Have you ever been to such an amazing city like Kaliningrad? The Botanical Garden, the magnificent Gothic-style Philharmonic building, numerous gates, monuments and unusual buildings - all this, as a rule, attracts not even hundreds, but thousands of people from all over the globe.
Finding yourself in this village by the sea, where, it seems, every building is saturated with salt and caressed by a fresh breeze, it is difficult to determine the list of attractions. Someone goes to the Botanical Garden in Kaliningrad, someone likes the area of old villas, and someone does not imagine a city without numerous bridges.
As they say, the choice is for each individual traveler. One thing is for sure: there is a pastime for everyone.
This article will tell readers in more detail about a really amazing place, about a corner where you can forget about all the hardships and troubles for a while, recharge your batteries. This is the Botanical Garden in Kaliningrad.
general description
This artificially created park is located in the Leningrad district of the city, just at the intersection of Lesnaya and Molodezhnaya streets. True, it should be noted that the entrance to the garden is from Lesnaya Street.
Officially, the Botanical Garden (Kaliningrad), whose photo is in almost all the avenues dedicated to the city, is also called the Botanical Garden of the Baltic Federal University named after I. Kant.
The green zone occupies more than 13.5 hectares. Representatives of flora from almost all corners of the world are gathered on its territory. A valuable collection has over 2500 plant species, many of which are rare. The garden is equipped with greenhouses, collection areas with vegetation, ponds, hotbeds, as well as a tree plant nursery.
759-year-old Kaliningrad. Botanical Garden: History
Of course, this corner of the local flora was not immediately laid. The city managed to change and even change its name several times before the administration made an appropriate decision.
So, as it became known from historical chronicles, the garden was founded in 1904 thanks to the German professor Paul Kaber, who at that time was head of the Department of Higher Plants and Systematics at the University of Koenigsberg.
He tried his best and local government. I must say that he is generally very well-groomed, the city of Kaliningrad. They decided to plant the Botanical Garden in one of the picturesque areas of Koenigsberg - Maraunenhof.
Initially, it was called "Urban Gardening" and was used to conduct practical classes in natural sciences and gardening for schoolchildren, students and citizens.
P. Kaber, who built the greenhouse complexes, headed the conservation area, collected a large collection of flora of the tropics and subtropics, as well as winter-hardy plant species. He died in 1919. In his honor, a memorial slab was installed in the garden.
By 1938, the City Gardening Fund had almost 4,000 greenhouse plants, but by the end of World War II, it turned out that, unfortunately, everything had died. The creation of a new stock of thermophilic plants began only after the restoration of greenhouses and the construction of the greenhouse. The garden collection was replenished with seeds and seedlings from other botanical gardens, as well as thanks to amateur gardeners.
Botanical Garden today
The adjacent area in front of the garden is decorated with ornamental plants and juniper. Here you can see wooden figures of fairy-tale characters. At the entrance, visitors are met with variegated maple ash with a lush crown.
In open areas, perennial collections have been planted: peonies, daffodils, tulips, etc. Branching willows, deets, and chubushniki serve as decoration of these plantings.
No matter how wonderful the city of Kaliningrad is, the Botanical Garden has a special place in his life. It is especially magnificent in the warm season. In summer, you can relax and enjoy the aroma of roses at the fountain in the rose garden, where benches, arches and walkways are equipped. The floriculture department has a large three-tiered flower garden, which is dominated by groundcover decorative perennials. The passage to the flower garden is framed by hosts. A lush flower bed of cloves adorns the foreground, and on shaded areas there are thickets of high Volzhanka, astileba and bright geranium.
Representatives of tropical and subtropical flora are housed in a separate greenhouse complex. There are almost 500 species of crops, half of which are cacti. Over 100 taxa are rare species. One of the long-livers of the palm greenhouse is the Chinese Liviston, 14 m high. Its approximate age is 114-120 years. Particularly interesting are insectivorous plants with hunting leaves: purple sarracenia, nepenthes and subtropical sundew.
Most plants of the Botanical Garden are listed in the Red Book. Much attention is paid to rare species, whose homeland is Russia and the Baltic countries.
In the arboretum live "watchmen" of the Botanical Garden - oaks, beeches and pines. The age of many of them reaches 130 years. In the clearing under the branches of blue spruces there is a playground for games.
The arboretum is famous for its rich collection of coniferous plants (thuja, juniper, fir, pine, spruce, etc.). Hardwood arboretum includes nearly 700 taxa. Especially impressive for its beauty is the Kentucky cladrastis, strewn with fragrant inflorescences.
Botanical Garden (Kaliningrad): how to get and the cost of visiting
The destination can be reached by any public transport following Gorky Street (for example, bus No. 7.30; March No. 67.81).
Walking distance from the Central Food Market of Kaliningrad on Gorky Street will take about 25 minutes. The distance is about 2.0 km.
Also, a shuttle bus (No. 75.61) follows from the Central Market to the Botanical Gardens along Proletarskaya Street. The route passes by the Upper Pond and the Yunost Park - the most beloved vacation spots of citizens.
The cost of visiting: adult - 70.00 rubles, children and schoolchildren under 10 years old - 20.00 rubles, students, pensioners - 45.00 rubles. Unfortunately, the Botanical Garden does not have its own resource on the Internet, but information on it can be found on the official website of the IKBFU. I. Kant - www. kantiana. ru / garden.
Opinions of visitors
Kaliningrad boasts the glory of a stunning vacation spot. The Botanical Garden, reviews of which are the most enthusiastic, also has a reputation as one of the most visited places.
In general, it should be noted that this is a favorite vacation spot for residents and guests of Kaliningrad. According to tourists, here you can hide from the bustle of the city and enjoy the natural silence, take a walk with children, feed ducks on the pond and spend time with your loved one, get acquainted with different types of flora.
Those who wish can purchase seeds and seedlings of plants. At the same time, the cost of admission is quite acceptable.
What to look for
The Botanical Garden has many beautiful places. Especially attracts visitors to the rose garden and greenhouses of thermophilic plants.
Going for a walk, grab some bread to feed the birds on the pond and a camera.
Spending time in the Botanical Garden is better on weekdays when there are few visitors.