User:Frdp/Ghent University Botanical Garden

The Ghent University Botanic Garden is the botanical garden of the Ghent University and is located adjacent to the university building "Ledeganck" which is the Biology department of the Sciences faculty. The site is situated on the edge of the Citadel Park in Ghent next to the International Convention Center. The botanical garden is a member of the Belgian Association of Botanic Gardens and Arboreta and affiliated with Botanic Gardens Conservation International, a non-profit organization that unites botanical gardens in a global collaborative network to help preserve plant biodiversity.

History
The Botanic Garden finds its origin in 1794 when Napoleon defeats the Imperial Army and conducts the Flanders campaign. Ghent became the capital of the "Département de l'Escaut" - the department defined by the rivers Scheldt and Leie - and by decree received the right to start an 'École centrale' in 1797 as an extension of the education system in France. The location of the new school was chosen by bibliophile and art lover Karel van Hulthem, who wanted to save the Baudeloo Abbey garden from housing development. Van Hultem was an elected member of the Ghent city council and would later play a pivotal role in the growth of the botanical garden. He re-assigned Baudeloo abbey as a new school with Dr. Bernard Coppens as its first principal, the site had lost its function as the French revolutionaries had driven the abbey's resident community out of Ghent in 1796. Dokter Coppens becomes the director of a new botanical garden as he starts to collect plants from the region's confiscated abbeys: laurel, olive trees, myrtle, orange trees, two dwarf palm trees and box. He appoints the 32 year old Jean-Henri Mussche as assistant gardener. The collection grows with Dr. Coppens receiving donations from local plant enthusiasts and gardeners as he sets up a scientific garden. The school's garden design was entrusted to architect Jean-Baptiste Pisson in 1797 by van Hulthem and Dr. Coppens. In the decade that follows they demolished the service buildings and built an orangery, several greenhouses, a Linnean garden with a layout following plant systematics and a landscape garden featuring statues of famous botanists. The garden becomes a valuable scientific instrument, whilst also turning into the social meeting place for the regional bourgeoisie. Dr. Coppens dies in 1801 at the age of 45. He is succeeded by Louis Pierre Couret-Villeneuve, who immediately composes and publishes a catalogue of all the plants.

During the height of the French period, in 1804, the collection grows to 2000 species. Shortly before, in 1802, Napoleon considered closing the school and reassign the buildings as military barracks, but the garden had become a major place of interest for the city council. Ghent's leadership decides to take over management by Consular Decree and now head gardener Mussche singlehandedly saves the plants from public auction. All the construction work for the first planning phase is finalized in 1808. The finished greenhouses, orangery and interest in its plants also create know-how and demand for a growing group of local horticulturalists. Ghent would become the setting of a booming floricultural industry and the roots of this movement can be traced back to these formative years of the botanical garden. By 1812 a part of the infrastructure is already being modified by the second architect, Paul De Broe.



