Kiev Botanical Gardens – A Color, Fragrance and Beauty Extravaganza
Botanical gardens have been around for many years. The earliest such gardens were created at the University of Pisa, which was established in 1543, and the garden at the University of Padua, established in 1545. These gardens are created for educational purposes and enable research to be done on the various conifers, flowers, trees and ferns that are generally found in a botanical garden. The city of Kiev, in Ukraine, has several of these beautiful gardens. The two most prominent ones are the State Botanical Garden and the Botanical Garden of the Ukrainian Academy of Science.
One of the bigger botanical gardens in Kiev is the Botanical Garden of the Ukrainian Academy of Science, also known as the Central Botanical Garden. It is amongst the more popular attractions in Kiev for local residents and visitors, as this impressive botanical garden covers an area of 130 hectares. The Kiev Botanical Gardens are known for their beauty and vast variety of tree and plant species. The Central Botanical Garden was established in the year 1936 and over the years it has grown to include a spectacular range of approximately 13,000 species which have been brought here from all over the world. Coniferous trees, roses, shrubs, lilacs and magnolias fill the garden with color and fragrance; it is almost like walking into a space that is far removed from the world. The grounds are scattered with greenhouses and hothouses, each containing their own plant and flower extravaganza and just waiting to be explored.
Another of the Kiev Botanical Gardens is the Kiev Shevchenko University botanical garden. It was founded in the year 1839 and is located on approximately 22.5 hectares of land. Though not as large as the Central Botanical Garden, it is still home to a spectacular variety of plants and trees. At present there are more than 8,000 different plant species, with 143 of those species being on the Ukraine Red Book of Rare Species listings. It also boasts the oldest palm trees in the whole of Ukraine, which visitors can view in the staggering 98-foot high greenhouse that was built in 1977.
Visitors and tourists are advised not to pass by these breathtaking botanical gardens in Kiev. They are all very beautiful and extremely interesting. Even if the plant and tree species do not stir any excitement in you, the gardens are tranquil and relaxing. They are small pieces of nature put aside to remind us of the beauty of nature and the importance of conserving it.