The Botanical Garden of Vilnius University, 1782–1802: Founders, Development, Functions

Abstract

The history of the establishment of the Botanical Garden of Vilnius University is discussed in Lithuanian historiography as a positive example of the development of such an object, which determines the problematic nature of the topic. This topic has been most extensively explored in the works of botanists, but these lack a critical view of the difficulties that accompanied the development of the Botanical Garden, the personal choices of the professors, the lack of funds, and other circumstances of relevance. A similar position has been expressed by the authors of monographs on the history of Vilnius University. This paper aims to examine the preconditions and circumstances surrounding the establishment of the Botanical Garden of Vilnius University, the influence of the scientists who created it on the formation of collections, and the possible difficulties that hindered the consistent development of the Garden. The results of the study reveal that the slow development of the Garden at the beginning of its operation was due to the fact the professors headedin the Botanical Garden changed frequently, also, a lack of funds and space was a notable obstruction.