Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico), Padua

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The Orto Botanico di Padova: A Historical Journey into the World's First Academic Botanical Garden

The Orto Botanico di Padova, located in the heart of the city of Padua, Italy, stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of scientific exploration and the pursuit of knowledge. Established in June 1545, this botanical garden holds the distinction of being the world's oldest academic botanical garden still in its original location.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

The world's first botanical garden was created in Padua in 1545. It still preserves its original layout – a circular central plot, symbolizing the world, surrounded by a ring of water. Other elements were added later, some architectural (ornamental entrances and balustrades) and some practical (pumping installations and greenhouses). It continues to serve its original purpose as a centre for scientific research.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (ii): The Botanical Garden of Padua has represented a source of inspiration for many other gardens in Italy and around Europe and has influenced both their architectural and functional designs and their didactic and scientific approaches in medicinal plants studies and related disciplines. Since its foundation, it has been at the centre of a wide network of international relationships, contributing to the dissemination of the various aspects of the medicinal plants and botanical sciences and to the preservation of plant species ex-situ. It also made profound contributions to the development of many modern scientific disciplines, notably botany, medicine, ecology and pharmacy.

Criterion (iii): For more than five centuries, the Botanical Garden of Padua has represented an exceptional testimony of scientific and cultural significance. Its position, size and main characteristics, as well as its main research and didactic features, have remained essentially unchanged over centuries with a constant adaptation to the most advanced discoveries in botanical and educational sciences. Many renowned botanists become ‘Praefectus’ of the Botanical Garden of Padua, leaving evidence of their scientific works in the plants named after them (e.g. the Pontederiacae family in honor of Praefectus Giulio Pontedera).

Encyclopedia Record: Orto botanico di Padova

The Orto Botanico di Padova is a botanical garden in Padua, in the northeastern part of Italy. Founded in June 1545 by the Venetian Republic, it is the world's oldest academic botanical garden that is still in its original location. The garden – operated by the University of Padua and owned by the Italian government – encompasses roughly 22,000 square meters (240,000 sq ft), and is known for its special collections and historical design.

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