200 years of academic forest garden Gießen: A cultural heritage awakened!

200 years of academic forest garden Gießen: A cultural heritage awakened!

The academic forest garden Gießen celebrates its 200th anniversary in 2025. This important cultural monument, which lies at the foot of the Schiffenberg, was founded in 1825 and has developed into a valuable center of forest botany and science over the years. With an original area of 5.7 hectares, which was later expanded to 6.7 hectares, the garden now offers space for an impressive variety of tree species.

In the first years after its foundation, around 400 types of tree and shrub were planted. In the case of an inventory in 1890, however, it was found that only 270 species had been preserved, since many plants were not optimally adapted to the local climate. Today there are more than 200 different ways in the forest garden, including striking representatives such as the Japanese sickle fir and the American red oak. The forest garden has established itself internationally as an excursion goal and plays a central role in forest botanical teaching and research.

history and meaning

The beginnings of the forest garden are closely linked to the development of forestry in Gießen. The forest was very endangered in the Middle Ages until the 19th century by overuse and destruction. Carl Justus Heyer, a key person in sustainable forestry, contributed significantly to the reforestation of the area. The term “sustainability” is of great importance in this context, since it reflects responsibility for future generations.

The Hessian Forest Institute was founded in Gießen in 1825, followed by the implementation of practical forest lectures at the Hesse-Economic State University from 1777. However, these were known at the time. The academic forest garden therefore served not only for reforestation, but also as a demonstration and test field for testing seeds and planting processes as well as for location-specific studies.

monument protection and future

In 1976 the forest garden was declared a cultural monument due to its university and science-historical importance. Nine years later, in 1985, he was made accessible to the public again and has been under the care of Hesse Forst since then. It is accessible all year round and remains an important place for education and research.

On the occasion of the anniversary, several events are planned, including a special leadership on May 18, entitled "The Gießen Wald around 1800 - the discovery of sustainability". This promises another opportunity to appreciate the rich history and the important meaning of this unique garden.