Wojsławice Arboretum

In 2024 a beech tree from Wojsławice, known as the Heart of the Garden, won the European Tree of the Year contest. It is a fitting emblem for a place where more than 6,500 species and cultivars of trees and shrubs grow, plus several thousand perennials. The arboretum belongs to the University of Wrocław, lies 2 km from the town of Niemcza and about 50 km south of Wrocław, and holds Poland's largest collections of rhododendrons and daylilies.

History: from romantic park to botanic garden

The arboretum dates its beginnings to 1811, when the village owners from the von Prittwitz and von Aulock families started acclimatising the first non-native trees, mostly from North America. Its present character comes from Fritz von Oheimb, a Silesian landowner and plant expert who bought the 150-hectare estate in 1880. Rhododendrons became his speciality: by 1920 there were around 4,000 bushes in 300 cultivars, and one cultivar was named after him. Oheimb died in 1928 and is buried in the garden; his son Arno carried on his work.

After the family was expelled in 1946, the park went to a state farm and declined. It received arboretum status in 1977, was entered on the heritage register in 1983, and since 1988 has belonged to the University of Wrocław Botanic Garden. In 2005 another 54 hectares were added, including a historic farmstead.

Collections

According to 2020 figures the garden holds 6,565 species and cultivars of trees and shrubs and 7,445 herbaceous plants. The key collections are:

• rhododendrons – 1,570 taxa, including 124 historic Seidel cultivars,
• daylilies – 3,982 taxa; the arboretum is a display garden of the American Hemerocallis Society,
• box, hydrangeas, peonies, periwinkles and the witch-hazel family – together with rhododendrons and daylilies they hold Polish National Collection status (since 2011 and 2021).

A separate section is the Polish Millennium Garden, opened in 2020 on 5 hectares. It started with 1,000 Polish-bred plant cultivars to mark 1,000 years since the Battle of Niemcza (1017), and by 2024 the collection numbered 2,462 cultivars. In a former quarry, the GEOretum (2017) displays rocks from across Lower Silesia.

Trees to look out for

• The "Heart of the Garden" beech, growing here since around 1800 – European Tree of the Year 2024.
• Japanese umbrella pine – the largest and oldest in Poland, 15 m tall.
• Cedar of Lebanon planted in 1965 – also the largest and oldest in the country.
• Giant sequoia grown from seed in 1962; by 2018 it had reached 30 m.
• Crimson glory vine – over a hundred years old, climbing to about 25 m.

Tripto tip

Time your visit to the flowers: rhododendrons and azaleas bloom in May, roses in June, daylilies in July, hydrangeas in August, and in autumn there is a two-hectare perennial border full of grasses. The 2026 season runs from 11 April to 25 October; ticket offices are open daily 09:00–18:00 and you can stay in the garden until 20:00. A standard ticket costs PLN 30, reduced PLN 20, and parking is included (as of October 2026). Dogs are not allowed, except guide dogs. Allow 2–3 hours for a relaxed visit; there are two food outlets, a playground and a plant shop on site.