Botanical Garden Of The University Of Bratislava

Passing under a busy overpass, I taxied to a reinforced concrete or, rather, a concrete-iron fence, around which there was a sea of ​​bottles, cans, papers and everything that flies from car windows and rude people throw at their feet. I walked along the fence and finally found the entrance to the garden. She entered and was stunned - everything is in contrast: cleanliness, everything is well-groomed, not a speck, urns coquettishly hide in the bushes. I tried to make out something on the faded diagram, but realizing that deciphering the damaged manuscripts was not my strong point, I went to wander along the paths.

The botanical garden belongs to the Bratislava University. Kamensky. This is the oldest botanical garden open to the public in Slovakia, though only from April 1 to October 31 and for a money, albeit symbolic, 3 euros.

The area is small, only 7 hectares. The collection numbers up to 5,000 species, including 1,200 … cacti, that is, a significant part of the collection is kept in greenhouses.

True, this is not all, the scientific base includes two more sites for research work. The Blatnica site with an area of ​​8 hectares is located in the Western Carpathians. Research is carried out in the direction of studying the ecology of endangered and rare plants in natural ecosystems. The second site - Stupava, near the village of the same name - with an area of ​​20 hectares, includes a dendrological collection of 238 species and is engaged in the selection of peach and apricot, and at the same time the introduction of other useful species.

The Bratislava Botanical Garden has a rather interesting history. It was established in 1942 by a decree of the Ministry of Education and Propaganda (if anyone has forgotten - this is the height of World War II!). After the war, the garden developed successfully, greenhouses were built, and by 1952 it was already successfully exchanging seeds with 530 foreign botanical gardens. Fast botanical career, you won’t say anything!

Perhaps, none of the botanical gardens I have passed was so painstakingly hung with labels, almost on every branch. Therefore, it was not difficult to understand what you were photographing and whether it was necessary. Very picturesquely planted with plants, perfect pruning, perfect lawns and perfectly planned landscapes. The garden is located on a very rugged terrain with ravines and elevations, and almost any hummock is very well played from a landscape point of view: the geometry of paths, dry streams, slopes, hills, bridges, a pond with a touch of philosophical mystery. At the same time, everything is located so that almost any plant can be approached closer, read the label and photograph small details. In general, it is a pleasure to walk here, especially for plant lovers and connoisseurs. An added pleasure was that there were no people there.Rather, 3-4 people wandered, with whom I occasionally crossed in one of the sections of the garden.

Very fancy colors. It is clear that autumn, but everything is so advantageously combined. The garden has a large number of seats, that is, benches. They are located in very picturesque places, so I didn’t deny myself the pleasure of changing from one to the other and admiring the views around.

Perhaps the only thing that disturbs this idyll is city noise. The garden is squeezed by the busy freeways above it, and given its very small size, the hum of cars can be heard everywhere. This does not greatly affect the air, and I did not find any suffering conifers, but I myself was not comfortable. The second disadvantage of the location is that the garden is located far from tourist trails and tourists wandering here tends to zero, unless, of course, this is botanical tourism, like mine. But if you set yourself a goal to get into it, then it is within walking distance from the historical center - 25-30 minutes at a quick step along the Danube embankment.

Dalechamp Oak (Quercus dalechampii)

It seems that in this garden someone is very fond of roses - the rose garden is very large in area and the collection of varieties is quite extensive, there are 150 varieties and hybrids of the queen of flowers. Considering that there was no frost yet, I was able to admire a stunning picture of autumn roses. Park roses and hybrid tea, standard and climbing roses. A stunning combination of roses and lavender. It is so often planted in French castles, but here either I got into such a season, or the mood was complete - a complete delight, although to be honest, I am rather indifferent to the queen of flowers.

There are a lot of interesting tree species. A large collection of Asian and Far Eastern species, especially lianas and woody plants.

Vines

Ficus carica (fig)

Sumach Chinese (Rhus chinensis)

Evodia khubei (Tetradiun daniellii)

A rather large collection of ferns is unusually well designed. A small ravine was used, respectively, with strong shading and high humidity.

Ferns in the ravine

Japanese cocaine Ursula's Red

In the greenhouses, as expected, a collection of tropical plants, primarily cacti and succulents, is collected. In addition, there are many types of palms and, for some reason, representatives of the Australian flora. Well, each botanical garden has its own scientific priorities.

As I said, the garden belongs to the University of Bratislava and its leaders are certainly not businessmen. Not a stall with planting material and seeds, not a cafe or restaurant. Rather, there was one Ice Cream booth at the entrance and plastic tables and chairs neatly folded aside. The tent, of course, was closed. It did not open even at lunchtime, when visitors began to arrive. Basically, these are families with strollers and some students. They would definitely dare to roll with Snickers and Coca-Cola. In general, they have not learned to make money here. I remembered the Austrian "Noah's Ark", where you could buy almost everything you liked and take to your site - any whim for your rather big money.

In addition, the garden could also organize educational work. I did not find on sale a single brochure with the history of the garden and a description of its collection. But this is not only a possible source of income, but also, in a certain sense, the popularization of a scientific product. But this is already a problem for the owners of the garden. And nothing prevents any visitor from enjoying the beauty. Therefore, being in Bratislava, among the many historical monuments, remember this corner of the goddess Flora - you are guaranteed no less pleasure than visiting the old city.