It was a bright head in which ideas blossomed one after another. He was a man who, with all the fibers of his soul, strove to create something new, to promote botanical and breeding science. Like many prominent scientists, he was with oddities, which, as they say, suited an uneducated peasant rather than an academician with an all-Union name (it was claimed that he “removed damage” from a village healer or called at scientific conferences to follow the Chinese version and exterminate all sparrows that allegedly spoil crops). But we know him before as the leader of projects on an all-Union scale.

It was this man who was the first to head VDNKh (which opened under the name VSHV - the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition 76 years ago). It was he who became at the helm of a grandiose work: first he opened and headed the Main Botanical Garden in Moscow, and then coordinated the creation of a network of botanical gardens throughout the Union. All this is he, Nikolai Tsitsin, a native of our city, who took the first steps in selection work here.
The warm season, for obvious reasons, is the best period for the work of a scientist involved in breeding, genetics, botany, and the most significant achievements of Nikolai Vasilyevich fall precisely in the spring-summer: April 14 (the victorious spring of 1945!) Is considered the day the Botanical Garden was founded in Moscow , and August 2, 1939 - the opening day of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition. However, a sad date also falls on the "top of summer": exactly 35 years ago, on July 17, 1980, Academician Tsitsin died.
Let's remember this man, another great Nikolai of Russian genetics and selection, closely associated with Saratov...

Nikolay-second Russian selection
If you pronounce the words “Nikolai”, “genetics” and “Saratov” one after another, then the first association will, of course, be Nikolai VAVILOV. The brilliant scientist was not lucky: the city where he first promulgated his famous law of homological series, the city where he was called "Mendeleev from biology", brought him misfortune, hunger and death. The namesake of Nikolai Ivanovich, Nikolai Vasilievich Tsitsin, probably did not possess the dizzying flight of thought of his colleague, the depth of the development of the problem, the extraordinary exclusivity of ideas (however, this is a field for judgments and assessments exclusively of specialists. - Auth.) But Nikolai II from biology luckier. Significantly more. He lived a long successful life, he was trusted by STALIN himself, he succeeded in the practical implementation of most of his projects, ideas, and initiatives. Of course, this is happiness for the scientist.
The achievements of Nikolai Vavilov are striking even in the geography of colossal selection work: as is known, N.I. was the first European who passed with a caravan through the mountainous Kafiristan, an impregnable region of Afghanistan; Vavilov was in the Sahara, in Ethiopia, in Syria, he happened to drive away hungry lions from himself and fight robbers, right under the bullets taking away grain for the future collection. Having visited America, Africa, China and Japan, the Middle East and Central Asia, on the peaks of Tibet and the Andes, he collected colossal material - a precious collection of plant seeds, the likes of which no one has collected.
The life and work of Tsitsin, especially at an early stage, is not so bright and does not strike the eye with a variety of forms and scientific approaches. The future academician was born on December 18, 1898 in Saratov into a poor family. After the death of his father, his mother gave Nikolai to an orphanage. He began to work as a teenager - a messenger, a telegraph operator, a packer in a factory. In Civil War, he sided with the Reds, fought, in particular, participated in the defense of Tsaritsyn. With the end of hostilities, N.V. returned to Saratov and took up the post of head of the cult department here and became a member of the provincial communications committee (organizational skills were already manifested then). Having only a primary education, he decided to continue his studies - first at the workers' faculty, and then at the agronomic faculty of the Saratov Institute of Agriculture and Land Reclamation. In 1927, a young agronomist found a job at the Saratov Agricultural Experimental Station (later the Research Institute of the South-East). Here he met with people who changed his life, including biologists-breeders Georgy MEISTER, Alexei SHEKHURDIN and future academician Pyotr KONSTANTINOV.
The fate of Tsitsin was decided: he finally decides to engage in scientific selection, and a little later social and organizational activities to implement large-scale research projects will be added to it.

