Many people sometimes have a desire to change their usual environment and, turning away from white-birch birches, turn their eyes to exotic palm trees, cypress trees and barberries. However, not all aspirations coincide with opportunity. Sometimes we do not have enough time, sometimes - material means. And here various parks and reserves come to the rescue: after all, it is here that you can relax and enjoy the beauty of not only plants and trees of temperate climate, but also their tropical counterparts. The arboretum is the place where a great many flora specimens from around the world have been collected. This is a kind of subtropical jungle in the middle of a noisy and gassed metropolis.
Etymology of the concept
The meaning of the word "arboretum" is rooted in the ancient Greek language. It was from there that the term “tree” was originally borrowed. In the language of the descendants of the gods of Olympus, this word sounds like "dendron." If you add the ending -ar, you get a "collection of trees." Currently, the initial etymology of this concept has slightly expanded, and it means the following. An arboretum is a botanical garden or its separate part, on the territory of which plants, shrubs and trees, non-standard for the climate under consideration, are grown for scientific or experimental purposes. It is noteworthy that all the flora is cultivated in open ground.
It is worth noting that from the Latin language a synonym for this word has come down to us - arboretum. The initial form for creating this concept was a borrowed analogue - “arbor”, which means “tree”. Thus, the word arboretum stands for grove, park, tree plantation, etc.
Sochi Arboretum
Currently, there are many different botanical gardens that boast a huge variety of different plants and shrubs. In Russia, the arboretum located in Sochi is considered the most grandiose and largest. Very often this park is called the emerald treasury of the subtropics. This oasis of beauty and diverse flora is located in the city center. It is an excellent object for educational excursions for residents and guests of Sochi. Forty-nine hectares - this is exactly the area the park occupies. The arboretum has located on its territory about 2,000 different plants, trees and shrubs, the birthplace of which are various parts of the planet.
History of occurrence
The founder of this wonderful subtropical island is the publisher of the Petersburg newspaper, collector and playwright Sergei Khudyakov. A prerequisite for the creation of the park was a plot of land, which he acquired in 1890. Khudyakov used most of the territory to build a summer house. The remaining land was sown with seedlings and various plants. Gradually white acacia, hornbeam, Japanese quince and many other shrubs and trees joined the usual oaks, pines and maples.
Aquarium, cableway and tunnels
Today, the Sochi Arboretum is a garden consisting of two tiers. At the bottom of the park is an aquarium. Its volume is 150 cubic meters. Representatives of the Black Sea live in the aquarium. Depending on the season of the year and weather conditions, the number of species of fauna ranges from fourteen to twenty seven.
The upper part of the garden is an oasis, in the territory of which about 2000 plant, shrub and tree specimens grow. Both tiers are interconnected by cable car and tunnels. The first was built in 1987 for the convenience of excursions.
Croatian landmark
Sochi Arboretum is one of the largest botanical parks not only in Russia, but throughout the continent. However, this is far from the only garden of its kind located in Europe.
One of the oldest is the Croatian arboretum. A photo of this amazing park can be seen on many tourist posters and brochures of the country. This garden is located in a place called Trsteno, near the popular spa town of Dubrovnik. It is worth noting that this arboretum is the oldest and only arboretum in the territory of the modern Mediterranean. It was founded in the Renaissance. The garden is famous for a huge variety of plants. In addition to outlandish specimens of flora, tourists are given the opportunity to admire the delightful villa built in the 15th century, various fountains and aqueducts. The Croatian Arboretum is also the hero of numerous films. Most recently, the new season of the series Game of Thrones was shot in the park.
There are other arboretums in the CIS. For example, Chisinau, Zheleznogorsk and other arboretums. Of course, they are not as magnificent as the two previous counterparts. But they have every chance to become bright sights of their cities, because these gardens are still very young.