Botanical Garden of Padua
Country	Italy
City	Padua
Neighborhood	Center
Geography
Features
Creation	1545
Type	Botanical Garden
Protection	Botanical Gardens of Italy
Web Link	The site of the Botanical Garden of Padua
change

Padua Botanical Garden in Italian) is the oldest botanical garden still in existence, founded in 1545. It is a monument of historical, architectural and botanical classified by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ) to world heritage. This botanical garden is located in Padua , in the region of Veneto in Italy.

Summary 1 History 2 Architecture 3 Trees 4 Collections Illustration 5 6 See also 7 Bibliography 8 External links

History

Founded in 1545 , it is the oldest botanical garden university in the world. It was created by order of the Senate of the Republic of Venice for the cultivation of medicinal plants , which in those days were the most "simple", that is to say about these drugs that were directly extracted substances Natural plant. For this reason, the first botanical gardens were called herb garden.

The institution of the garden would help students recognize the different types of medicinal plants. Because of the many flights, and despite the sanctions, we built a circular wall around the garden to protect it. The garden is enriched with plants from around the world and particularly in countries where the Republic of Venice had its possessions or its trade. To do this, Padua played an important role in the introduction and study of many exotic plants. Next to the garden built the library , the herbarium and the various laboratories. Like other Italian universities, the Botanical Garden of Padua held an intense didactic activity disclosure of research and focuses on the conservation of rare and endangered species.

In 1997 the botanical garden was placed in the World Heritage List of UNESCO , with the following justification: "The Botanical Garden of Padua is the origin of all the world's botanic gardens and is the cradle of science, scientific exchanges and understanding the relationship between nature and culture. He was instrumental in the development of many modern scientific disciplines, notably botany, medicine, chemistry, ecology, and pharmacy. "

The Orto Botanico di Padova is the first and only garden that keeps strictly to its location and original design in comparison with the gardens of the same period as in Pisa and Florence.

Architecture

During the first part of the ^fifteenth century Padua knows an extraordinary development of the public building. Tradition says that the Republic of Venice has commissioned Andrea Moroni to build new walls to protect the Garden. It draws on the "Horti conclusion 'of the Middle Ages , while it is the circle with the inscribed square within which expresses an idea of perfection. The square itself is divided into four sectors by four lanes from a center point directed towards the four cardinal points.

The garden was built very quickly and opened in 1545, and the following year began the lessons. At the end of the ^sixteenth century many fountains were built in the Garden, also to ensure the irrigation. During the ^eighteenth century and ^seventeenth century , many works were built as the fountain of the four seasons, as supplemented by four busts of the ^eighteenth century in Carrara marble.

In the garden you can have three meridians : the first is cubic, the second and third spherical cone. In the first half of the ^sixteenth century it was realized the greenhouses and theater botany in the enclosure, are the busts of eminent botanists including Linnaeus. One of the greenhouses is still in its original condition with small columns and arches ghise.

Trees

The Botanical Garden of Padua has always collected and cultivated exotic plants introduced later in the rest of Europe. Among these plants, there are a chaste tree who lived until 1984 (quoted in an inventory of 1550 ) and Saw Palmetto variety Arborescens that inspired Goethe during his stay in Italy in 1786 in his essay called Versuch die der Pflanzen Metamolphosen zu erklren. This palm is found in a greenhouse within the hortus sphaericus where there is also a gingko and magnolia are among the oldest in Europe.

Outside, in the arboretum , shoot, since 1680, a huge plane tree trunk hollow since he has been attacked by lightning. From 1760 to the end of the century, has made several changes such as installation of conifers , two magnolia trees at the entrance, a small bridge and trails in the style of English parks.

Among others, there is in the arboretum trunk of elm cut which highlights the rings of annual growth.

Collections

Because of the limited space of greenhouses, living collections of botanical gardens are kept mostly outdoors. The number of crop plants is now about 6000 copies.

Their arrangement follows taxonomic criteria, commercial, ecological and historical.

Among the collections utilitarian purpose, special emphasis is given to the collection of medicinal plants which play an essential role. Each plant is identified by a small sign that indicates the scientific name and the main therapeutic properties.

We recently created a collection of poisonous plants with mostly didactic purposes. Many poisonous plants are also located in the area of medicinal plants because, in doses adapted, they may have a beneficial effect in treating diseases.

In the botanical garden, is a collection of carnivorous plants and medicinal plants and poisonous in the " Hortus cinctus.

Illustrations

• 

  Area of the Mediterranean flora.
• 

  Oriental plane tree trunk empty, planted in 1680.
• 

  Emissions of insectivorous plants.
• 

  Nymphaea caerulea

See also

• List of botanical gardens in Italy

Bibliography

• (It) A. Minelli, L'orto botanico di Padova (1545-1995), Marsilio, 1998 ( ISBN 88-317-6977-4 )

External Links

• (It) Official site of the botanical garden of Padua
• (It) History of the Botanical Garden of Padova (Task Force on botanic gardens and historic Italian Botanical Society)
• (En) Site by Unesco on the Botanical Garden of Padua