Wheat + wheatgrass = food security?
Another meeting that had a huge impact on Tsitsin was a meeting with Ivan Michurin. Nikolai Vasilyevich visited Michurin's garden while still a student, and he said: “Anyone can cross wheat with wheat. Now, if we could find a stronger producer for her, then it would be another matter ... "
The task of obtaining unpretentious varieties of wheat capable of feeding the country was then, at the end of the 20s of the 20th century, more acute than ever. The terrible famine in the Volga region was still fresh in my memory, collectivization and a new famine - the beginning of the 30s - were inexorably approaching. And then Tsitsin, inspired by the words of Michurin, decided to cross wheat ... with wheatgrass. It was a bold decision: attempts to literally mix the grain with the chaff, to cross the symbol of the country's food security with a malicious weed could, I beg your pardon, easily equate to sabotage, and the conversation with the "pests" was then short. But Tsitsin took a chance and won: having started work on obtaining couch grass-wheat hybrids in Saratov, in 1932 he moved to Omsk, where he headed a specialized laboratory (later it would become the Siberian Research Institute of Grain Economy).
... Now, from time to time, reproaches are heard against Tsitsin: they say that he lived in the "agricultural era" of the infamous Trofim LYSENKO and partly agreed with his views. Perhaps some of these reproaches are justified, and Nikolai Vasilyevich preferred not to oppose Lysenko in his activities and really used a certain administrative resource. How else? Clouds were already gathering over Vavilov, a purge of the scientific community was already being prepared ... They were preparing, so to speak, to separate the wheat from the chaff ... But it was necessary to work. However, even before the Great Patriotic War, N.V. nevertheless quarreled with Lysenko, and he ordered the experimental fields of Tsitsin to be plowed.
It is believed that the main goal that Tsitsin set for himself was the creation of perennial wheat. On this project, he moved forward, in this area of ​​​​work he caught the eye of the country's top leadership. Agricultural experts interpret: if the noble wheat and the harmful wheatgrass were combined in the "golden" proportion, it would be an agricultural revolution. The first full-fledged hybrid Tsitsin received after the war, however, in the next generations, either wheatgrass genes took over, and the grain was too small, and the harvest was unprofitable, then wheat genes prevailed - but then the culture was sick.
And the “golden mean” for creating a hardy and tenacious, like wheatgrass, and nutritious and fruitful, like wheat, cereals are still being sought.

Main projects of life: exhibition and garden
In 1938, Nikolai Tsitsin was appointed director of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition under construction in Moscow. Last year, the capital celebrated the 75th anniversary of the opening of this grandiose exhibition project. In Saratov, the event remained, in principle, unnoticed, although the main hero of the occasion was a native of our city.
... On August 2, 1939, more than 10 thousand people came to the opening of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition in Moscow, Marshal VOROSHILOV, MOLOTOV and Anastas MIKOYAN arrived. However, the one whom Tsitsin was waiting for more than anyone else did not honor. Maybe for the better: the leader did not witness a slight embarrassment when Nikolai Vasilyevich pulled the cable to raise the flag of the exhibition, but something jammed and the flag did not fly up.
However, the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition was a huge success even with a jammed flag: in the first year (in 1939 it worked for only two and a half months), three and a half (!) Million people visited it. The next year - five months of work and 4.5 million Muscovites and guests of the capital got acquainted with the latest achievements in agriculture, among which were the achievements of Tsitsin. In 1941, the exhibition was supposed to switch to the format of a permanent work, but was closed a month after the opening of the exhibition. For obvious reasons ... And Academician Tsitsin, vice-president of the All-Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, left for Alma-Ata, where he continued hard work on the issues of reworking the nature of plants and in 1943 received the Stalin Prize: “I will still introduce into the practice of state and collective farms the new perennial and annual varieties of hybrid wheat.<…>In order to strengthen the power of the Red Army, I ask you to transfer the money for the award awarded to me, 100,000 rubles, to a special fund of the High Command, ”he wrote to the person whose name the award awarded to N.V. was named.
The war has not yet ended, the victorious volleys in Berlin have not died down, and Tsitsin finds himself at the head of a new project - the Main Botanical Garden. As contemporaries testify, Tsitsin was very attentive to the implementation of this large-scale initiative, corrected the project documentation, developed the layout of the garden, tried to fit the new object as gratefully as possible for nature into the unique protected oak forest, into the special picturesque landscape of this place. I happened to visit the Main Botanical Garden more than once, now bearing the name of N.V. Tsitsin, a really amazing place, whoever has not been - deign to visit!
An interesting fact: the basis of the GBS greenhouse was made up of plants from the personal winter garden of Reichsmarschall GOERING, taken from Potsdam. Moreover, not only the flora was transported - the entire structure was dismantled and reassembled in place in the new garden.
As you know, Nikolai Vasilyevich remained the permanent leader of both the exhibition and the botanical garden of the capital until his death. In the same way, he did not stop a huge research work, even a short description of which would not fit in this material. Being in leading positions in domestic science, he has always been in the center of public attention. They talked about him a lot, willingly and in different ways: someone talked about how he sent orchids to Ekaterina FURTSEVA, and to Yuri Gagarin - cacti, which the First, as you know, collected all his short life. Someone sarcastically recalled (was it or not?) how Academician Tsitsin, for a moment, the chairman of the All-Russian Society for Nature Conservation, allegedly called on young naturalists in the 50s to exterminate sparrows, by analogy with the experience of the “great helmsman” MAO. The author of the Moscow anthem “My dear capital”, Mark LISYANSKY, is credited with a malicious epigram: “The birds have fallen silent, / The bees are not buzzing. / Academician Tsitsin / Silence is embraced ...” (I hope that the dream of an elderly scientist is meant). But, I think, it was clear to both comedians and envious people that in front of them was a man of colossal research culture, experience and patience.
P.S. On September 10 this year, it will be exactly 30 years since the bust of Nikolai Vasilyevich Tsitsin was solemnly unveiled at the intersection of Rakhov and, of course, Vavilov streets. Then, in September 1985, the widow of academician Alla Andreevna, as well as the entire color of the Saratov administrative, industrial, scientific and agricultural elite, were present at the opening of the monument.
Nikolai Vasilievich always loved color.

