Excursion and guided tour in the botanical garden
| Date: | 05/06/2026, 6:00 PM |
A science walk through three centuries of university plant collections.
The Würzburg Botanical Garden through the ages
A science walk through three centuries of university plant collections
Before the University of Würzburg Botanical Garden found its current location on the Dallenberg in the 1960s, it had been located in the vicinity of the Juliusspital hospital in the city centre for almost 300 years. Over the course of this time, not only its location changed, but also its institutional affiliation - from the Juliusspital to the University - and thus its tasks and objectives. The thematic introduction "Why a botanical garden?" examines the reasons and functions of such a place, as gardens of this kind have always been caught between the sometimes competing interests of science, politics and business.
The lecture will focus on the special tasks of the Würzburg garden over the course of more than three centuries. The subsequent Science Walk will take visitors through the five historical periods of the Old Botanical Garden at the Juliusspital and link the changing tasks with the respective social, scientific and political conditions of the time. The concluding outlook "Botanical Gardens Today" broadens the view to the present: What role do botanical gardens play today as spaces for learning, research and experience, especially in times of multiple crises? And how can they contribute to a new perception of plants and promote global responsibility?
The event is organised in cooperation with the Schelling Forum, the Botanical Garden of the University of Würzburg and the association Alumni & Friends e.V.
An excursion and guided tour on 6 May 2026 at 6 pm.
Venue: Garden of the Juliusspital and foyer of the Schelling Forum of the BAdW at the University of Würzburg, Klinikstraße 3 97070 Würzburg
You can find the link to the registration here.
Contributors:
Prof Dr Markus Riederer is Professor of Botany, former Director of the Botanical Garden at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg and a member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences. He researches plant surfaces and their interactions with the environment.
Emily Schweitzer-Martin is the scientific coordinator of the TeachingLearningGarden at the University of Würzburg and is responsible for the training and guidance of students as well as for the conception and further development of educational programmes.
Dr Gerd Vogg is scientific curator at the Botanical Garden of the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg and works as a lecturer.
