As Morski writes on the 31st of January, 2020, work is underway in the gorgeous Lokrum botanical garden which lies just 600m from Dubrovnik’s shoreline in order to improve its condition, the newly renovated gardens, for which the island is famous, should welcome new visitors during 2020’s tourist season.
As part of this restoration project, the rehabilitation and landscaping of existing paths of about 725 metres in length, the removal of damaged plant material and the planting of 195 new plant species with a total of 1466 seedlings across 13 areas in the famed Lokrum botanical garden is foreseen. New urban equipment will also be erected, including benches, information and interpretation panels, and an entry portal.
For many years, the Lokrum botanical garden has been existing in a somewhat stagnat state, mainly due to perfectly natural processes. Therefore, the Lokrum Reserve Public Institution initiated a renovation project to improve the overall condition of the garden. The contract was concluded with Araucaria d.o.o. from Zagreb, and works began back in October 2019, with a six-month deadline implied.
The Lokrum botanical garden was established back in the 1960s with the aim of monitoring the adaptation of exotic plants living in the conditions of the southern Dalmatian climate as a kind of scientific experiment.
Today, the University of Dubrovnik’s Institute for Maritime and Coastal Areas takes care of the garden in the scientific and professional sense. Unfortunately, the consequences of shelling during the Homeland War and the intense adverse weather events in recent years have had a significant negative impact on the garden and the plant material, and it is necessary to now urgently take appropriate measures to properly revitalise it.
As mentioned, the Lokrum Reserve Public Institution has taken the initiative and initiated the process of restoring the botanical garden in order to preserve it, and they are investing significant resources and work in the preparation of the necessary documentation for the job, and at the same time secure the funds for the actual restoration and renovation.
On the basis of the geodetic basis of the garden, preliminary designs were created and all of the necessary permits and approvals from the competent authorities in the field of nature and cultural heritage were obtained.
Thus, back at the end of 2018, project documentation for the design and furnishing of the garden and paths was done, with the total value of the works being estimated at around 3.8 million kuna. The University of Dubrovnik is actively involved in the implementation of the project.
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