If we cover the sights of the capital, which every person simply must visit, then the list of the most important of them will certainly include the Main Botanical Garden, which bears the name of its first director Nikolai Vasilyevich Tsitsin. Located in the eastern part of Moscow, next to VDNKh, the Botanical Garden welcomes its guests from late April to mid-October. Before the opening of each season, as well as after its completion, regular plantings of cultivated plants are carried out in the garden.

Botanical address, opening hours

The nearest metro station from the GBS is Vladykino, from which bus route 76 runs to the place, on which those who wish to visit the country's largest botanical garden will travel only 4 stops to the Ostankino hotel. Starting April 29, GBS operates daily from 10 am to 8 pm. The season ends on October 19th. Guests who are going to visit the expositions should carefully read the opening hours. Some expositions are closed 2 days a week for preventive maintenance. Such an exposition as the "Japanese Garden" has a shortened opening hours from Tuesday to Friday.

A wide range of expositions and greenhouses

Includes a diverse collection of plants brought from all over the world. The beginning of the richest botanical collection of the country was laid in the spring of 1945. Since then, outstanding botanists and breeders have been working on replenishing the expositions. Guests of the garden can visit the following expositions:

• The famous "Japanese garden".
• Europe's finest collection of tropical aquatic plants.
• "Arboretum".
• "Rose garden".
• "Continuous Blooming Garden"
• "Exhibition of Cultivated Plants".
• "Shadow Garden"
• Numerous greenhouses.
• Exposition of natural flora.
• Collection of flowering ornamental plants.

GBS card

If the plans for the near future include visiting how to get to the place, you can look at the location map. Trust me, you won't regret this tour! In addition to the expositions already described, there are: protected oak forest, heather garden and natural forest areas on the territory. Employees of the laboratory building help to keep track of all this splendor, and the stock greenhouse helps to keep the collections in their original form. GBS botanists and breeders do not want to rest on the laurels of past achievements and plan to expand existing collections, as well as build new expositions.

Botanical Garden (Moscow), how to get to a visitor

If the guests of the capital are poorly oriented in the area, especially if they decide to visit the GBS for the first time, then it will be useful for them to find out the following: the main thing is to find the route to the Vladykino metro station on the metro maps. From the station to the main entrance to the expositions, you will have to walk about 10 minutes. The main gates are located on the side of Botanicheskaya Street. In addition to the main entrance, there are several gates around the perimeter of the garden. On the way from the subway exit you will see a small gate. There are also entrances from the border with VDNKh.

Traveling by personal transport

Many nature lovers travel by private transport, so the question arises when they want to visit the Botanical Garden (Moscow): "How to get to the place from Dmitrovskoye or Altufevskoye highway, and which route is better to choose?" passes through the Otradnoye area up to the territory of the GBS. If you drive along Dmitrovskoye Highway, then you will need to get to the intersection with Bolshaya Akademicheskaya Street.

Public transport routes from VDNKh metro station

Of course, the Vladykino metro station is not the only one from where you can take a bus and go to the Botanical Garden (Moscow). How to get to the place by getting off at the metro station "VDNKh"? Bus routes 24, 85 and 803 run to the country, as well as trolleybuses 9, 36 and 73.

How much are entrance tickets?

Children under 7 years of age accompanied by adults, as well as pensioners, can use the territory free of charge. For all other categories of the population, the cost of entry is:

• For adults - 50 rubles
• For students and schoolchildren - 30 rubles.

As you can see, the entry fee is purely symbolic. Next, we follow the most popular expositions. Entrance to the rose garden and to the exposition of decorative flowers costs 100 rubles per adult. Discounts are available for children and seniors. Adult tickets to view the unique exposition "Japanese Garden" on weekdays cost 150 rubles (due to the shortened opening hours), on weekends and holidays - 200 rubles. Now we have learned, having decided to explore the Botanical Garden (Moscow), how to get to it, and how much the entrance tickets cost. It remains to decide with which exposure to start the inspection.

Anniversary of the Botanical Garden

In 2015 GBS celebrates its 70th anniversary. The opening of the huge glass building of the New Greenhouse is planned for this significant event. The entire surrounding area is cleaned and ennobled daily. And already now we can safely say that the celebrations will be held in conditions of perfect order and beauty. Since the opening took place at the end of the Great Patriotic War, much attention is paid to exhibits brought from Germany, which can be viewed in the Stock Greenhouse.

