Historical information

The history of the botanical garden of DNU started at the beginning of the 20th century, when a family of talented scientists came to Ekaterinoslav. A young gay man named Olexander Reinhard devoted his life to studying plant physiology, and he brought his dream to create a kind of oasis in the city to life through the botanical garden.  

The now-garden was born in his large communal apartment, where piles of maps, lists, plans and sketches lived on the floor, scattered all over the place. No one knows what inspired Reinhard and gave him strength. And, we cannot even begin to imagine what obstacles he had to overcome before the first plants were placed in the ground. 

Endless meetings and sessions in the city council, the support of like-minded people, and a strong effort helped Reinhard get a plot of land with an area of 13,5 hectares and the first 500 karbovanets in December of 1929. 

Today it is tough to imagine that in the 30s, this area constituted the city's outskirts — it housed small one-storey buildings, a few ditches and wells. Back then, O. V. Reinhard was assigned as the first director of the garden and during the spring of 1930 the entire allocated area was ploughed. A water supply system was also built, and a central avenue of 500 trees and a hedge was laid.

In the Autumn of 1930, the botanical garden was rezoned. The city began a southwest expansion during an industrialisation effort planned by Joseph Stalin.  The “competition” for land began back then as the institutions of higher education (which are located on Gagarina Avenue to the present day) were built this same year.  During this period, authorities decided to take the cultivated plots and give them to the Institute of Transport. The city also allocated a large piece of land for the botanical garden on the east slope of the arroyo and replanted the area. Fast forward to 1935, the year when the State Qualification Commission awarded Reingard the title of professor.

In 1935, the garden area expanded to 50 hectares at the expense of the adjacent city greenhouse, but the development of this area was suspended until 1938 because a university campus was being designed on the garden's territory. 

Finally, in 1938, the garden was expanded and its area was increased to 68 hectares. According to the initial project, the garden’s territory was divided into three plots: propagation and dissemination of botanical knowledge, scientific and research, and economic and production. A park, an arboretum, plantings of valuable species, and a school garden were located in the area of propagation of botanical knowledge, and systems of the plant world were also demonstrated there (of Linnaeus, de Candolle, Kuznetsov). 

The park was built according to the principle of plants endemic to Ukraine, the USSR, Western Europe, America, Asia, Australia, and Africa. A small vegetation house was built on the plot of plant physiology, where works on vegetative hybridisation were carried out.

The third part of the planned works was completed by 1941. This same year, a park was created in the garden and opened to the public. An arboretum and park contained 574 species of trees and shrubs at that time. What’s more, the garden kept more than 500 types of conservatory crops while a total of 344 square metres of greenhouses and conservatories were built on the property. 

During the years of fascist occupation (1941-1943), the garden was highly damaged: all the greenhouses were destroyed, young plantings were ploughed over, and tree plantations were cut down. Therefore, after the end of the Great Patriotic War in 1945, the botanical garden had to be re-planned. 

Unfortunately, Oleksandr Reinhard did not have the opportunity to enjoy all the fruits of his labour. The garden founder died in January 1945 due to a severe illness. As per his will, he was buried on the territory of the botanical garden. Reinhard’s faithful companion, Anna Levitskaya, continued the work of her late partner. She served as the director of the garden for almost 30 years, from 1935 to 1963. 

In 1945, the park was replanned again since the previous blueprint was lost. In 1947, already under Levitskaya, a plot of propagation and dissemination of botanical knowledge was once again created. The park and division of valuable plants were located on this plot, but this process only began in 1947 because a drought during the previous year made it impossible to cultivate anything. 

In the 1950s and 1960s, exhibition areas were created to demonstrate the diversity of flora and various landscape composition techniques - a garden of continuous flowering, a rose garden, and a rock garden.

In 1963, by the Order of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR, a botanical garden of Dnipropetrovsk National University were declared a protected area. 

In 1968, the botanical garden lost almost ¾ of its territory because a large part was transferred to construct a student town and a city park named after Yuri Gagarin. As a result, the garden’s area was reduced to 18 hectares. 

Katerina Syrovatko was the garden director from 1967 to 1976. The reconstruction and landscaping of the garden were carried out during this period. In 1970 an administrative and laboratory building with an area of 1,400 m² and two greenhouses with an area of 720 m² were put into operation.  In 1975, an exhibition greenhouse with an area of 700 m² for maintaining and further replenishing the collection of tropical and subtropical plants was also inaugurated. 

In 1976, the status of the botanical garden was changed from scientific and research to scientific, educational and industrial. Therefore, most scientists were transferred to the staff of the research institute of biology of the university. Despite this, the botanical garden continued to replenish and maintain the collection of plants, serving as a base for scientific works of the Institute of Biology and the practice of students of the university’s Faculty of Biology.

During the 1980s, the botanical garden actively participated in local and international exhibitions and contests. Rich collections of clematis, flowering shrubs, hydrangeas, and ornamental plants were the garden’s pride at that time. Unfortunately, much of this diversity was lost in the 1990s due to reduced workers and uncontrolled visits to the garden. 

But, there were achievements as well. 

Thus, in 1996, due to the effort of Volodymyr Opanasenko, who held the garden director’s position from 1992 to 2016, the area that had previously been turned into a city park was returned to the botanical garden, and its area increased to 27 hectares, which it remains the same today. 

This same year, the Decree of the President of Ukraine confirmed the botanical garden's protected status dated August 20. "On the announcement of territories and objects of the nature reserve fund of general state importance". 

According to this Decree, the botanical garden of DNU and its new boundaries, which added up to about 33 hectares, was declared an object of the nature reserve fund of general state importance. The primary purpose of this was the implementation of a long-term program for the development of the botanical garden and the reconstruction of its territory and plant patches.

From 2000 to 2015, the garden was open to the public. People could walk around the garden’s territory whenever they wanted. But, visitors started trampling areas where circulation was prohibited. Cases of theft of valuable plants also increased due to the fact that garden security was discontinued. 

So as to preserve the gene pool of plants, the university’s and garden’s management decided to close the garden and charge visitors who wanted to enter. It helped save valuable collections of plants. 

Since 2017, Anatoly Kabar has been the director of the garden. 

Since 2018, visitors are only allowed during working hours, and there is an entrance fee. 

It took more than a year to accustom Dnipro citizens to the fact that the garden was open to visitors. After that, employees started organising themed events, open days, fairs, and sales for people of different age categories. As a result, some events have already become yearly traditions.

Today, the garden is mature, but young at the same time. It has profiles on social media which have been actively developed for the last 5 years. The garden has many friends, and volunteers help a lot. New events constantly attract new guests and entice them to explore the grounds. 

It may seem like the DNU botanical garden is less elegant than modern parks, but it’s still one of the most attractive aspects of the city to both local and foreign visitors.

Olexander Reinhard’s dream of creating an oasis in a big city became a reality. We thank him as well as all other garden directors and employees for their contributions.