History of the Botanical Garden

Kazan, the Botanical Garden

-> In 1806, a Botanical Garden was opened in the yard of a newly established Kazan Imperial University. Professor Karl Fuchs made a significant contribution to the development of the facility, and as its First Director, he ordered to build a small greenhouse for exotic plants.

-> In 1827, Nikolay Lobachevsky, appointed as the Rector of the university, approved the construction of the University Architectural Ensemble. Astronomical Observatory was to put in the place of the Garden and for an expanded collection of plants a new piece of land on the shore of lake Kaban was purchased. With the time, the Botanical Garden became one of the largest in Russia serving as an education and training facility for both students and researchers. 

-> According to documents dating 1911, the collection of exotic items comprised more than 1000 plant species from all continents. The majority of them were damaged during the Civil War and the Garden stopped functioning and lost the connection with Kazan University. Fortunately, nearly 100 most hardy subtropical specimens survived thanks to the special care provided by one of the gardeners who lived on the garden's territory.

-> In 1926 the Botanical Garden opened its doors once again after the restoration by enthusiastic students, who were collecting plants one by one from private individuals and agricultural schools. Citizens of Kazan were taking an active participation and donating funds for the development. At the same time, those students created an animal corner which gradually evolved into a zoological park. The premises became supervised by the city administration and renamed into Kazan Zoo and Botanical Gardens. 

-> For a long time Kazan University was lacking its own botanical garden. The administration of the university was acknowledging this fact and around 1984, the construction on a new territory began. However, due to economical restrictions placed on the university during the last decade of the 20th century, the first plantings appeared here only around 2004. 

-> Since 2010 the Botanical Garden is presenting a large collection of plants including 422 specimens. It's a member of Volga-Ural Botanical Garden Society.