Best Exposures

We have already learned a lot about the Botanical Garden of Expositions, briefly covered the history of its creation. The real gem of the project is the rose garden. It is also worth noting the significance of two special expositions. It will be about the collection of tropical plants and the "Japanese Garden". No other botanical garden throughout Europe has such an extensive collection of coastal plants. Among them are wild, cultivated and flowering specimens. If you have a great desire to admire the cherry blossoms, brought to the Botanical Garden (Moscow) many years ago, reviews of which are distributed everywhere, welcome to the "Japanese Garden". People who once saw this miracle will never forget it. Delicate fragrant flowering trees create a unique atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Orchids, bonsai, miniature trees miraculously carry visitors far to the East, to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Rose garden

If we talk about the rosary, we should start with the history of the exposition. Back in the middle of the last century, the scientist breeder Ivan Shtanko brought out amazing varieties of roses that instantly became popular even abroad. To this day, the varieties Aurora, Yasnaya Polyana and Morning of Moscow are very popular outside of Russia. The total area occupied by the rose garden is 2.5 hectares. In total, more than 270 different varieties of prickly beauty grow on the territory of the GBS. If we measure the number in the bushes, then the figure will be about 6,000 units. Over the long history of the exposition, the best varieties of roses from all over the world have been collected here. Many foreign rose research firms consider it an honor to cooperate with such a well-known organization as the Botanical Garden (Moscow). The GBS address in all the years of its existence has repeatedly become the destination for considerable gratuitous gifts from partners.

To complete the picture, there are numerous ponds and reservoirs framed by century-old oaks on the territory. There is an exposition called "Natural flora", which includes trees and shrubs from different regions of the country. These include:

• plantings
• Types of forests of Siberia.
• Representatives of cultures of the Far East forest.
• Saplings imported from Central Asia.
• Caucasian plantings.

Visitors, walking around the territory, can get acquainted with the standard of landscape design of the 50s of the last century, which is presented in the exposition "Garden of Continuous Flowering".

In conclusion, I would like to wish aesthetic pleasure and unforgettable moments of unity with nature, which the Botanical Garden (Moscow) is able to give its guests. Now everyone knows how to get to the breeding paradise.

In past centuries, on the site of the Botanical Garden there were hunting grounds for high-ranking persons. Representatives of the Russian royal dynasty liked to spend time in forests and groves. The forests belonged to the princes Cherkassky, and later passed to Count Sheremetev. Under the famous Russian aristocrat Sheremetev, a passionate admirer of art, part of the green areas was converted into a fashionable English park with ponds and plant landscapes.

In Soviet times, an arboretum began to be created on the territory of the park. According to the pre-war project, the new landscape zone should have included the following lands:

• VDNH - exhibitions of achievements of the national economy,
• estate "Ostankino" and the adjacent park of the same name,
• part of the territory of the Leonovo park zone.

Schemes and sketches assumed the creation of a convenient land infrastructure: paths, paths, as well as a clear distribution of the territory into segments. The war prevented the project from being brought to life; the creation of the arboretum was returned to shortly before the Victory, partially redoing the plan of the territory. Officially, the birth of the park is attributed to 1945. The first head of the Botanical Garden was N.V. Tsitsin, whose name the arboretum still bears today.

A few years ago, a large-scale reconstruction was carried out in the Botanical Garden. The garden began to freely connect with the territory of the All-Russian Exhibition Center and Ostankino Park, paths were restored, fountain systems were restored.

Collections of the Botanical Garden

A few years after the official opening, Soviet architects developed a new plan for the Botanical Garden with landscapes that included about two thousand different trees and other plantings. Over the next quarter of a century, all the main compositions of the arboretum were created, presented by:

• flora of the territory of the USSR,
• plants of the tropics and subtropics,
• flower and decorative compositions.

Rose garden

Among the flower arrangements, the leading place is occupied by the rose garden, founded in the early 60s. Already in the first year of the garden's existence, the "Morning of Moscow" variety, bred by Soviet breeders, received a prize at an exhibition in West Germany. One of the most beautiful rose gardens in Europe covers an area of ​​2.5 hectares and is represented by a regular garden with a free layout of plant placement. On three sides, the flower garden is surrounded by an oak grove, which reliably protects delicate buds from winds and bad weather. In Soviet times, the exposition of the rose garden included more than 5 thousand plants representing several hundred different varieties.

The long history of the existence of the rose garden in the Botanical Garden has shown that in the conditions of the middle lane there are enough opportunities for the cultivation of rose bushes. In 2009, the rose garden was renovated and reconstructed, the exposition was replenished with thousands of new plants from the best European nurseries. All sectors of the rose garden are connected by a single lawn cover. When planting roses, special attention is paid to their arrangement in groups, depending on the combination of colors and shades. The varieties most resistant to low temperatures are presented in the rose garden of the GBS RAS. The main objective of the exposition is to promote the best specimens suitable for breeding in mid-latitudes.

The rose garden is open from 10:00 to 19:00 on all days except Mondays. The exposition of roses is open to the public during the warm season, from mid-May to mid-October.

