Acta Botanica 2-2014.indd ACTA BOT. CROAT. 73 (2), 2014 S1 Acta Bot. Croat. 73 (2), S1–S4, 2014 CODEN: ABCRA 25 ISSN 0365-0588 eISSN 1847-8476 Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb 125th Anniversary Celebration (1889–2014) The oldest university botanical garden in Croatia, the Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, this year, through a variety of events, celebrates 125 years of continuous work. Throughout its existence, the Garden has operated within the University, at fi rst as a part of the Faculty of Philosophy, while today it belongs to the Faculty of Science. It has always had an important role in university teaching, scientifi c research and profes- sional work in the fi eld of botany, as well as in educating the public about the importance of joint actions with the aim of protecting and preserving the wealth of the national fl ora. The idea that it was necessary to establish a botanical garden within the Botany and Physiology Department of the Faculty of Philosophy originated with Dr Bohuslav Jiruš (1841–1901), the fi rst professor of botany in the University of Zagreb. He was fully sup- ported by the then rector of the University, Dr Stjepan Spevec (1839–1905). At the Univer- sity’s initiative, in 1884 the Royal Land Government decided to constitute a botani- cal garden for the Royal University. The idea was put into action in 1889 by the uni- versity professor of botany, Dr Antun Heinz (1861–1919). 120 years ago, the location of the Garden was on the outskirts of a city with a population of only 38,000. The larg- est part of the Garden was set in the English landscape style with winding paths and freely growing groups of trees and shrubs. Only the fl ower parterre in the southern side of the greenhouses was constructed in the French style of strict order and symmetry. Today, the Botanical Garden is an inte- gral part of a sequence of handsome old Za- greb squares and parks known by the name of Lenuci’s or the Green Horseshoe. Be- cause of its great educational, cultural, his- torical and touristic values and its overall signifi cance for Zagreb and Croatia, since 1971 the Garden has been statutorily pro- tected as a Monument of Park Architecture. Copyright® 2014 by Acta Botanica Croatica, the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb. All rights reserved. Fig. 1. The Main Entrance to the Royal University Botanical Garden, 1900. S2 ACTA BOT. CROAT. 73 (2), 2014 Only a decade after its foundation, the Garden already had a diverse plant collection, which today numbers more than 5,000 plant taxa. Winter resistant woody plants (shrubs and trees) are grown in the arboretum, while sensitive species from warm climates overwinter in the greenhouses. Decorative perennials are cultivated in the fl ower parterre, around the small lakes and in the fl owerbeds of the fl ower rainbow. Particularly valuable parts of the collection are indigenous plants, belonging to the rich and diverse native fl ora, grown in phytogeographical groups – rock gardens. According to new legislation, growing in the Botanical Garden at this moment are 109 statutorily strictly protected vascular plant species of Croatian fl ora (13.6% of all), 46 taxa from the Red Book of Vascular Flora of Croatia (19.5% of categories RE, CR, EN and VU), and seven NATURA-2000-species of interest to the European Union (38.9% of all). The two most recognized Croatian endemics, the Velebit degenia (Degenia velebitica) and Dubrovnik cornfl ower (Centaurea ragusina), are periodi- cally available for purchase. Tropical and subtropical plants are cultivated in the green- houses, and are displayed in the open during summer. Marsh plants grow in the small lakes, the ponds and in the little domed greenhouse in the fl ower parterre. An important part of the collection is also situated in the systematic fi eld, intended for university teaching in botany. Recent activities of the Botanical Garden fulfi l all the conditions from the widely ac- cepted defi nition of botanical gardens and their difference from other public gardens and parks. Accordingly, a botanical garden is an institution holding documented collections of living plants for the purposes of scientifi c research, conservation, display and education. Hence, our plant collection is properly documented and has been used for more than a cen- tury in university research and the teaching of botany. The Garden has also been open to the public without an entrance fee from its beginning. A variety of educational and populariza- tion activities organized by the Garden curators attract the attention of many visitors, which is evident from the fact that the Garden is the third most visited tourist site in Zagreb. The Garden is a member of the Botanical Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), an assembly of nearly 1,000 botanical gardens in the world, as well as the International Plant Exchange Network (IPEN). These memberships greatly facilitate our efforts to de- velop different activities, within our fi nancial constraints, by sharing the experiences with Fig. 2. Flower parterre with a view of greenhouses, around 1920. ACTA BOT. CROAT. 73 (2), 2014 S3 other botanical gardens around the globe. The activities of botanical gardens in the 21st cen- tury are largely devoted to research, conservation of wild plants and public education. Bo- tanical gardens around the world, like ours, contribute to the accomplishment of a number of adopted international conventions and agreements, with the common goal of preserving and protecting rare and endangered plant species. With the restoration of the exhibition pavilion in 2007, the Garden acquired a representa- tive venue for exhibition and education, intended for various workshops, lectures and exhi- bitions, related to the marvellous world of plants. Those events are exceptionally well at- tended, e.g. the Fantastic Forest exhibition, organized on the occasion of the International year of forests in 2011, was visited by more than 11,000 people in only fi ve months, along with more than 4,000 foreign tourists. Every year the exhibition pavilion hosts several doz- en workshops for children and adults, dedicated to plants in the broadest sense. Since most Fig. 3. Fountain and ponds with water lilies, 1924. Fig. 4. Fountain and ponds, 2014. S4 ACTA BOT. CROAT. 73 (2), 2014 children who live in cities have few opportunities to grow plants, a small children’s fl ower and vegetable garden was also set up in our Botanical Garden. With the help of their teach- ers and Garden staff, children from the nearby school and kindergarten sow and plant their own fl owers and vegetables, and nurture them during the season until the autumn harvest. During the entire 2014 season different events are going to take place in the Garden to mark the 125th anniversary. The program is beginning in April with opening of the Botanical Garden to visitors and awarding prizes to junior winners of the quiz held during the 2013 exhibition on Croatia’s contribution to EU-wide Natura 2000 ecological network. The 4th Week of Croatian Botanical Gardens and Arboreta opening ceremony will be held in our Garden on May 12, for the 4th year in a row organized by the Section of Croatian Botanical Gardens and Arboreta within the Croatian Botanical Society. The members of the European Botanic Gardens Consortium (EBGC), national representatives of botanical gardens from EU countries, Switzerland and Norway, meet in our Garden for the fi rst time in June. Their regular meeting is going to be held prior to the celebration ceremony at the invitation of the Garden’s manager and Croatian representative to EBGC. The central ceremony marking the 125th anniversary of the Garden, attended by the representatives of the Croatian government, the City of Zagreb and the University of Zagreb will be organized in the Hall of the Univer- sity. National representatives of the EBGC will join the anniversary celebration ceremony. In September, the Garden is hosting the annual garden party of the University of Zagreb, to mark the beginning of the 346th academic year. Biserka Juretić, manager of the Botanical Garden and Croatian representative to EBGC Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Marulićev trg 9a, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia Fig. 5. Workshop Botanical magic: let’s play at making a herbarium! held during the 3rd Week of Croatian Botanical Gardens and Arboreta, 2013.