FÜVÉSZKERT Botanic Garden Part 1

Segment: FÜVÉSZKERT Botanic Garden Part 1
Episode: Autumn 2020, Ep 2
Presenter: Trevor Cochrane
TX Date: 29 February 2020

Trevor takes you to one of his favourite gardens in Europe; the oldest botanical garden in Budapest called FÜVÉSZKERT.

  • Founded back in 1771 by the Eötvös Loránd University’s faculty of Medicine, it initially had the goal of having a collection of plants with nutritional and health benefits. But, as studies grew, so did the garden turning it into one of the finest botanical collections.
  • There are over 8000 different types of plant species and variants on display at the gardens! For context, there are 12,000 unique species in the whole of Australia.
  • Most of the plants collected for the garden come from across the globe at a time when plant collectors very funded by wealthy benefactors who sought acclaim for having the finest garden!
  • One remarkable plant you’ll find there is the Australian native, Wollemi Pine which is a critically endangered plant. Wollemi Pines are actually one of the oldest and rarest plant species, with prehistoric origins.
  • One of the most interesting plants on display at FÜVÉSZKERT is the giant water lillies Victoria Amazonicas, or the Victorias. They are the largest water lillies in the world with leaves that can have a diameter of up to 10 feet.

Fun Fact: in the wild they are actually capable of bearing the weight of an adult and people could use them to cross rivers!
There’s so much inspiration here for garden lovers, make sure you take this excursion when travelling on the Viking Grand European cruise.

www.vikingcruises.com.au

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