News published 03 May 2024.

The University Botanic Gardens Ljubljana, Slovenia, a BGCI Conservation Practitioner Accredited garden and a BGCI member, has been operating continuously since 1810. And it is now being threatened by the expansion of the railways.

This is the second time that Slovenian Railways has cut the Botanic Garden since 1974. At that time, the garden lost 0.3 ha of land, and with this it was deprived of the possibility of expansion in this place. The construction of the second track to Ivančna Gorica will again take away a significant part of the land from the garden along the entire length of the track, which runs along one of the longest sides of the garden. The construction thus will destroy the old administrative building from 1897, which today houses a valuable garden library and the Primula tea house, where visitors to the garden can take a break and refresh themselves and thus enjoy the Garden for a longer time.

The Garden will lose some of the oldest trees: Metasequia glyptostroboides, which represents one of the first genotypes that arrived in Europe and, according to experts of this species, is truly unique. The oldest Ginkgo biloba in Slovenia from the very beginnings of the garden, a series of old trees from the genus Abies and many other equally valuable trees for the Garden in this part will fall. All Japanese cherries are also falling, a gift from the State of Japan in 1999.

In 1974, a written commitment was given (documents signed, plans drawn up) for a new Botanic Garden under Rožnik on Večna pot, where the faculty campus is today. The greenhouse and the entrance building, which had already been built, were demolished during the Covid-19 pandemic and the building of the National Institute of Biology, which was opened this year, was built there. The garden thus lost all the facilities already built for it on this site. Please support our Botanic Garden!