Greifswald Botanic Garden and Arboretum

Greifswald Botanic Garden
The Arboretum.
Type	Botanic Garden
Location	Greifswald, Germany
Coordinates
Area	9 hectares
Created	1763
Operated by	University of Greifswald
Status	Open all year

Greifswald Botanic Garden and Arboretum (total area 9 hectares, German: Botanischer Garten und Arboretum der Universität Greifswald), was founded in 1763. It is one of the oldest botanical gardens in Germany, and one of the oldest scientific gardens in the world. It is associated with the University of Greifswald in Greifswald, Germany.

History

File:Greifswald St.-Jacobi-und-Rubenowplatz vom-Turm-des-Doms-St.-Nikolai-aus-gesehen April-2009 SL272425.JPG

The Botanic Garden was formerly situated beyond the white administrative building on the left, but it was moved to its current place in the 1880s.

The Botanic Garden in Greifswald was founded in 1763 by Samuel Gustav Wilcke als hortus medicus, i.e. as a physic garden growing plants for medicinal research. Within a short period of time, the plants in the botanic garden served both a medical and a scientific purpose, and the garden was renamed to hortus academicus one year later.

Originally, the Botanic Garden was situated near the University of Greifswald's main administrative building, but extensive building activity in the 19th century made a relocation necessary.

Professor Julius Münter arranged for the move to a two hectare area west of the city centre, which was completed in 1886. Sixteen greenhouses are situated across the garden today, about half of which are open to the public.

The Botanic Garden and the Arboretum are used by the university and students for research and teaching purposes to this very day.

Botanic Garden

The Botanic Garden consists of 16 greenhouses (German: Gewächshaus) and the adjacent outdoor area (German: Freiland). The total area of the Botanic Garden is two hectares. The Botanic Garden is located at Grimmer Str. 88. It contains about 7,000 plants.

Arboretum

File:Greifswald Botanic Garden 01.JPG

A hut with information panels about mushrooms.

The arboretum has a total size of seven hectares, and is situated at Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Str., which is near Greifswald University Library and Greifswald University Hospital. The arboretum contains roundabout 1,500 plants and trees.

Literature

• König, Peter. 2007. Der Botanische Garten Greifswald. Führer durch die Gewächshäuser, das Freiland und das Arboretum. Greifswald: Botanischer Garten

See also

• List of botanical gardens in Germany

External links

• University of Greifswald Botanic Garden - official site (German)
• Department of Botanics and Landspace Ecology at the Univ. of Greifswald (German/English)