Botanical Garden of Tver State University
 Founded in 1875

About The Garden

TOTAL DATA ON BOTANICAL GARDEN OF TSU

- Area of 2,6 hectares;
- North latitude 56 ° 52 `;
- Eastern longitude 35 ° 56 `;
- Altitude 135 m;
- Average annual temperature + 3,8 ° C;
- January, cf, t ° - 9,8 ° C;
- July, cf, t ° + 17,9 ° C;
- Abs. min t ° - 50 ° C;
- Abs. max t ° + 36 ° C;
- Rainfall per year 593 mm;
- Maximum rainfall in July.
Address: Botanic Garden of Tver State University 170000,
Russia, Tver, street Zheljabova, 33.
Tel: +7(4822) 525318; fax: + 7(4822) 321274;
e-mail: garden@tversu.ru

INFORMATION ON THE HISTORY AND ACTIVITIES OF THE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF TSU

On October 30, 2009 The Botanic Garden of Tver State University which is one of the oldest botanic gardens in the north-west Russia celebrated its 130th anniversary.
The Botanic Garden of Tver State University is located in the historical centre of Tver near the confluence of the rivers the Volga and Tvertsa.
The territory of the garden is a unique place, because, despite the rapid urban growth, it was miraculously managed to preserve the fragments of the historical landscape of the Tver ancient Zavolzhsky tenements there. Among the attractions of the garden you can find a picturesque pond marked on city maps as early as the XVIII century and the channel of an ancient stream of Bukhan.

The history of the Garden begins on the 30th of October 1875, when, an honorary citizen of Tver merchant of the first guild Ilya Ivanovich Bobrov laid out on the Tvertsa’s bank a garden with elegant wooden galleries, an arbour-rotunda and an arched bridge. Oaks and larches planted by Bobrov are the attractions of the arboretum up to now. The merchants' park had the amazing fate to take a long way of evolution from a private estate to a unique modern scientific and educational botanic institutions in the Upper Volga.

Largely this happened due to a natural science and botany teacher of the Maksimovich Women's Teacher School and Tver realschule Leonid A. Kolakovsky, who became the owner of the garden in 1898. It is noteworthy that in the small area of the garden he managed to gather quite an interesting collection of trees and shrubs. Having established exposure of plants on a geographical basis, he gave the territory the appearance of the botanical garden. In a devoted experimental station, he held frequent workshops on botany to his students. First quarter of the XXth century is a unique period when the privately owned garden combined the functions of the family estate, school and nursery for researches of LA Kolakovsky. According to his will the garden was handed over to City Department of Education in 1930 and for eight years was used as a children's park.

In 1938 by the decision of the city executive committee the garden area was transferred to the Kalinin State Pedagogical Institute with the purpose of becoming the Botanical Garden. Tver known botanist A.A. Lebedev and M.L. Nevsky set about organizing this as botanical institution. During the three years before the war the scientific planning was conducted and the expositions were established.

Nevsky M.L.

Lebedev A.A.

However, the tragedy of the Second World War did not pass unnoticed for the Garden. During the occupation of the city it was seriously injured. Trees wounded by shrapnel of artillery shells remind visitors of the hardships of wartime even after sixty-five years.

The revival of the garden has just begun in October1948 on the initiative of the same scientists, M.L. Nevsky and A.A. Lebedev. It was landscaped, new exhibition were installed, the plant collections were enlarged, a greenhouse and a building for staff was built. The collection of botanical garden formed on a geographical basis includes plants from Western Europe, North America, Far East, China, Japan, Australia, Central Asia. The garden has collected the herbarium of more than 20000 pages. The task of preserving rare and endangered plants in the Upper Volga and their subsequent distribution moved to the foreground in the late 60's of XX century. In addition to the scientific work the garden has responded to the needs of the urban population. There were grown about 30 000 cultural and ornamental plants for sale annualy.

In 1973, the territory was handed over to the "Green building trust". It was supposed to preserve the unique collections, but soon the park turned into a deserted garden square. During the years of neglect of the garden Vasily Veselov was the one who took care of it. His efforts have spared from death many unique plants.

Veselov V.V.

Nowadays, on a relatively small garden area of 2,6 hectares there are over 2500 herbaceous plants and more than 350 species of trees and shrubs, combined in a collection of botanical and geographical lines.
Since early nineties of XXth century the comprehensive study of rare and endangered plants of Tver region in order to preserve biological diversity in the Upper Volga has become the priority of the garden. In 1997 Botanical Garden of Tver State University became a member of the International Council of Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). The stock collection of «Rare and Endangered Plants of the Tver region» is established in the garden Within the project "Introduction as a way to conserve biodiversity". The traditional for Botanic Gardens activities on forming collections of funds was implemented in the form of the "live" Red Book of the Upper Volga. The collection includes 170 species of vascular plants and 27 mosses. In the garden is represented approximately 60% of rare and endangered plants in the Red Book of the Tver region. Formed exhibitions devoted to the
unique natural complexes of the Tver region. Among them "Valdai Hills", «Vyshnevolotsko-Novotorzhsky-shaft», «Staritsa’ gates».
August 2, 1996 after a fundamental reconstruction the garden was opened to the public and since then has become for the citizens one of the favorite places of cognitive rest. All the exposition of the Botanical Garden of Tver State University are the basis for the educational process of universities and schools of Tver and the region. Botanical Garden of Tver State University is actively engaged in environmental education and education of residents. A system of environmental programs designed for different age groups. On the base of the Garden regularly organizes special events for children, Folk festivals and Rock concerts, exhibitions of works by artists from Tver. Modern garden area can serve as good example of stable existence of a unique natural object in a large city.

Maria Shuvalova, Yuri Naumtsev