Japanese garden

The landscape exposition "Japanese Garden" was opened in the arboretum in the 80s. The project was co-financed by the Japanese Embassy in Moscow, the exposition plan was developed in close cooperation with leading Japanese designers. The result exceeded all expectations - a real corner of original Japanese nature and architecture appeared in Moscow. Decorative waterfalls, stone fountains, ponds, islands, pavilions and pagodas, as well as a landscape area represented by the vegetation of Japan, take visitors to the Land of the Rising Sun. Here at different times of the year they bloom:

• sakura,
• rhododendrons,
• apricots,
• spirea,
• brunner,
• irises,
• kuril tea,
• lavender,
• forsythia.

In May, cherry blossoms bloom for only a few days in the Japanese Garden. At this time, the Japanese Garden fills with a large number of visitors and photographers, so it is very difficult to get here. To see the flowering of the most famous Japanese plant with your own eyes, we recommend that you buy tickets in advance.

Maple and sakura festivals are held in the Japanese Garden, and the Rock Garden exposition has been located near it for several years now. The garden is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 12:00 to 19:00. Weekends and public holidays close one hour later. Monday and Thursday are sanitary days. Ticket price - from 20 to 200 rubles, depending on age and social category.

stock greenhouse

The stock greenhouse of the Botanical Garden is notable for the fact that it is located in a huge glass building as high as a 10-story building. In the evening, the greenhouse glows with illumination, like a huge alien ship. Inside is one of the largest collections of tropical and subtropical plants in Europe. More than a thousand species of orchids alone are represented here, and in total the total exposition includes more than five thousand plants, including over two hundred coastal and aquatic ones.

Access to the Stock Greenhouse building is open as part of an organized tour, which can be purchased on our website.

How to get to the Botanical Garden

The Main Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences is easily accessible by metro. You can walk from the Vladykino or VDNKh station to the Botanical Garden. Also, it will not be difficult to get to the GBS RAS by land transport - buses and trolleybuses. Opening hours of the Botanical Garden - from 10 am to 20 pm. The park is open from 29 April to 19 October. The time and season of individual expositions are regulated individually. Ticket prices depend on the type of tour.

On the site of the Ostankino estate (originally Ostashkovo) 400 years ago there were dense forests in which a few villages were scattered. In these places, the royal huntsmen hunted elks and bears. The first written mention of the village and its owner dates back to 1558, when Ivan the Terrible granted the land to a serviceman Alexei Satin, who was executed by him during the years of oprichina. The new owner of the estate was a well-known diplomat, clerk of the embassy department Vasily Shchelkanov. Under him, a boyar house, a wooden church of the Trinity, were rebuilt in Ostankino, a large pond was dug, and an oak grove was planted. After the Time of Troubles, the devastated estate was restored by the new owners - the princes Cherkassky, who built on the site of the burnt wooden church the stone church of the Trinity that has survived to this day.

Since 1743, Ostankino has been associated with the Sheremetevs. In this year, Count Pyotr Borisovich Sheremetev married Princess Varvara Alekseevna Cherkasskaya, who received 24 estates as a dowry, among them Ostankino. Later, their son, an enlightened man, a diligent owner, Count Nikolai Petrovich Sheremetev, became the owner of the Ostankino oak forest rich in birds and game. He forbade hunting, logging, grazing, picking mushrooms, berries and nuts in the oak forest, and wrote to his manager like this: "Walkers in the grove should not be allowed, but rather shooters and mushroom pickers."

In 1861, after the abolition of serfdom, many peasants near Moscow abandoned their allotments and went to work in Moscow. At the end of the 19th century, care for forest plantations deteriorated, and later the sale of land for plots for summer cottages began, then a significant part of the forest was cut down, unregulated grazing began, and the destruction of birds and game. After 1917, a law was passed prohibiting the felling of primary forests in the Moscow forest park zone, which was strictly carried out even during the war, which made it possible to preserve the Ostankino oak forest until 1945 and later.

The central part of the Main Botanical Garden is a unique protected area of ​​50 hectares. Free access here is closed, logging is completely stopped. This is a well-preserved oak grove with royal oaks, the average age of which is 150-170 years, although there are older specimens - up to 200-300 years. Occasionally, individual birch, linden, spruce, aspen, maple and mountain ash come across here. Under the canopy of trees - dense thickets of hazel, honeysuckle, buckthorn, euonymus. Below is a green carpet of herbs: tender anemone, bluish-pink lungwort, evergreen greenfinch, fragrant lily of the valley, graceful chickweed, strict hairy sedge. All these plants are typical elements of a natural oak forest. They owe their magnificent development to the reserved regime of the oak grove. This mode allows you to conduct an ecological experiment - an analysis of the life of the forest in the center of a huge city. Now the protected oak forest can rightly be considered the standard of a typical Central Russian broad-leaved forest.