At the start of the Dutch period in 1817, the year the University of Ghent was founded by Willem I, a book is published by Mussche detailing all the plants being cultivated at the botanical garden: "Hortus Gandavensis". The work counts 970 plant families and 4108 species, not including cultivars and varieties. A year later, an agreement was signed with the city council in which the university received the usufruct of the botanical garden. The garden receives admiration from abroad: in the first quarter of the 19th century the development of greenhouses becomes an established field within architecture. One of its pioneers, John Loudon, explicitly mentions Ghent's garden as "the richest and best kept garden of the Netherlands ..." in his 1828 publication. In this period the garden appoints its third architect, Lodewijk Roelandt, who replaces the orangery with an even more impressive one. Soon after the Belgian revolution causes the garden's director Van Breda to flea the country. He was appointed to this position in 1822 but his Dutch heritage made him an unwelcome figure. The revolution also creates an event that would promote Ghent's place in horticulture: due to the political turmoil, Philipp Franz von Siebold is forced to abandon his collection of 260 exotic Japanese plants that were sent to Ghent's botanical garden. In 1830 the head gardener is experiencing serious health problems and with it, the garden receives less care and oversight. The garden soon found itself in a pitiful state. André Donkelaar, the head gardener of the botanical garden of Louvain, acts as interim head gardener trying to restore the collection. Theft becomes a problem and plants show up at local flower markets. Siebold's plants get distributed among local horticulturalists - one source states that this is the result of a breeding program set up by Mussche but another clearly indicates that the bourgeoisie and growers were pillaging the collection. Mussche dies in 1834, shortly after being lauded for his contributions to horticulture. Donkelaar fills the vacant position a few days later and soon establishes himself as a notorious horticulturalist and hybridizer in the region. He is quoted as an intelligent plant breeder who builds new ties with the growers in and around Ghent. In 1841 horticulturalists would voluntarily provide plant material back to Siebold so that he can restore his collection abroad. In this period the garden's reputation declines during the tumultuous changes in the new country, and it loses its 3 most important figures: the head gardener Mussche and Van Hulthem die, director Van Breda leaves.

Continuing discussions between the university and the city council about who was responsible for the maintenance of the garden prevented the necessary repairs to the buildings. In addition, the garden became too small and the soot from the surrounding factories affected the plant collection. The need for self-government and a new location for the botanical garden grew at the university.

In 1903 the botanical garden moved to a piece of land located at the Citadel Park. During the 1930's a series of new greenhouses were built. A rock garden was set up with the funds from the Marshall Plan. Ten years later, construction began on the Ledeganck complex, which today is typical of the garden's appearance.

Ghent University Botanical Garden has been a recognized heritage museum since 2012. In March 2020, the new GUM (Ghent University Museum) will open in the Ledeganck complex.

Collection
The Botanic Garden manages a biodiversity collection of approximately 10,000 plant species. This includes, in addition to the living collections both outside and in greenhouses, an extensive seed bank and a herbarium. The living collection consists of an arboretum, a Mediterranean section, a plant and people section, systematic gardens and a rock garden. The greenhouses consist of the Victoria greenhouse with, among others, Victoria amazonica, Euryale ferox and Victoria cruziana , a tropical and subtropical greenhouse and a succulent greenhouse.

The garden and the public greenhouses (Victoria greenhouse, tropical greenhouse and subtropical greenhouse) are daily accessible free of charge. In addition, the living collections can also be consulted online via PLANTCOL.

Directors and Managers of the Botanical Garden in Ghent
List of directors over the history of the botanical garden:


 * 1797-1801 Bernard Benoît Coppens (1756 - 1801) Physician, chemist, botanist, writer
 * 1801-1806 Louis-Pierre Couret de Villeneuve (1749-1806)
 * 1806-1815 Comittee comprised of: Baut de Rasmon, De Lens, Diericx, Huytens-Kerremans, Pieters, Pycke, Van de Woestyne, van Hoorebeke, Van Hulthem
 * 1817-1820 Franz-Peter Cassel (1784-1821) Botanist and Rector
 * 1820-1821 Charles Auguste Van Coetsem (1788-1865) Interim due to the sudden illness of F-P Cassel, professor of medicin
 * 1822-1830 Jacobus Gijsbertus Samuël van Breda (1788-1867) Botanist, Chemist, Pharmacist
 * ??-?? Charles Morren (1807-1858)
 * 1841-? Jean Kickx (1803-1864)
 * 1841-? Jean Kickx (1803-1864)

Head Gardeners of the Botanical Garden in Ghent

 * 1797-1834 Jean-Henri Mussche (1765-1834)
 * 1835-1858 André Donkelaar (1783-1858)
 * 1858-1884 Hubert Jan Van Hulle (1827-1900)
 * ??-2001 Karel Otten
 * 2001-present Chantal Dugardin
 * 2001-present Chantal Dugardin