Botanical Garden, Sofia

In the central part of Sofia is located the oldest Botanical Garden in Bulgaria established in 1892 by the first Professor of Botany Dr. Stefan Georgiev. During the garden opening ceremony a summer oak (Quercus robur L.) was planted and among it whose roots the Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand put a gold coin. Today, with its mighty stem and crown the oak provides shade reminding of the vast woods that once used to cover the Sofia field.

On an area of about 5000m2 - in glasshouse and outdoors - about 2500 species of plants can be seen. To this day the garden has preserved not only the spirit of a cozy place for a pleasant walk, but also for serious educational and conservation activities. At the University Botanical Garden in Sofia there are differentiated various gardens and corners:

Glasshouses, revealing the beauty and the unique diversity of the tropics with the families of Orchids, Bromelia, Araceae, besides the collections of palms, Cycads, Cacti and other succulents;

Rozarium, where over 40 varieties of roses are grown;

Rockeries, representing the conditions of rocky mountain habitats;

Mediterranean - where the visitors can experience the atmosphere of Greece, southern Italy and Sardinia;

Grandmother’s garden – a lovely garden with a small house where children can see where the food on our tables comes from. On a small area each year different edible plants are exhibited accompanied by demonstrations of roof gardens and landscaping – a modern element of the urban environment;

Medicinal plants - in recent years a separate corner called the Pharmacy Garden has been developed where visitors and students can learn more about the use of plants for medicinal and cosmetic purposes.

University Botanical Gardens are a member of the World Council of Botanical Gardens (BGCI), the European Consortium of Botanical Gardens, the Environmental and Botanic Garden Education Network (EBGEN) and participate with their collections in seeds exchange Index Seminum with Botanical Gardens worldwide.