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1

THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF J. E. GILIBERT TO THE STUDIES OF LITHUANIAN FLORA

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Ričkienė A.
Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki
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2015
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vol. 60
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issue 1
69–94
EN
A French botanist, physician, and politician Jean Emmanuel Gilibert (1741–1814) spent a part of his life in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Between 1775 and 1781, Gilibert lived in Grodno, where he founded the School of Medicine, modernizing medicine and nature studies, and setting up a botanical garden. In 1781 he moved to Vilnius, founded the Chair of Historia Naturalis, set up a botanical garden, and organized teaching of the natural sciences at the Vilnius University. In 1783 Gilibert left Vilnius and returned to Lyon, where he practiced medicine and participated in French political life. During the years spent in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Gilibert collected local plants from the surroundings in Białystok, Brasta, Merkine, Navahradak, Nesvizh, Vilnius, Vokė, Trakai, and Warsaw. Since 1781 till the end of his life he released 16 publications dealing with nature of Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Majority of these publications included information about plants. Among all Gilibert’s publications “Flora Lituanica inchoata”; “Exercitium botanicum, in schola principe universitatis Vilnensis…“; parts named “Flora Lithuanica inchoata” and “Plantae rariores et communes Lithuaniae” in “Caroli Linnaei ... Systema plantarum Europae…” and “Exercitia phytologica…” are concerned as Flora’s. In these publications about 1200 plants from the territory of Grand Duchy of Lithuania are presented. In 1945, Swedish scientist Nils Hylander published a paper with the proposition to reject all scientific names of plants in Gilibert’s “Flora Lituanica inchoata” and “Exercitia phytologica…” because Linnaean system of binary nomenclature had not been consistently used in these works. In 1949 Roger McVought revised Gilibert’s “Floras” and found that, among approximately 1200 species treated by Gilibert in these publications, about 850 names were proposed by himself and only 85–90 of them could be theoretically accepted as validly published. Currently all Gilibert’s “Floras” are listed in Appendix VI “Opera utique oppressa” of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (formerly the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature; McNeill 2006). Names appearing in these works are not to be accepted as validly published. If almost all plant names proposed by Gilibert could not be accepted, how much is Gilibert work significant for contemporary research of Lithuanian flora. For this reason I have studied Gilibert’s citation in compendium “Lietuvos TSR Flora” , published in six volumes in 1959-1980 which is the largest compendium for plants of Lithuania until now. In “Lietuvos TSR Flora” names of plant species are always followed by synonym and citation of the all-important literary sources which had described the species earlier. Through all six volumes of the compendium Gilibert’s publications: “Flora Lituanica inchoata” and “Exercitia Phytologica” are cited many times. In “Lietuvos TSR Flora” volume I, which includes Pteridophyta and Gymnospermae, Gilibert is cited only once. In volume II, which includes Monocotyledon plants from 18 families and 135 genera Gilibert is cited 55 times. In volume III, which includes Dicotyledon plants from 27 families and 143 genera he is cited 79 times. In volume IV, which includes Dicotyledon plants from 39 families and 155 genera, among them such numerous families as Rosaceae and Leguminosae, Gilibert is cited 104 times. In volume V, which includes Dicotyledon plants from 32 families and 188 genera, among them from large families as Labiatae and Scropulariaceae, Gilibert is cited 133 times, and in volume VI, which includes Dicotyledon plants from 3 families and 68 genera he is cited 72 times. Some plants such as Zannichellia palustris L., Setaria verticillata (L.), Pulsatilla vernalis (L.), Euphorbia palustris L. to “Lietuvos TSR Flora” are included exclusively on the basis of Gilibert’s data, because there was not information about their growth in Lithuania at the time when “Lietuvos TSR Flora” was published. Some of Gilibert’s plant names cited in “Lietuvos TSR Flora” are similar to binominals proposed by Linnaeus, some are different – proposed by Gilibert himself. Although in “Lietuvos TSR Flora” all Gilibert’s plant names are cited as additional and secondary literature source, but frequent citation indicates that his contribution to the research of the flora of Lithuania is important not only in historical, but also in the botanical and floristic contexts.
2

