Summary: The Botanical Garden, founded in 1545 by the decree of the Senate of the Venetian Republic, was aimed at introducing students to medicinal herbs. Circular in shape, the garden is encircled with a stone wall. Some plants, such as potato and sunflower, the essential plants of today’s agriculture and diet, were planted there for the first time in Europe. Among a large number of distinguished botanists working in the Botanical Garden, special mention should be made of Šibenik-born Roberto Visiani, the garden’s long-time director (1837–1878) and the author of Flora Dalmatica. Over time, the garden was expanded outside its walls.
In 1854, the garden hosted as many as 16,000 plant species. There are currently about 6,000 different plants growing in the garden, as well as some ancient samples, such as the Platan tree Platanus orientalis L. dating back to 1680, the Gingo biloba L. planted in 1680, and others. During its long history the garden has been visited by a large number of dignitaries, including W. Goethe. In honour of this great writer, the old Chamaerops humilis L. was named the Goethe’s Palm. The oldest botanical garden in Croatia, the presently neglected Garanjin Park in Trogir, was probably constructed under the influence of the Botanical Garden of Padua.
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