Botanical Garden

The Budapest Botanical Garden (or ELTE Botanical Garden) is Hungary's first botanical garden, which since 2006 has operated as a special (not belonging to a faculty) educational unit of Eötvös Loránd University in the VIII district of Budapest, Józsefváros, under Illés Street 25. Founded in 1771 in Nagyszombat as a botanical garden to assist the training of medical students, after several relocations it has been at its present location since 1847. Its fame was significantly increased by the fact that in Ferenc Molnár's well‑known novel *The Boys of Paul Street* the garden's old palm house provided a hideout for Ernő Nemecsek and his friends. The official name “Füvészkert”, used since 2008, remained because of this novel and spread in public awareness.

The garden's perhaps most important attraction is the country's first and for a long time the only Victoria house, but its prides also include the garden's oldest trees, such as fern pines older than 150 years, or the orchid and the cactus collection presenting several hundred species, as well as the Australian house and other curiosities. Of the roughly 8 000 plant species living in the garden, 150 are protected native flora.

Since 1960 a nationally significant nature‑conservation area, owner of the Hungarian Heritage Award since September 2005, and in May 2006 it was also placed under protection as Cultural Heritage. Its area is 3.1 hectares, the greenhouse area exceeds 2 000 m². Its central location and good public‑transport accessibility facilitate visits.

Origin of the name

At first the garden bore the Latin name *Hortus Botanicus*, which is also preserved in the title of its first seed‑exchange catalogue published in 1788 (Index Horti Botanici Universitatis Hungaricae), or it was called *Botanikus Kert* as the Hungarian equivalent of the Latin name. The word “füvészkert” is a synonym from the botanical garden language‑reform period, and its preservation and spread are thanks to Ferenc Molnár's well‑known novel *The Boys of Paul Street*.

Since 1950 it operated under the name ELTE Botanikus Kert, and on June 30, 2008, based on the decision of the ELTE Senate, the garden’s official name again became the authentic Füvészkert. In official English-language formulations, however, Botanical Garden is used.

History

The country’s first botanical garden, which, like throughout Europe, was founded by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Science. It was moved several times, both when the university was relocated (first in 1777 from Nagyszombat to Buda, then in 1784 to Pest) and because of lack of space. Its care was performed by professional hands, as its directors were among the outstanding personalities of Hungarian natural science.

From foundation to relocation to Józsefváros

The Füvészkert was originally not in Budapest; its predecessor was founded in 1771 in Nagyszombat by Jakab Winterl, professor of chemistry and botany. From the beginning, besides assisting medical and pharmacy training, the garden’s primary task was the study of the domestic flora. Together with the university it was moved to Buda in 1777, while the university was placed in the Buda Castle District, Winterl saved a significant portion of the plants on his own estate and only a year later obtained a site in the area between Krisztina Square and the Southern Railway Station. When in 1782 Emperor Joseph II dissolved the monastic orders, the former Franciscan monastery garden between today’s Kossuth Lajos and Reáltanoda streets was designated for the establishment of the university botanical garden. Since the medical faculty moved to Pest in 1784, this opportunity seemed a good idea. The garden’s development at that time is linked to the fact that Jakab Winterl published in 1788 the botanical garden’s first seed‑exchange catalogue, Index Horti Botanici Universitatis Hungaricae. In this work he described 1 656 plant species and included 26 copper‑engraved illustrations. However, its location eventually became overgrown, and a new site had to be found for the expanding collection.

After the death of Winterl in 1807, Pál Kitaibel took over the management of the garden and the care of the collection. Under his professional direction, the garden's material was transferred in 1808 to the estate of Prince Antal Grassalkovich on Ország Street [now: Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út / Károly krt. / Múzeum krt]. The new garden, after several years of hard work, was completed by 1815 according to the system of Carl von Linné.

After Kitaibel's death, from 1817 Professor Károly Haberle from Erfurt was entrusted with the director's duties. Through his activity and extensive international contacts, he quickly developed the garden, which already displayed nearly 10 000 plant species, into a European‑renowned institution. As a university lecturer he held practical classes there and regularly organized botanical field trips for his students. At that time the chief gardener was Anton Rochel, who gave up his medical career to live for botany. He is associated with the creation of a European‑renowned Siberian collection and the scientific exploration of the flora of Banat. Haberle became a victim of a robbery murder in 1832, and with his death the garden's golden age ended. His successor in the director position was József Sadler, a museologist of the Hungarian National Museum. At this time the garden's condition had deteriorated sharply and suffered further major damage due to the 1838 Pest flood. To remedy the untenable situation, Archduke Joseph made a proposal. In response, a more suitable location was sought for the botanical garden and in 1847 Festetics Antal's 10.1‑hectare property was purchased for 80 000 forints. Thus the collection was thereafter moved to Józsefváros.