Geologiczny ogląd Wileńszczyzny J.E. Giliberta (1741-1814), pierwszego profesora historii naturalnej uniwersytetu Wileńskiego

100%
Tarkowski R.
Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki
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2015
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vol. 60
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issue 1
165–183
EN
In 1775-1783, Jean-Emmanuel Gilibert (1741-1814) stayed in Respublica Poloniae to organize a veterinary school, the Royal Botanic Garden and the Royal School of Physicians in Grodno, and since 1781 he worked in Vilnius as Professor of Natural History at the Principal School of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Little is known about his work conducted in Lithuania in the field of geology and earth sciences. The author has decided, on the basis of Gilibert’s publications and analysis of the literature (works of J. Garbowska and P. Daszkiewicz and others), to present his teaching and research activities in this field. In Grodno, Gilibert looked after and multiplied the collections of the natural history cabinet at the Royal School of Physicians, renowned for its rich mineralogical and fossil collections watched and admired by, among others, King Stanisław August, J. Bernoulli (1744-1807) and M. Patrin (1742-1815) who mentions the amber rosary with a different species of insects preserved in each bead. Gilibert’s tours around Lithuania were the opportunity to enlarge the geological collections and to adapt them to the needs of the school. He also appreciated the importance of ordinary specimens representing the geology of the area. These specimens not only enriched the natural history cabinet, but also defined the way of working and collecting. Ha was the first to found and gather fossil animals from near Grodno. The signs of mineralogical and geological interests of Gilibert can be found in the works of other authors of that epoch (L. Viteta (1736-1809) and J. Bernoulli). In Vilnius, Gilibert conducted a one year-long full lecture on natural history (zoology, botany and mineralogy). In his lectures on mineralogy, he presented not only the systematics, but also emphasized the usefulness of minerals in medicine, for the production of ornamental items and in different sectors of the economy. He adapted the process of teaching to the needs of practical life, based on observations and experiments, and was using the local wildlife specimens in his lectures. Thanks to the French naturalist, the teaching of natural science remained at a good European level since the time the Department was founded at the University of Vilnius. A treatise on physical geography of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania is Gilibert’s best-known published work in Poland. Based on own observations, he determined, e.g., the causes of drying of ponds and marshes, as well as of the formation of peat, limonitic iron and ocher, the origin of rivers in Lithuania and the presence of amber, and described a number of fossils. He provided the characteristics of geological deposits (now included in the Quaternary), described their origin and age, and drew attention to the issues of dynamic geology (e.g. erosional activity of rainwater, river erosion, formation of sand dunes). From the period of his eight-year stay in Lithuania, Gilibert also submitted observations on the climate of Lithuania, documented by temperature measurements. He indicated that the climate of this part of Europe was milder than the French believed, with clearly noticeable two seasons: winter and summer. He pointed out that the autumn rains give rise to muddy areas persisting to the end of November, and the most severe frost, usually several days long, occurs in late December and January, when the winds blow from the northeast. June and July are typically the hottest months, but the northern winds sometimes cause July ground frosts. He compared Lithuania’s climate to that of the Alpine foreland. Gilibert was the first scholar who studied the natural environment of Lithuania based on scientific principles. Interesting are his observations on the amber resin, for example, unequivocal statement that amber is a resin, at the time when the idea was still much discussed. Worth noting are the geological elements in the physiographic description of Lithuania, published by Gilibert (1806) in Histoires des Plantes d’Europe. It should also be pointed to the methodological aspect of Gilibert’s works: the facts precede interpretations, the results are attempted to be universalized by transposition into areas other than those investigated by Gilibert, and the observations are linked with scientific theories, which were new at those times, in the field of geology, chemistry and physics. Gilibert’s descriptions were often the first ones available to the naturalists in western and southern Europe. They were all the more valuable that contained a lot of data on the geology, meteorology, physical geography etc., useful in various fields.
3

