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The Botanical Garden of the University of Vienna, in the third district (Landstraße) of Vienna.

Bordered nowadays by the Belvedere Gardens to the west, the Rennweg and Mechelgasse to the north, the Jacquingasse to the east, and the Landstraßer Gürtel to the south, the Hortus Botanicus Vindobonensis was founded by the Empress Maria Theresa in 1754 in connection with the University's medical faculty. Robert Laugier (1722‒93) was its first director, and Nikolaus von Jacquin (1727‒1817) his successor. Its plants were classified according to the Linnean system. The original greenhouses were replaced by new ones in 1890‒93. The Garden was severely damaged by bombing in World War II, and was rebuilt and restored in the 1970s.

The Botanical Garden and the Schenkers

Even before they moved to the Keilgasse, Heinrich and Jeanette Schenker used to visit the Garden from Reisnerstraße. Once established at Keilgasse 8 from May 1921, they were within a hundred yards of the Jacquingasse gate and often took walks in the Garden, singly or together, Schenker sometimes taking proofs or other work to do there, or reading a book or newspaper. These visits are noted frequently in Schenker's diary, with reports on the latest flowers in bloom ("2:00–3:15 in the Botanical Garden; Lie-Liechen collects fall foliage from the gingko, etc." ‒ Oct 29, 1923; "1:45–2:45 in the Botanical Garden: crocus! primroses!" ‒ April 2, 1925), and their interactions with the Garden's staff ("After teatime into the Botanical Garden with tobacco for the old attendant, then through the Belvedere and home." ‒ Oct 16, 1924).

Sources:

  • Wikipedia (Ger)
  • University of Vienna website: http://www.botanik.univie.ac.at/hbv/index.php?nav=71

Contributor:

  • Marko Deisinger

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Diaries