Botanical Garden and Arboretum of Mendel University in Brno

The Botanical Garden and Arboretum of Mendel University (MENDELU) serves as an educational and research facility and was founded in 1938 by Professor August Bayer on a 2-hectare site. Its origins date back to 1926, when the university maintained a small garden near the campus focused on agricultural plants. The arboretum was established to support forestry education, and in 1967 the garden expanded to 11 hectares.

The garden was designed according to the plans of Professor Ivar Otruba, and the collection of rock plants and perennials was developed by Josef Holzbecher. Since 1996, a new greenhouse complex has been constructed, including classroom additions and an updated teaching facility.

A highlight of the garden is its tropical orchid collection, one of the largest in Europe. The arboretum’s living collections include over 4,000 orchid taxa, 300 Tillandsia species, 2,000 perennials, 350 cultivars of large-flowered irises, 500 alpine plants, and 4,000 woody plant taxa. The area is organised into five themed sections and features several greenhouses, making it a unique resource for both education and scientific study.