I feel green...

The oldest of the trees that grow in the city is the approximately 200-year old Jagiellonian Oak, which is most probably the same age as the garden it is located in. This is the oldest existing botanical garden in Poland and was established in Kraków in 1783.

The city’s first botanical garden was created in the Middle Ages near Collegium Maius. The one known today – continuing the academic tradition – was established as an ancillary facility for the Chair of Chemistry and Natural History of the Jagiellonian University, which at that time was known as the Principal School of the Crown. Its initial development was flawless: after several years, it boasted nearly 3000 plants, with exotic species being cultivated next to local and medicinal ones. The visitors were sold (and at times simply presented with) pineapples, melons, watermelons, oranges, grapes... When the banana tree bore fruit in the greenhouse for the first time (1791), the proud director of the garden sent its fruit to Warsaw, so that King Stanislaus August Poniatowski could taste it for himself. To the joy of the director, the grateful monarch supported the institution with a significant sum. Could either of them dream of times when bananas are available at every greengrocer?