Dzikie ssaki Wielkiego księstwa Litewskiego w pracach Jeana-Emmanuela Giliberta

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Samojlik T., Daszkiewicz P.
Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki
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2015
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vol. 60
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issue 1
151–163
EN
Among the many topics of lively scientific work that Jean Emmanuel Gilibert (1741-1814) conducted in Grodno and Vilnius, an important place is occupied by his observations of wild mammals. Royal patronage and care from Antoni Tyzenhauz, Treasurer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the governor of Grodno, allowed Gilibert to keep and observe wild fauna captured by royal services in royal forests, including Białowieża Primeval Forest. Such was an origin of a female bison kept by Gilibert in Grodno. Its description, published in Indagatores naturae in Lithuania (Vilnius 1781) for decades became the primary source of information about the behaviour, food preferences and the anatomy of European bison. European science has just begun to take interest in European bison, therefore Gilibert’s account entered scientific circulation by way of French natural history encyclopaedias (mainly Georges Buffon’s Histoire naturelle) and works by Georges Cuvier or Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire. Apart from the description of European bison, Gilibert left an entire series of observations of wild mammals inhabiting the forests of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. His accounts of moose were important in building a knowledge base for this species. In the first half of the 18th century, moose was known mainly from fantastic descriptions in Renaissance works and from prescriptions devoted to using moose hoof as the epilepsy treatment. Gilibert’s observations helped to overthrow such superstitions. Similarly, Gilibert’s first-hand information verified the widespread legends concerning brown bear (e.g. the belief that white bears, belonging to other species than polar bears, occur in Lithuania) . List of species kept and thoroughly watched by the scholar is much longer and includes lynx, wolf (and hybrids of wolves and dogs), beaver, badger, fox, hedgehog, and even white mouse. Also his comments on the species of mammals then absent in Lithuania but known either from farming or from the fur trade (wolverine, bobak marmot or steppe polecat). Also in these cases, Gilibert’s descriptions were often the first reliable information that entered the circulation in European science. His accounts were not free of errors and mistakes - but they resulted mainly from the pioneering role of his work. Some of his breeding experiments can arouse the reader’s sincere smile today, such as an attempt to feed a beaver with fish or serve cooked beans to a lynx In the margins of his mammal observations, Gilibert described also the place of their occurrence, extensive forests of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Read from the contemporary perspective, his thoughts are surprisingly relevant. In his praise of “primeval nature, free from human actions and not disturbed by accident or by the impatience of human desires” he sounds very similar to today’s eulogists of the primeval forest of Białowieża.
4

Poglądy dydaktyczne J.E. Giliberta

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Grębecka W.
Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki
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2015
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vol. 60
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issue 1
133–150
EN
When J.E. Gilibert was nominated to head the Chair of Natural History in Vilnius, his task was to introduce education with European standards. He was aware of the potential of his students and the level of their secondary school education. At that time (1781), no textbooks were available in Poland presenting knowledge of botany; the first was written in 1785. Teachers were using assorted, sometimes hardly practical materials, such as excerpts from Roman authors. Gilibert was familiar with this situation from his experience in Grodno, where he had taught for 6 years. At best, learners, i.e. prospective students, were using guidebooks for farmers by Ch. Kluk. This state of affairs was essentially in accordance with original plans of the National Educational Committee, which intended a very practical course of Natural History. The Chair in Vilnius was founded to implement university level education; and Gilibert dedicated a lot of time to didactic recommendations which would help students to develop the competence of botanists capable of studying European literature and communicating with international scientists. This presentation focuses on two important documents. The first one, Prospectus praelectionum cursus Historiae Naturalis. Ad usum Alumnorum Alma uniwersitatis Vilnensis, containing the curriculum of Natural History in Vilnius, will be analyzed from the point of view of its philosophical, epistemic and practical significance. The other one, Exercitium botanicum in schola principe universitatis Vilnensis habendum die mensie Julii anno 1782 seu enumaratio metodica plantarum, will be of interest from the point of view of various methodical comments regarding other works by Gilibert.
5