All expositions and collections of the Garden fit into natural forest plantations with oak and birch forests. There are birch forests with forbs, where creeping tenacity grows ( Ajuga reptans), ordinary cuff ( Alchemilla vulgaris), May lily of the valley ( Convallaria majalis), spring chistyak ( Ficaria Verna), hard-leaved chickweed ( Stellaria holostea), dog violet ( Viola canina). In summer, typical meadow grasses appear here: cocksfoot ( Dactylis glomerata), thin bent ( Agrostis tenuis), meadow foxtail ( Alopecurus pratensis), meadow timothy grass ( Phleum pratense), common fragrant spikelet ( Anthoxanthum odoratum), medium shaker ( Briza media), bluegrass forest ( Poa nemoralis), red fescue ( Festuca rubra), etc. At the very height of summer, the herbage of the birch forest is colored with white cornflower ( Leucanthemum vulgare) , purple flowers of marsh geranium ( Geranium palustre) and forest geranium (G. silvaticum); pharmacy letters ( Betonica officinalis), Phrygian cornflower ( Centaurea phrygia); hawksbill ( Hieracium umbellatum) and hairy hawkweed ( Hieracium pilosella), Hypericum perforatum ( Hypericum perforatum) and etc.

Passing through the birch forest along the alley towards the Stock greenhouse, in the forest you can see Scotch pine ( Pinus sylvestris) - usually these are the remains of plantings near former summer cottages. At the Stock Greenhouse, you can turn left and go through the clearing deep into the forest towards VDNKh. Then you find yourself in the world of broad-leaved forest in the Ostankino oak forest, which existed on the spurs of the Klin-Dmitrov ridge even 850 years ago. The oak forest is represented by a disturbed grassy oak forest; disturbed - sedge and snot-sedge; as well as indigenous oak groves - zelenchukova and lungwort. May is the most cheerful and spectacular month in the life of the Ostankino oak forest and the Garden, when bushes and trees bloom, nightingales sing, the air is full of indescribable forest aromas, and it is hard to imagine that all this is happening in a large metropolis, in Moscow.

The modern Botanical Garden covers an area of ​​more than 331 hectares. Its unique collection funds include more than 18 thousand species and varieties of plants. In 1991, the Main Botanical Garden was named after Academician Nikolai Vasilyevich Tsitsin (1898-1980), an outstanding botanist, geneticist and breeder, twice Hero of Socialist Labor, laureate of the Lenin and State Prizes, who led the Garden from the day of its foundation for 35 years.

When the Garden was created in 1945, one of the most important tasks was to set up open and closed ground expositions in order to more fully represent the various elements of the plant world. To demonstrate the vegetation of the Soviet Union, a department of the natural flora of the USSR was created, which had the following botanical and geographical expositions: the European part of the USSR, the Caucasus, Siberia, the Far East and Central Asia. In these areas, various conditions were created for plants, sand or stones were added, hills, streams and ponds were built. All plants were planted not in plots, but in curtains, counting on the creation of more or less natural combinations. An introduction nursery existed to test new plant species.

Modern expositions of the Flora Department have been partially renamed and show the vegetation of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Siberia and the Far East, as well as wild useful plants. Plants of tundra, dark coniferous, light coniferous, coniferous-deciduous forests, meadows, steppes and deserts are represented on an area of ​​30 hectares. When creating these collections, from the first years of the organization of the Garden, a wide attraction of plants from nature began. Every year, starting from 1946, expeditionary detachments were sent to various botanical and geographical regions: Siberia, the Far East, the mountainous regions of Central Asia and the Caucasus. By the hands of several generations of employees of the GBS RAS, perennial plantations with a tree canopy, undergrowth and grass cover have been created. More than 5.7 thousand plant species have been tested in the department of natural flora for 70 years. Particular attention was paid to the collection and cultivation of rare and endangered species. Throughout the years of the Garden's existence, the floristic composition of the expositions, the age of woody and herbaceous species have noticeably changed. The maximum diversity of plants was noted in 1990, when the collections of the Flora Department included almost 3 thousand species. Unfortunately, at present only half of this diversity remains. All expositions are open to the public and are a place of recreation for the population. You can get acquainted with plants of natural flora from early spring to late autumn.

It was created in the early 1950s and occupies a plot of 0.7 hectares. All herbaceous perennials are planted in clumps of arbitrary shape. In addition, there are trees and several groups of shrubs. When arranging this exposition, V.N. Voroshilov developed a convenient and very logical classification of useful plants into sections depending on the field of application. The first section is medicinal, insecticidal and essential oil plants that have a physiological effect on the functions of the human and animal body or have toxic properties. The second section presents technical plants, among which there are dyeing, tanning and fibrous plants that were previously used or are now used in various industries. The third section includes melliferous and fodder plants that serve as food for domestic animals: hay, pasture, silage. The fourth section - food plants - includes species that serve to maintain the vital activity of the human body - spicy, flavoring, tincture, tea and vitamin.

