few structures from the zoo (such as the pavilion that housed the
big cats cages) have remained. ==Monuments==