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History

The first written mention of the existence of a botanical garden in Olomouc dates back to 1787. At that time, it was situated in the historical centre of the city and served for almost ninety years for teaching students of the former medical-surgical school. In 1898, exactly 24 years after the dissolution of the school and the demise of the garden in its original location, the Botanischer Verein in Olmütz was founded in Olomouc. Thanks to the initiative of the association, the construction of a new botanical garden began in the spring of 1901 on the site where it is still located today. The first plants for the new greenhouses were donated by garden managers from Schönbrunn in Vienna and Lednice in South Moravia. The development of the collections in later years was mainly due to the Olomouc botanists Heinrich Laus and Josef Otruba.

The garden remained in an unchanged state until 1948, when it was handed over to the administration of the town after the dissolution of the association and the removal of the German population. Since 1956, the garden has been associated with the activities of the university in Olomouc, in 1959 it came under the administration of the newly established Department of Botany of the Faculty of Science of the University of Olomouc, in 2015 directly under the administration of the Faculty of Science. There are several historical objects in the garden, e. g. a caretaker‘s house from 1903 and a concrete pond donated by the Viennese company H. Rella & Co. In 2024, a new pavilion was opened with a modern lecture hall dedicated to Josef Otruba and a winter garden. In addition to teaching botanical subjects, the garden is also used for other university studies, environmental education and is open to the general public free of charge during the growing season.

New building

In 2024, the construction of a low-energy, passive-standard building was completed on the Botanical Garden. The building conserves water and energy in accordance with the university-wide sustainability policy. The Botanical Garden has thus solved a long-standing lack of representative indoor facilities suitable for educational activities, outreach and popularization of disciplines related to the Garden‘s activities — i.e. botany, nature conservation and environmental education.

The building has an irregular plan with dimensions of 26 × 18 m, with the peak of the pitched roof above the hall at 6.9 m. The core of the building includes a lecture hall, winter garden for growing tropical and subtropical plants, an office, technical and sanitary facilities. The building includes photovoltaic panels, a heat pump, heat recovery, a green roof, a rainwater retention tank, and a trellis system for growing climbing plants. The building is fully automated with motion, temperature and weather sensors that ensure not only energy savings but also smart control via computer or phone.

The lecture hall bears the name of the Moravian botanist Josef Otruba (1889-1952), who made a significant contribution to the knowledge and protection of the natural heritage of Central Moravia and also managed the botanical garden for 30 years. The lecture hall is used not only for full-time teaching of university students, but also for organizing lectures and exhibitions for the general public. The hall can be rented commercially for small to medium size events.

Basic information

The garden is situated in flat terrain on the Quaternary alluvial deposits of the Morava River and a layer of ballast overlain by a thin layer of dry sandy loam soil. Climatically, the area belongs to a warm and slightly humid region with mild winters. Approximately 1,000 plant species grow in the garden, and it is also a refuge for a variety of wildlife.

Altitude: 210 m above sea level
Area: 0.58 ha
Annual rainfall: 689 mm [2023]
Average annual temperature: 11.4 °C [2023]

Opening hours

weekdays and the first Saturday of each month (subject to change depending on current events)
April 8:00—16:00
May—September 8:00—18:00
October 8:00—16:00
November–March closed

Contacts

Botanická zahrada PřF UP (Botanical garden, Faculty of Science, Palacky University)
17. listopadu 12, 779 00 Olomouc (correspondence address)
U Botanické zahrady 1232/7, 779 00 Olomouc (location)

+420 585 634 832
garden@upol.cz
www.garden.upol.cz