The newly built Education Center of the Botanical Garden has already planned activities for visitors – various seminars, trainings, and educational activities for students. On May 3, the Botanical Garden will host a plant fair “From Flower to Tree”, and on the eve of the International Plant Appreciation Day, May 17, the traditional event “Spring Babble” will take place.
The first guests of the renovated Garden, who arrived in an eco-friendly electric DANCER bus, had the opportunity to take part in a tour of the renovated spaces and the Education Center. After the tour, visitors were invited to taste the herbal tea grown in the Botanical Garden and to observe the planting of the new trees up close.
Simonas Gentvilas, Minister of the Environment, and Juozas Olekas, Member of the European Parliament, were also present to admire the innovations and congratulate the new phase.
The Minister of the Environment stressed that the fact that Klaipėda University has a Botanical Garden only reaffirms the importance of the University for the city and its residents. “All 4 botanical gardens in Lithuania are owned by universities and their main mission is to nurture protected species, to introduce nature and plants to the urban community, and to promote scientific knowledge. Botanical gardens in the city serve as the educational centers, so having such a space should encourage more people to come here to pass on science to the public,” says Simonas Gentvilas.
“This was the first investment of such magnitude in the 30 years of operation of KU Botanical Garden. We are pleased that the infrastructure project has improved the conditions for visitors to the Garden,” says Assoc. Prof. Dr. Benediktas Petrauskas, Vice-Rector for Infrastructure and Development at KU.
“After almost three years, we have the opportunity to present to the public the renewed spaces of the Botanical Garden, where the community will be able to spend their leisure time and recharge positive energy through nature. Over the years, we have seen that this place has become a tourist attraction, and the inhabitants of Klaipėda city also like to visit it. The Garden will continue to delight the public with a variety of plants and educational activities”, says Prof. Dr. Artūras Razbadauskas, Rector of Klaipėda University.
The KU Botanical Garden will celebrate its 31st anniversary this year. It covers an area of 9.3 ha. Currently, there are almost 5,000 plant specimens. 5 collections: Dendrological, Medicinal-Aromatic, Herbaceous Ornamental, Oriental Gardens, and Lithuanian Flora are being created, tended, and consistently enriched.
The total amount of the reconstruction project is EUR 922,900.94. The implementation of project was financed by the European Structural and Investment Funds. Klaipėda University allocated EUR 138,453.14 to this project.
