The same point of view: MU Faculty of Science then and now – the view from the garden on Veveří Street
When the garden on Veveří Street was first being planted in 1920−1922, there were almost no trees growing on the plot as it was originally a vegetable/forage/grazing area owned by a home for the terminally ill. At the time, many farm animals were being kept in the town, including horses, which were the main means of transport, and hens, rabbits and other small animals, which were commonly kept in yards. During the war, people secretly kept these animals in their attics and cellars, or wherever else they could; however, it was also necessary to provide food for the animals.
After 1922, when the first greenhouses were built, the first landscaping took place, ponds were constructed and trees were planted.
A photo from the 1920s showing Inspector František Jirásek (in the hat), who, with Prof. Podpěra, founded the garden.
Photo: MU Archive, undated.
The well-known Brno gardening expert and garden architect, Prof. Ivar Otruba, has designed many botanical gardens and knows their history, purpose and needs like no other. The professor once described our garden as a classic university ‘cemetery-type’ garden. It earned this designation because of its location in the middle of the city, the lack of any attempt to imitate nature, its hard border with fences on all sides, and for its many mature trees, which, while they provide visitors with pleasant shade, do not allow many light-loving or brightly coloured plants to grow successfully. Rather, the garden undergrowth supports shade-loving or shadow-tolerant species that are more usually encountered in cemeteries. These include ivy, which is a symbol of mourning. Ivy is widely distributed in the city by birds that eat its fleshy fruits. The garden is at its most beautiful in the spring, when the leafless trees allow spring plants to show their beauty.
A noted feature of the garden is the number of mature trees, which provide visitors with pleasant shade. Photo: Libor Teplý, 2019.
