The Botanical Garden of the Jagiellonian University is one of the favorite places of Cracovians. It is one of those mysterious areas in the very center of the city surrounded by the noise of busy streets, where, however, one forgets about the hustle and bustle of the city. As soon as you cross the garden's walls, you find yourself in a different land, where downy ducks swim in the pond, and tropical heat stifles in some of the conservatories, making life pleasant for exotic plants. Earlier this year, a new greenhouse was built here.
The new greenhouse replaced an old structure whose demolition began in August 2018. The newly built facility is home to a Canary Island date palm tree measuring 14 meters in height, planted in the mid-19th century. It is most likely the oldest specimen of this species growing under glass in central Europe. For this reason, it is protected as a natural monument.
The new greenhouse, in its shape, refers to the oldest object of this type previously existing in the Botanical Garden, preserved only in old engravings. It was built on an octagonal plan, with a gable topped by a dome. At its highest point it measures 21 meters and is 7 meters taller than its predecessor, while the winterhouse reaches a height of 14.3 meters. The greenhouse is distinguished by a modern ventilation system and a number of amenities that allow disabled visitors to visit the facility. Particularly noteworthy are the tiffographs presenting images and descriptions of selected greenhouse plants, developed especially for the visually impaired.
At its highest point it measures 21 meters and is 7 meters taller than its predecessor, while the winterhouse reaches a height of 14.3 meters.
Photo by Rafal Matrejek
In addition to the Canary Island date palm, the new greenhouse is home to two other species of palm trees: the head bunting Butia capitata (Mart.) Becc. and the low dwarf Chamaerops humilis L., and, in addition, you can admire plants threatened with worldwide extinction, such as the noble wolemia Wollemia nobilis W.G.Jones, K.D.Hill & J.M.Allen and the Brazilian araucaria Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze.
The cost of the entire investment amounted to PLN 9 million. The funds came from the European Union funds within the framework of the Regional Program of the Malopolska Region for 2014-2020 and the Jagiellonian University's own funds.
