Padua Botanical Garden, a magical place, the oldest in the world, and yet, the ancient blends well with modernity.
Padua Botanical Garden
A true naturalistic treasure chest enriched by scientific research, UNESCO World Heritage Site, in which there are more than 3,500 plant species. There are many visitors who go to this place every year; around 180,000 enthusiasts from all over the world. In the Renaissance era, only medicinal plants were cultivated for natural healing medicines.
Founded in 1545, the Garden is located in historic center of Padua and over the centuries, it has been the subject of a network of very important international relations. For this reason, the botanical garden has always been a fundamental part in the development of the history of medicine and botanical science. But also example of the aesthetic canons of the Renaissance thanks to the architecture of its wonderful gardens. Born on land belonging to the Benedictine monks of Santa Giustina thanks to a resolution of the Senate of the Republic of Venice of 29 June 1545.
University of Padua
A historic resolution with a noble purpose: to put an end to the great uncertainty regarding the identification of plants used in therapies, with the serious risk of damage to health. For about ten years there has also been a new section, namely the Biodiversity Garden which intertwines botany and anthropology, with 5 new greenhouses showcasing five different biomes. In this wonderful structure, there are the insectivorous plants and the poisonous ones, among the collections most admired by visitors.
There are about 30 species, almost all exotic. Also interesting plants of the Euganean Hills, together with the rare ones of the Triveneto, which are part of a new area dedicated to the knowledge of the nature of the territory. Also known as the Garden of the Simples of Padua, shows a structure, conceived by the humanist and scientist Daniele Barbaro. Very scenic, extremely fascinating and almost unchanged from its distant origins.
Luigi Squalermo known as Anquillara
The first director of the Garden was Luigi Squalermo, said the Anguillara who introduced around 1800 different species. This greatly helped medical students in learning and recognizing medicinal plants. Among the plants born for the first time in the Garden, then introduced in Italy and also in Europe, the first example of acacia stands outdating back to 1662 from which Maria Theresa of Austria had the seeds taken to introduce it into Germany.
Enriched over the years with an ever-increasing number of plants from every corner of the world, today they count approximately 6000 specimens. As I mentioned, the botanical garden of Padua is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. It is so not just because it is the oldestbut also because it testifies to a considerable exchange of influences in the field of botanical sciences and constitutes an exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition.
Padua Botanical Garden – UNESCO World Heritage Site
To about, the Botanical Garden of Padua, we can say that it is truly at the origin of all the botanical gardens in the world. It represents without fear of contradiction, the cradle of science and origin of the understanding of the relationships between nature and culture. The Botanical Garden of Padua has also largely contributed to the progress of various modern scientific disciplines, between botany, medicine, chemistry, ecology and pharmacy. Knowledge protected even inHerbarium, the museum founded in 1835, collects around 500,000 dried plant samples from all over the world. But also algae, fungi, mosses, lichens and so on.
