History of the Adam Mickiewicz University Botanical Garden

The idea of establishing a Botanical Garden in Poznań was first broached as far back as 1898 when the Board of Municipial Gardens proposed converting the existing nursery in Głogowska Street into a modern collection for exhibition purposes. In 1902 the Municipial Gardens was established there, covering some 7.2 hectares under the design of the well known Poznań landscape architect H.Kube.

After gaining independence in 1918, on the initiative of the Regional Poznań Education Department, a decision was taken to build a new Botanical Garden fulfilling the latest educational demands and at the same time, ensuring more favourable conditions for the growth of flora on the outskirts of the city. The City Authorities earmarked 2.5 hectares of the former nursery in Botaniczna Street and Polish President Stanisław Wojciechowski officially opened the Gardens on the 13th of September 1925. Almost three years later, on May 15 1928, Poznań City Council bequeathed the property and administration to the new National School of Horticulture, which went on to oversee the development of The Gardens up to the outbreak of war in 1939. The Botanical Gardens now covered 11 hectares, boasting a comprehensive Flora Geography Section as well as a vast Ornamental Flora Section at the main entrance from Dšbrowskiego Street.

On the 12th of December 1949 The Gardens came under the administration of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at Poznań University. As a result they underwent dynamic growth, almost doubling in size, the number of plant types systematically grew and new sections as well as exhibition areas were created.

The Botanical Gardens are now a research and teaching division of Adam Mickiewicz University, considered to be one of the most modern and beautiful gardens of its type in Europe. Covering more than 22 hectares, it contains an imposing collection of over 7,000 species and varieties of plants from almost every climate zone of flora around the globe, making it one of the leading Polish botanical gardens. In the context of innovative research conducted in The Gardens, the following main themes presently being pursued:

Flora Resources

• vascular plant family diversity and its subsequent mapping
• differentiation of plant growth in nature
• botanical acclimatization and introduction of plants

Biological protection

• Preservation of rare and endangered species in situ and ex situ
Landscape planning
• Nature-friendly methods as a basis for landscape planning
• Formation and protection of flora in urban areas
• Biological recultivation of land anthropogenically transformed

The development of research and realisation of various educational programmes very often contributes to the work of international institutions such as: Botanic Gardens Conservation International, International Associaton of Botanical Gardens, European Botanic Garden Consortium as well national organisations such as Polish Botanic Gardens Council and the Polish Association of Botanic Gardens. In recent years the research infrastructure has broadened significantly through the installation of the most modern electronic meteorological stations in the region as well as the development of this unit with highly specialised equipment that measures air pollution automatically, shared in collaboration with the Regional Inspectorate of Environmental Protection. In addition, an electronic data base has been created, the result of several years work in cataloging Flora in the Gardens. For the first time in the history of the Botanical Gardens the Index Plantarum has been published, listing vascualr plants that have come into its collection.

In addition, to further research and teaching, a glasshouse area covering more than 800 m2 has been completely modernised. In accordance with the guidelines of the 4th World Congress of Botanical Gardens in Asherville, USA in 2000, the Gardens' collection is changing focus in regard to widely understood general community needs of education in the natural sciences. Thus a wide variety of subjects for the purposes of education are being introduced in the comprehensive system of exploratory walks as well as a complex system of information boards that address various needs. Furthermore, numerous publications are now available that popularise this field such as the first Polish 'Multimedia Guide to the AMU Botanical Gardens'. The crowning of all these activities will be the completion of work on The Wielkopolska Natural Sciences Education Centre, which is to be resumed in autumn 2006 year.

(by K. W.)