The Botanical Garden

The Botanical Garden is located in the southwestern part of Craiova, between the streets: C-tin Lecca – Obedeanu – Poporului – Renaşterii – N. Titulescu – Iancu Jianu.
It occupies an area of 17 ha and represents the fourth university botanical garden in the country, after Bucharest, Cluj and Iasi.
It was conceived by the French landscape architect, Eduard Redont in the early twentieth century.
The Botanical Garden “Al. Buia”, under the leadership of the Craiova University, was founded on the initiative and under the guidance of Professor Ph.D. Alexandru Buia in 1952.

The Botanical Garden is organized in the following sectors:

The Ornamental Sector starts at the entrance of the visitors from the Inacu Jianu Street. It ensures throughout the vegetation season, besides a rich and varied collection of plants also a delightful setting fron the entrance to the Botanical Garden.

The Romanian Flora Provincial Sector is located in the north, north-east and east of the Botanical Garden. In order to create conditions as close as possible to the ecological requirements for the species from different phytogeographical regions of Romania, micro and macro relief with heights between 1.5 m and 30 min relation to the water gloss have been arranged by large accumulation of soil.

The Systematic Plant Sector is located in the central part of the Garden. It also includes the lake that hosts, along with the aquatic plants, different bird species.

The Global Floristic Provinces Sector is located in the southwestern part of the garden. It operates with the following provinces: Mediterranean, Caucasian, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and North America.

The Cultivated Plants Sector is located in the northwest of the garden. It is divided into six sections: agrofitotechnics, vegetable growing, trees, shrubs and medical plants, vineyards and trees.

The Rosariu Sector is located on an area of 0.2 ha between the greenhouses and the administrative headquarters of the Garden. It brings together many species of roses, vary varied as habitus and size, colour and flavours.

The Nursery sector located in the west part of the garden. In the nursery is multiplied the biological planting material used by the garden sector to replace the damaged specimens.

The museum is located in the administrative headquarters hall and includes samples of seeds, fruits, floors, graphics, diplomas, collections of catalogues edited by the Botanical Garden from its establishment to present.

The Herbarium is a very important component in any botanical garden.
It began with the herb bought by the University of Craiova from the Borza family, consisting of about 10,000 sheets edited by Flora Romaniae Exsiccata (FRE). Next to it was the herb of the prof. Al. Buia, made up of about 20,000 sheets, collected from all the provinces of Romania and mostly determined by him.
To these two herbs are added numerous herb sheets with species collected from the spontaneous flora and species grown in the garden sector.

The Botanical Garden publishes yearly the „Index Seminum”, it participates every year at the 1 June Exhibition and hosts various events on environmental issues and environmental actions.

The Botanical Garden has been included since 1974 in the International Association of Botanical Gardens (IABG), and since 2001 in the Association of Botanical Gardens in Romania (AGBR).

Access and use is free of charge.

Photo Source: www.facebook.com/pg/botanicacraiova/photos/?ref=page_internal
Source: www.ucv.ro/campus/puncte_de_atractie/gradina_botanica/prezentare.php
HCL nr. 251/2011 on the approval of the Craiova City Statute
www.gradinabotanicadincraiova.ro