Bologna The Botanical Gardens
The Botanical Gardens Photos
About The Botanical Gardens
Towards the end of the 16th century the Bolognese school was the main seat for the study of Botany in Italy.
In 1568 to be exact Ulisse Aldrovandi founded this botany society as part of the University of Bologna making it therefore one of the oldest in Italy and also in Europe. Around this time Botanic Gardens were also established in Pisa, Padova and Firenze.
The first Gardens were actually in the public courtyards next to the Sala Borsa in Piazza Maggiore – right in the center of the city. In 1587 they were next moved to a place beside the gate of Santo Stefano from where the number of collected species increased from 800 to 3000 in 1595.
Having being transferred various times, the Gardens were finally located in the old Collegio Ferrario in 1803 which was then taken over by the University of Bologna. This new location meant that the species left behind from the first relocation and those from Santo Stefano could all be reunited under one roof so to speak. Green houses and areas were prepared to enable the plants and flowers to grow as if in their natural habitats.
Furthermore, the buildings were then turned into offices and a learning center where whole areas of didactics could be studied and encouraged.
Unfortunately an important section was lost during WWII when the gardens suffered bomb damage to the L’Orangerie, an area of the gardens which traced its origins to the Napoleonic period in the 18th century and whose one of many species was the Ginkgo Biloba tree – also known as the Maidenhair Tree that has no close living relatives.
The total area of species grown here amounts to two hectares (4,942 acres) with over 5,000 specimens of exotic and local plants. There are three different greenhouses, two of which house tropical plants (especially ferns, orchidaceous, bromeliaceous and trees of nutritional interest), while the third houses a collection of succulents.
Other sections of the Gardens include areas devoted to the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants, ornamental plants, artificially created woods and an entire section dedicated to the reconstruction of different natural habitats.