National Botanical Garden

The National Botanical Garden (NBG) has been open for the public for more than 70 years. It functions as a division of the Centre for Ecological Research (CER) and situated 30 kms Northeast from Budapest.

1. BGs as living treasuries – maintenance and development of living collections

Our plant material consists of 13000 taxa in four major collections: the Dendrological, the Rock Garden and Perennial Plants, the Plant System and the Tropical Plant Collections. These groups provide the basis for all activities of the garden, such as education, awareness-raising and research. The Seed Bank is our fifth collection.

2. BGs as green laboratories – scientific activities and research infrastructure

The knowledge, expertise treasured up in the NBG as a leading professional workshop with its living plant collections serves the needs of related sciences (for example: botany, ecology, environment and nature protection, horticultural sciences, pharmacology, etc.) as well. The experiences of more than 5 decades of botanical garden trade and plant naturalization/acclimatization is summed up in the last, dendrological work of the late director, Géza Kósa.

3. BGs as experience-based class-rooms – education activities and infrastructure

Our garden hosts trainee programs, furthermore colleagues publish awereness-rising articles and books, tematic booklets for plant trails, etc. Education is further enhanced by guided walks, open air school lessons, several events, temporary and permanent exhibitions and other on-line and in situ/installed info-materials.

4. BGs as custodians of biodiversity – conservation activities, saving endangered species, gene banking

300 protected and 50 endangered plant species is saved ex-situ in our garden as specimens or seeds. The Pannonian Seed Bank has one of its units here hosting the gene bank of species from the Pannonian Biogeographical Region.

5. BGs as perpetuators of cultural heritage

This 200 years old sentimental style English landscape garden is a Nature Protection Area of National Importance and on the list of National Heritage. The excellently maintained former chateau garden of great value received the Award of Hungarian Heritage in 2016.

6. BGs as eco-attractions – recreation areas, touristic activities and operations, visitor experience and comfort

For half a century we have had open air classical music concerts in summertime. In a new series of lectures: Garden on the CuBE (Culture-Botany-Ecology) the Institute’s researchers offer a cocktail of science and culture. The Open Workshop for Nature Arts started in 2021 in cooperation with the University of Fine Arts resulting in works of art made of local materials locally. 11 year ago we started spring bulb flower displays on large scale. A new attraction of 2021 is the massive blooming of Sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) on our Great Pond.