About us

Zugdidi Botanical Garden was laid out by Ekaterine Chavchavadze in the 19th century as the ornamental garden of the ruling prince's residence, next to the Dadiani Palace in the town of Zugdidi, Samegrelo.

The garden is home to trees, shrubs and other plants of many species from nearly eighty genera, including six species of magnolia, various species of oak, Atlas and Himalayan cedars, Canary poplar, and relict and endemic plants brought from Asia (including India and Japan), the Mediterranean, the Americas and elsewhere. The Zugdidi garden acquired its ornamental appearance after its development was taken up by David Dadiani, the last ruling prince of Samegrelo.

Both in its location and in its climatic conditions, Zugdidi Botanical Garden is one of the best bases for the introduction, study and acclimatization of valuable subtropical plants.

History

According to Iona Meunargia, Rapiel Eristavi, V. Mirzashvili, Borozdin, I. Gogia and others, when David Dadiani took over power from his father, Levan V, ruling prince of Samegrelo, in 1840, he set about building an ornamental garden alongside governing the principality. That same year he fenced off part of the forest surrounding the palace, which was designated the palace garden, and established a permanent staff of professional gardeners. Soon afterwards David entrusted the care and management of the garden to his wife, Ekaterine Chavchavadze-Dadiani. Ekaterine took up this noble undertaking with great love and enthusiasm, and within a short time created a garden rich in exotic species.

As chief builder of the garden, Ekaterine Chavchavadze invited the gardener Joseph Babin from the city of Trieste, Italy, who completely changed the garden's appearance: he cleared it of unsuitable plants, defined the purely ornamental area, laid it out in the French symmetrical style, marked out and landscaped the plots, created artificial landscapes (an artificial lake with an island survives to this day) that were skilfully combined with the natural landscapes left here and there, set up a nursery, and more.

David Dadiani died in 1853. After that, both the government of the principality and the care and stewardship of the garden passed entirely into the hands of Ekaterine Chavchavadze. Ekaterine set about developing the garden with even greater energy, but the political circumstances of the time stood in her way. The garden suffered a great calamity during the Russo-Turkish War of 1853–1856. In 1855 Samegrelo, too, became a theatre of war. An Ottoman army of 30,000 under the command of Omar Pasha spent more than half a year in Samegrelo and in that time completely devastated the region. In 1856, on the orders of Iskander Pasha, the commander of one of the garrisons hard pressed by the Megrelians, the garden was uprooted and destroyed.

After peace was concluded with the Ottomans, thanks to Ekaterine's energetic efforts, restoration work got under way in the garden, and its full restoration became possible from 1869, that is, after Ekaterine Chavchavadze returned from France. The work proceeded at a rapid pace, especially after 1896, when the specialist garden designers Gaetano and Giovanni Zamberletti, brothers from the city of Varese, Italy, were invited to work there.

As I. Gogia notes (1947), the Zamberlettis brought very rare and valuable seeds and seedlings of exotic plants from Saint Petersburg, with which they enriched the existing plant collection; they expanded the garden's territory in accordance with the main plan and extended the boxwood borders and the remarkable tree-lined avenues. It is to this period that I. Gogia attributes the planting of the beautiful avenues of giant plane trees that today cross the garden lengthwise and crosswise (1,182 linear metres). As for the hornbeam avenue stretching for 187 m, which is perceived as no less beautiful, he considers it to be regrowth from the stumps of trees felled by the Ottomans, which is entirely true.

The garden gradually grew and its plant collection was enriched with new species, but from 1882, owing to the death of E. Chavchavadze, the introduction, propagation and distribution of exotic plants ceased, although the garden continued to be looked after as before.

In 1903 Niko Dadiani, son of David, died, as did the aged gardener Gaetano Zamberletti, after which the upkeep of the garden declined and deteriorated. From then until 1917 the garden, together with the rest of the Dadiani property, was guarded and managed by their authorized agent, and during Menshevik rule (1917–1921) by the zemstvo (local self-government). In this period especially, the garden was left neglected and unattended.

Despite this, from the day it was founded the Zugdidi park has rendered great service to generations to come. It became the centre for the introduction of valuable plants in Samegrelo, from which hundreds of foreign plants spread widely among the population; many gardens, squares and parks were laid out in the villages, small towns and towns of Samegrelo, and the people acquired a love of trees and shrubs.

After many years of promises, the reconstruction of Zugdidi Botanical Garden began in February 2018. The restoration works are being carried out by the Municipal Development Fund of Georgia.

Internal paths will be laid out across the botanical garden, with a total length of eight kilometres. At the same time, the artificial lake and water channels will be lined and an administrative building will be constructed. A lighting system will be installed, along with benches and litter bins.