Exposition of flora of Eastern Europe covers an area of ​​5.7 hectares. Her collection contains about 300 plant species, including 20 tree species, ~ 30 shrub species and > 200 herbaceous plant species, some of which were brought from the Carpathians.

Exposition of plants of Central Asia with an area of ​​~ 1.6 ha - the oldest in the department of flora, because it was originally founded in the late 1930s by M.V. Kultiasov on the territory of the Moscow Botanical Garden of the USSR Academy of Sciences on Sparrow Hills. In 1946, this collection was moved to the department of flora (in Ostankino), but it was opened for visitors in 1953. Botanical and geographical areas have been created here, reflecting the main types of vegetation cover in Central Asia. The mountain relief is formed from tertiary clay taken out during the construction of the Moscow metro tunnels. This clay is close in chemical properties to Central Asian loess. A layer of tertiary clay was poured on the desert site, which was then sprinkled with sand and humus. In addition, there are plants of tugai, mountain forests (juniper forests, broad-leaved and coniferous forests), subalpine and alpine meadows, steppes and rocky slopes. Over the 70 years of the existence of this exposition, more than 1 thousand species have passed the introduction test. Currently, there are about 150 species here, of which 22 species of trees, 44 species of shrubs, 67 species of perennials and 4 species of annuals, among them 29 species are rare and endangered plants. You can see all the parts of the exposition of Central Asia from the top of the hill: the area of ​​desert plants and tugai is clearly visible in the distance against the background of the Caucasian hill, below the juniper forest is in an open area between dirt paths, to the right under the mountain is a spruce forest, and bushes of the middle zone grow right and left of it mountains and plants of deciduous forests.

Exposition of Siberian flora covers an area of ​​4.5 hectares, where ~ 200 plant species from 59 families and 176 genera are collected. Among these plants, 18 species of trees, 33 species of shrubs, and 50 species are rare and endangered in nature.

Very interesting uhexposition of vegetation of the Far East. It is the largest in the flora department in terms of area (8.5 ha) and is represented by almost 400 plant species, many of which are rare.

The GBS RAS preserves valuable collections of more than 1,700 tree and shrub species and varieties collected in an arboretum spread over an area of ​​75 hectares. The arboretum is built as a landscape park, where plants are planted in a systematic way. This part of the garden is very beautiful from spring to autumn, it is unique even on winter days, when conifers are covered with white fluffy snow caps. You go and the spirit captures from such beauty!!!

In 1994, an exposition was created in the arboretum, where 7 types of erica, 18 varieties of heather were brought from Germany. This 350 sq. m, located near the Laboratory building, it is decorated with rhododendrons, barberries, spireas and conifers.

The pearl of the Garden and a vivid example of the perfection of oriental landscape architecture should be considered the exposition "Japanese garden", equipped on an area of ​​2.7 hectares in 1983-1987 with the support of the Japanese Embassy in Moscow. From the island of Hokkaido, wonderful sakuras were brought to the GBS RAS, the flowering of which annually fascinates thousands of Muscovites and guests of the capital. More than a hundred decorative species of trees, shrubs and herbs are picturesquely placed around a pond with islands, next to pavilions and a stone pagoda built in the 18th century in Japan.

Very colorful collections of ornamental and flower plants, in which more than 5.5 thousand taxa are collected. But the exposition occupying an area of ​​2.5 hectares is especially interesting. It has been completely restored and already today demonstrates the most winter-hardy and disease-resistant varieties of roses. In the department of cultivated plants, more than 2 thousand varieties and forms of fruit and berry crops, essential oil and medicinal plants belonging to 700 species are represented in 10 sites.

The greenhouse collections are priceless, including unique species of subtropical and tropical flora. In total, more than 5.7 thousand species and forms of heat-loving plants brought from Vietnam, Madagascar, Cuba, Brazil, various countries of Africa, etc. have been collected in the GBS RAS for 70 years. Among them, 100 species are included in the International Red Book. Since 1955, GBS RAS has been conducting an international seed exchange with 131 botanical gardens in 30 countries of the world. The Herbarium operates in the Garden, where invaluable scientific material is collected, which is so necessary for researchers of botanical science.

GBS RAS is a unique scientific institution where scientists conduct fundamental and applied research in the field of botany and environmental protection. Enlightening and educational work is being carried out here, showing the richness and diversity of the flora of Russia and various regions of the Earth.

The staff and the Administration of the Garden are worthily celebrating their 70th Anniversary and are setting themselves new and complex tasks aimed at the prosperity of domestic science and the creation of a comfortable place of rest for Muscovites and guests of the capital.

Vinogradova Yu.K.and etc. Plants of natural flora in the Main Botanical Garden: GBS RAS. M: GEOS, 2008. 208 p.

Trulevich N.V.and etc. Botanical and geographical expositions of plants of natural flora. M: GEOS. 2007. 226 p.

