Botanical Garden

The Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Science of Prague’s Charles University (Botanical Garden CU) covers an area of 3.5 ha. In the complex there is a building of the Department of Botany of Charles University Faculty of Science, another belonging to the Institute for Environmental Studies and also the Department of Education and Student Affairs of the Faculty of Science. The public area is divided into the greenhouses and outdoor sections. The greenhouses are home to a permanent exhibition from the tropics and dry subtropics (the cacti and succulent collection). In the summer the collection of plants from the wet subtropics is installed outdoors according to their continents of origin; in winter the plants are stored in a large cold greenhouse. In addition to the extensive collection of succulents, noteworthy are the large and old specimens of cycads, camellias, myrtles and other plants from the collections of the former 19th century Smíchov university gardens. Important in the outdoor exhibition is a unique specimen of Ginkgo biloba, Ginkgo biloba cv. Praga, initially shaped using bonsai techniques, estimated to be about 130 years old, as well as one of the first dawn redwoods introduced into Europe, and other trees. The most valuable exhibition is a collection of Central European flora, founded in 1904 and maintained continuously ever since.

The collection is visited annually by about 100 000 people. It serves not only as a source of demonstration material for students of biology and related fields from both Charles University and its affiliated colleges and secondary schools, but also contributes to community education and recreation for all ages, especially for the people of Prague 2.

Prague City Hall contributes to the operation and maintenance of the external garden. In 2004 a rest area for visitors to the Botanical Garden was opened on land leased from Prague 2 municipal borough.