Akademischer Forstgarten Gießen

The Academic Forstgarten casting is in the Schiffenberger forest below the monastery on the ship Mountain in the south of the central Hessian town of Giessen. He formerly served as a teaching and experimental garden of the oldest University Forest Institute of the world.

Background

1777 a Faculty of Economics was created with new subjects such as veterinary medicine and agricultural science at the University of Giessen. This also included the forestry science emerging in the course catalog for the first time since the summer semester 1778. Among the first students was Georg Ludwig Hartig, who later formulated the concept of sustainability. While the Faculty of Economics failed after only eight years, but the forest science remained a private institute in the Faculty of Arts to receive. This academic enhancement of forest science was unique until then, the Institute was the first forestry educational institution in the world at a university.

To reflect the new trade bill, 1800 the Botanical Gardens casting a forest botanical part was added. From 1825 he was transferred to the ship Wald. The occasion was that in the same year, the Hessian forest institute was founded, which was initially independently as a state institution in 1831 and was only incorporated into the University. Johann Christian Hundeshagen (1783-1834), who had previously directed the forest institute, was also appointed to the Institute Director.

Until then, the Giessen forest was severely damaged by excessive logging and wood pasture. Pigs, sheep and goats were driven into the forest and dogged the young plants that could not grow back. The fallen leaves were collected and scattered in the stables ( litter), so that the soil nutrients were continuously withdrawn. Although restricted forest systems, the use of diverse, but went there without a plan of forestry scientific point of view before.

Forester Carl Justus Heyer was from 1824 to 1829 afforest against the fierce resistance of the Giessen cattle owners almost 400 hectares of wasteland again. In order to break their resistance, he was sometimes also work at night and planted the trees from the most distant points on the city. Because of their modesty he sat especially pine and mixed later beech and oak in ( still going big Kiefernaltbestände in Schiffenberger forest on Heyer back ).

The Forest Garden

With the establishment of forest institute a nursery had become necessary. However, since the actually relevant Director in forest institute Hundeshagen not be understood with the chief forester and Hessian Privy Karl von Gall, he participated in the design of the new forest garden little interest. The garden is a work of Gall's, the him from 1825 - stands and not 1831 as on a memorial stone - docked in an area of ​​first half an acre. By 1830, he had " close to the 400 different forest plants", including many exotic tree species planted. The press release speaks of a nursery of 25 acres size, studied in forest botany and culture experiments could be carried out. Since 1822 or earlier must at this place already " Lustgarten " have existed. The mentioned already quoted newspaper article that "the forest botanical gardens often the pleasure-loving inhabitants of casting is used for goals."

1829 Heyer was promoted to inspection officials Forst casting; at the same time he received a teaching assignment. In March 1830, the patience of the Ministry Hundeshagen came to an end, and it ordered the Directorate of Forest Garden by Heyer at. Heyer took care of 1830/31 and then twenty years from 1835 to 1856 at the Forest Garden, at times he was also responsible for the Botanical Garden in the city center. Very early on he advocated for mixed stands. Even today, the test areas are seen, on which he has tried different mixtures of tree species. 1845 the garden was leased by the University. At times, all the Hesse -Darmstadt urban forester have been trained here practically.

In the years 1870 and 1877, the garden has been measured and found an area of ​​5.7 hectares, were passed by the 4.1 hectares with trees. 1883 was added a further hectare. Not all plants that had been imported from foreign countries and other climates, survived: Taking stock in 1890 there were still 270 different tree and shrub species.

Geologically, there is the forest garden on Miocene clays of the Gießen Basin. The basalts of the Vogelsberg terminate immediately nearby. From the soil type here is a Pseudogley.

End of Forest Science in Gießen

Beginning of the 20th century, the educational establishments of forestry in Germany were no longer busy. 1938 was therefore the Giessen Institute of Forestry in favor of forest science education at the University of Göttingen with the Forestry Faculty in Hann. Munden dissolved. Thus, a 160-year tradition came to an end.

Today exist in the forest garden, more than 200 different tree and shrub species, including rare species such as serviceberry and tulip tree. In 1985, the forest garden to the public was reopened. The ship Wald has remained a state forest until today.

Check-in

The Academic Forstgarten casting can be achieved by pouring out over the ship Weg. Behind a slight right, outside of the Giessen ring is on the left ( east ) of the road a parking lot; from there it is only a few minutes walk to the forest garden. Beside the road, a cycle path. On forest garden there is a bus stop that is rarely approached. The garden is located between the road and a forest path from the parking lot up to the ship mountain over which the nearest entrance is accessible. From Philosophikum II at the University he is in a smaller hike through the lower vessel Wald ( only direction Schiffenberg and before the road really rises to the right) can also be reached on foot ( without traffic ).