Adam Mickiewicz University Botanical Garden in Poznań

In western Poznań, in the district that took its name from it – Ogrody, "Gardens" – about 22 hectares of plant collections from around the world spread out. The Adam Mickiewicz University Botanical Garden is both a research institution and a free park open all year round. Its pride is the alpine garden with around 1,600 taxa of mountain plants, while in the glasshouses a Santa Cruz water lily flowers year-round – a rarity in European botanical gardens.

History: from a school garden to the university

The garden was created in 1922–1925 as the School Botanical Garden, serving the schools of the newly reborn Polish state. Its founders were Dr Joachim Namysł, Władysław Marciniec and Professor Rudolf Boettner, the first director. President Stanisław Wojciechowski opened it in 1925. At first it covered about 2.5 ha: a systematics section with a pool for aquatic plants, ecological sections and a teaching hall. In 1930 more land was added, where a plant geography section was laid out to a design by Professor Edward Strauss. The main gate on Dąbrowskiego Street, designed by Stefan Cybichowski, dates from this time too.

Work on the alpine garden began in 1938 to a design by Z. Hellwig. After the war, in 1949, the University of Poznań took over the garden; steppe, peat bog and dune sections followed, along with the first glasshouse and an administration building. On 8 January 1975 the garden was entered in the register of historic monuments. It was enlarged in the 1970s and 1990s, and in 2000 another 5 ha between Dąbrowskiego and św. Wawrzyńca streets opened to the public. A curiosity: Poznań's first botanical garden was today's Wilson Park.

What to see

The collections are arranged in 10 themed sections. Plan your route so as not to miss:

• Professor Aleksander Łukasiewicz Alpine Garden – on about 6,000 m² grow some 1,600 taxa of mountain plants from temperate to subarctic and subantarctic zones. The richest collection is from the Carpathians, especially the Tatras – about 350 taxa from natural sites.
• Plant geography section – 10 ha of trees and shrubs from around the world, mainly North America and the Far East, with several educational trails.
• Glasshouses from the 1950s and 1960s – around 550 species and varieties of tropical and subtropical plants, including cycads, cacao, coffee and papaya; a pool kept at 27°C holds the Santa Cruz water lily and sacred lotus.
• Rare and endangered plants section and a natural pond on the Seganka stream.

Curious facts

• Since 1925 the garden has published an Index Seminum, a catalogue of seeds for exchange. Today it trades seeds with about 400 gardens and arboreta in 58 countries.
• Some of the glasshouse cycads – a group of plants that was a major part of the flora 200 million years ago – are already flowering.

Tripto tips

• Admission: free.
• Hours: according to the garden's website: March 9:00–17:00, April and September 9:00–19:00, May–August 9:00–20:00, October 9:00–18:00, November–February 9:00–15:00 (as of October 2026).
• Rules: no animals (except assistance dogs), and no bikes or scooters inside – bike racks are at the entrances.
• Access: the main entrance is at 165 Dąbrowskiego Street, a second one on Botaniczna Street, where there is a car park.
• Allow 2–3 hours for an unhurried walk including the alpine garden and glasshouses.