About the Garden
Basic information
The garden is part of the Faculty of Science at Charles University, and within its grounds are located the Department of Botany, the Institute for Environmental Studies, and the Study Department of the Faculty of Science. The garden covers an area of 3.5 hectares and is visited by approximately 100,000 visitors annually. It serves as a site for scientific research and teaching for students of the Charles University and other schools and contributes to the lifelong education of the public. The garden is involved in several programs for the conservation of endangered plant species. It also serves as a pleasant green oasis in the center of Prague.
The greenhouses contain a permanent exhibition of tropical and subtropical plants, including the national collection of cacti and South African succulents. The collection of plants from more humid areas of the subtropics is regularly moved outdoors for the summer to an area opposite the greenhouse. In addition to the important succulent collections, there are large, mature specimens of cycads, camellias, myrtles, and other plants originating from the collections of the former Smíchov University Garden from the 19th century.
Among the outdoor exhibits, a unique specimen of Ginkgo biloba 'Praga' stands out. It is essentially an ancient giant bonsai, estimated to be about 130 years old. Additionally, there is one of the first dawn redwoods (Metasequoia) introduced to Europe, along with other trees. The most valuable exhibit is the Central European Flora collection, established in 1904 and continuously maintained for the past hundred years.
History
The university garden was founded in 1775 in Smíchov, Prague. By around 1840, nearly 13,000 species and varieties of both native and exotic plants were cultivated there. Due to frequent flooding, it was later relocated to land purchased from the “Society for the Improvement of Gardens,” which was supported, among others, by Prince Rohan. At its current location, it was opened in 1898, along with new botanical institutes for both the Czech and German universities (buildings at Benátská 2 and Viničná 5).
The plant collections from Smíchov were divided equally between the two universities. The collections from the greenhouses of the “Society for the Improvement of Gardens” were kept by the gardens. Some of these plants have survived to this day, which is why the age of some palms, cycads, and other plants is estimated to be over 130 years.
During the air raid on February 14, 1945, the greenhouses of the German university were heavily damaged and later demolished. After the liberation, Charles University took over both parts of the garden as a whole. Until the 1980s, the garden was formally connected to the Department of Botany, after which it became an independent administrative unit of the Faculty of science.
Annual reports (in Czech)
Annual report of the Botanical Garden 2023
