Botanical Gardens of Bologna (Giardini Botanici) description and photos - Italy: Bologna (Topic)

Botanical Gardens of Bologna (Giardini Botanici) description and photos - Italy: Bologna. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Giardini Botanici.

Photo and description

The Botanical Gardens of Bologna, founded in 1568 by Ulysses Aldrovandi, are considered one of the oldest in Italy and Europe. Here, on an area of 2 hectares, more than 5 thousand specimens of exotic and local plants grow, including ferns, orchids, bromeliads and succulents, which occupy three separate greenhouses. One of the sections of the garden is dedicated to medicinal and ornamental plants. There is also an artificial forest here!

By the end of the 16th century, the University of Bologna was the main place in Italy where botany was studied. And, as mentioned above, in 1568 Ulysses Aldrovandi founded the first botanical society under the auspices of the university. Around the same time, botanical gardens were established in Pisa, Padua and Florence.

Bologna's first botanical garden was located in a courtyard next to the Borsa Hall library in Piazza Maggiore - right in the city center. In 1587, he moved closer to the gates of the Basilica of Santo Stefano, and by 1595 there were 3,000 plants in the garden's collection. Over the next two centuries, the botanical garden changed its location several times, until in 1803 it occupied the old building of Ferrario College, which became the property of the university. The acquisition of permanent premises meant that the exhibits remaining in the courtyard of the Borsa Hall and near Santo Stefano could finally be brought together under one roof, so to speak. Greenhouses were immediately built and areas for planting plants were prepared. Later, a training center was also set up in the college building, where even today anyone can find a wide variety of information about "green" garden pets.

Unfortunately, a significant part of the collection of the botanical garden was destroyed during the Second World War, when the garden was bombed. The most serious loss was the destruction of the greenhouse, in which plants have been grown since the days of Napoleon. One of its main exhibits was the unique Ginkgo Biloba tree, which has no related species on earth.

We also recommend reading Church of San Jose el Viejo description and photos - Guatemala: Antigua Guatemala

Topic: Botanical Gardens of Bologna (Giardini Botanici) description and photos - Italy: Bologna.