Padua Botanical Garden

Padua, Italy

The Orto Botanico di Padova is a botanical garden in Padua, founded in 1545 by the Venetian Republic. It is the world's oldest academic botanical garden that is still in its original location. The garden, affiliated with the University of Padua, currently covers roughly 22,000 square meters, and is known for its special collections and historical design.

A circular wall enclosure was built to protect the garden from the frequent night thefts which occurred in spite of severe penalties (fines, prison, exile). The Botanical Garden was steadily enriched with plants from all over the world, particularly from the countries that participated in trade with Venice. Consequently, Padua had a leading role in the introduction and study of many exotic plants, and a herbarium, a library and many laboratories were gradually added to its Botanical Garden.

At present, the Botanical Garden allows for intensive didactic activity as well as important research to be conducted on its grounds. It also cares for the preservation of many rare species. In 1997, it was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site on the following grounds:

The Botanical Garden of Padua is the original of all botanical gardens throughout the world, and represents the birth of science, of scientific exchanges, and understanding of the relationship between nature and culture. It has made a profound contribution to the development of many modern scientific disciplines, notably botany, medicine, chemistry, ecology and pharmacy.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 1545
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Italy

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Cristi (2 years ago)
The Unesco botanical garden has a beautiful outlay, main area being round with several labyrinth like parts. It was October and some of the plants were tired, but in the greenhouses most were green. The new greenhouses bring the modern touch and they are fantastic. Good experience, 10 euros per ticket.
Enzo Pozza (2 years ago)
Amazing place!! It's free for UNIPD students everyday. There are tons os different species, including a section of those which were brought to Europe by the University itself (such as potatoes, sunflower and agave). One of the nicest things for me is that life is thriving in this place. You can see lizards and other small animals enjoying the diversity of plants. There's also some interactive spots where you can learn more about the origins of each species and the spread of plants around the globe. 10/10
Randy Hilarski (2 years ago)
We enjoyed seeing the Botanical Gardens but it was definitely focussed on the University and students for education. They have pretty strict rules regarding pets. They are not allowed, only service animals. One worker was quite strict with my son who just happened to be running down one of the paths about 10 meters in front of me. She told him to stop running and I don't put up with that. He was not harming anything or even touching anything. We go to every botanical garden we can and this was the first one where we felt watched. Profit based botanical gardens are better than university Botanical gardens. In my humble opinion. The history of place was cool. We appreciated the break from the scorching heat. Thank you to HEX Crypto for making this trip possible.
Forte Art (2 years ago)
We took a side trip to Padua and ran into the botanical garden by accident. It was an absolutely delightful surprise. It has the best green house I have ever visited. The garden houses so many specie of plants with many that I saw for the very first time and may not see them again. Well worth the 10 euro admission.
Nathan Marchack (2 years ago)
Wonderful botanical garden, one of the oldest in the world. Great curation and arrangement. -The tropical section of the greenhouses has a well designed two tier system where you can really appreciate the size of the trees. - look out for their understated cactus collection! You can find some in the “maze” garden section near the center. - lots of discounts available for students, seniors etc so check when you’re buying tickets. Well worth checking out if you want to spend a quieter day in Padua.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Château de Foix

The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.