Demidov A.S. and etc. The main botanical garden named after N.V. Tsitsina - a museum of wildlife. M.: GEOS, 2007. 64 p.

Photo: Alla Kuklina, Ekaterina Bulygina

The Botanical Garden is a forested area in the north-east of Moscow, a favorite place for pensioners, rollerbladers and cyclists. People come here for a walk, as a rule, residents of nearby areas - SAO and SVAO. But there is something to see here, and the place is worth it to come here on purpose and from other parts of the capital.

The Botanical Garden was founded in 1945 on the site of preserved natural forests, such as the Ostankinsky and Leonovsky forests. According to official sources, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich hunted here (remember the palace in Kolomenskoye?), the father of Peter I.

If you are not a botanist biologist, and you can hardly tell a birch from an aspen, then at first glance the Botanical Garden will seem to you an ordinary forest park, of which there are not so few in Moscow. True, the area of ​​the park is comparable to Sokolniki Square, but here the forest is wilder and denser, and there are fewer asphalt paths.

The first feeling from the Botanical Garden is that no one specially planted anything here, but everything grew by itself, everything is so natural and organic. Only after a certain time spent here, you begin to understand that the naturalness of the park is actually thought out to the smallest detail and is the result of the painstaking work of caring hands. And most importantly - it's just beautiful and quiet here, it becomes especially relevant when the noise and dust of the city bothers you. The only thing that reminds you of where you are is the point.

For silence and beauty, you will have to fork out a little - the entrance to the park is paid, though only from April 29 to mid-October. In April and October, access to the garden is free. Although, according to official information, it is closed for landing work, I personally was there in April, and there were many visitors. But in winter, the garden definitely does not work, and this is a little sad, because there you could build excellent snowmen or go skiing or sledding with children.

Ticket price to visit the Botanical Garden - 50 rubles. for pedestrians and 100 for cyclists, the cost of tickets for schoolchildren and students is 30 rubles, pensioners are not charged. With cyclists and roller skaters, the story is not clear. The official website of the Botanical Garden says that rollerblading and cycling are prohibited in the park. At the same time, they are allowed in, and even the cost of the entrance ticket has been set.

If you don't like to wander aimlessly looking at unfamiliar tree species, you can book an excursion. To do this, you need to gather a group of like-minded people and agree with the administration. The cost of the tour, depending on the direction - from 100 to 200 rubles. per person, for foreigners - 250 rubles.

Conventionally, the garden can be divided into several zones by regions, which represent the flora of the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Far East, and Siberia. The park also includes a rose garden. Last summer, it was rebuilt and remodeled, so I never managed to admire the roses.

The park has a greenhouse, a glass building as high as a ten-story building. Inside it, through the glass, you can see huge palm trees, some beautiful tropical flowers of bright colors. But, as far as I know, you can get inside only with a guided tour, for individual visitors the entrance is closed, so it remains to be content with peeping from the street.

A very popular place in the park - Japanese garden. Entrance here is paid, 100-150 rubles. At the very beginning of May, you can see the cherry blossoms here. Flowering lasts only two or three days, and these days there is usually a rush in the Japanese Garden - there are many both professional photographers and just amateurs. In general, photographers have chosen the Japanese Garden. Most likely, that is why the administration has so high prices for professional photography. So be careful, if employees see you, for example, a tripod, they may ask you to pay. In general, everything here is quite strict - you can’t sit on the lawns, on the stones too.

There are several water bodies in the park. Swimming and fishing are prohibited here - you can only admire the water. One of the reservoirs is located near the main entrance opposite the Laboratory building, the other is on the border with the territory of the All-Russian Exhibition Center. There are also several small streams and ponds.

The main paths of the park are paved, there are also many dirt paths, which, by the way, are much more deserted, so if you want to find a secluded corner for a romantic date, turn onto the path. There are signs at every intersection in the park, so only those suffering from topographical cretinism can get lost here.

There are always a lot of people on the main paths of the park. If the weather is good, then this happens not only on weekends, but also on weekdays. Therefore, the benches along them are almost always occupied. Many, contrary to the instructions of the Rules, are located directly on the lawns - I have never seen them kicked out. In general, the audience here is mostly intelligent, everywhere is very clean and tidy, there is almost no garbage.

In the Botanical Garden, for the first time in my life, I saw how snowdrops grow, maybe you will discover something new and unusual here.

How to get from the metro:

The main botanical garden named after N.V. Tsitsina is located 5 minutes walk from Vladykino metro station. You can also get here from the VDNKh metro station by buses 24, 85, 803 and trolleybuses 9, 36.73. You can also get to the Botanical Garden from the metro station of the same name, but this is not very convenient - you have to travel far. In general, there are several entrances to the park: at the Vladykino metro station, from the side of Botanicheskaya street, from the side behind the Cosmos pavilion, and there is also an entrance from Komarov street. The park is large, so there are many entrances (see the map below).