Uniwersytety europejskie na przełomie XVIII i XIX wieku

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Bartnicka K.
Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki
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2015
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vol. 60
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issue 1
17-54
EN
In the Age of Enlightenment, European universities were going through a serious economic, organizational, academic and staff crisis, and were affected by the resulting decrease of social prestige. The traditional profile of university education did not respond to the real needs of developing societies. The number of secondary and semi-tertiary education institutions was on the increase, taking candidates away from universities. Theology faculties’ control hindered free academic development and research at other faculties. Economic difficulties at universities hampered modernization of academic infrastructure, as well as introduction of new faculties. It resulted in deterioration of education and teaching staff level. Academic life began shifting towards academies of sciences and scientific societies, which were often financially supported by rulers. The crisis mostly affected universities in France, Germany, Italy, but also in Spain and England. It gave rise to a heated discussion about tertiary education, as well as about the purpose and raison d’être of universities. However, simultaneously with the deepening crisis at universities in central Europe, under the influence of the Enlightenment philosophical trends spreading throughout the whole of European academia and education, in some areas of the continent (the Low Countries, Scotland, Northern and Central European countries, including the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) the level and organization of academic life, openness to new ideas, curricula and education levels started to improve. It was most visible in the fields of jurisprudence and medicine, with botany beginning to stand apart as part of natural history. Philosophy faculties saw new chairs being introduced in humanities, natural sciences and exact sciences, and new subjects being introduced as extra-curricular activities. These changes accelerated towards the end of the 18th century. The turn of the 19th century was an exceptional period in the history of universities. The academic crisis had been overcome. New social, political, economic and academic circumstances in Europe, as well as the influence of the Enlightenment philosophical ideas gave rise to the concept of a liberal university, called ‘Humboldtian’ – a name derived from the university established in Berlin in 1810 thanks to Wilhelm von Humboldt. In the 19th century this concept conquered Europe. The academia recognized it as a classical idea for a university. It is based on: the principle of academic freedoms, freedom of scientific research and education; the idea of university’s mission as a combination of research goals: unhindered study of the world and discovery of scientific truth with educational and cultural impact on the university’s environment; the requirement for professors to combine research with teaching; separating universities as tertiary education institutions from secondary education institutions, as well as from vocational training-oriented tertiary education institutions. Modernization of European universities was progressing slowly, unevenly and non concurrently in different parts of the continent. Issues such as tertiary education, university structure, relations between university authorities with state and church authorities were tackled differently, depending on local needs and opportunities. Completely new universities were established as well, usually as institutions financed by the state, serving its purposes and under its supervision. The successful reform of Polish universities carried out by the Commission of National Education, following the ideas of Hugo Kołłątaj is a good example of the change tendencies at European universities in the second half of the 18th century. The Cracow Academy (established in1364) and the formerly Jesuit Vilnius Academy (established in 1568) were transformed into modern European universities. The Polish reform preceded the Humboldtian concept and the establishment of the Berlin University by two decades. During the reform of the Vilnius Academy transformed by the Commission of National Education into the Central School of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Jean Emmanuel Gilibert (1741-1812) was brought to Vilnius. He was a French botanist and doctor, born in Lyon and educated in Montpellier – one of the best medical and advanced botanical studies faculties in France. In Vilnius in the academic years 1781/82 and 1782/83, Gilibert chaired two departments:. He laid the foundations for a medical school which developed very well in the 19th century at the newly established college of medicine at the reformed Central School and for Lithuanian botanical research and studies at the new faculty in Vilnius.
6

Jean Emmanuel Gilibert i Francuzi w Polsce i na Litwie w latach 1770-1780

88%
Beauvois D.
Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki
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2015
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vol. 60
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issue 1
7-16
EN
The author is trying to remind us of great role of French culture and French people in spreading the ideas of Enlightenment in Poland. Common use of French language in high societies in 18th century and excellent knowledge of books from Paris created favourite conditions for contacts of Poland with France. The best evidence of common culture of Enlightenment was the Commission of National Education (KEN) and the deep social changes. The direct contacts of French thinkers, writers and scientists with Poland also caused the changes of horizons of aristocracy and gentry. We will remind the main animators of this movement followed A. Jobert. J.E. Gilibert takes a very important place among the animators of Enlightenment. Author intends to present the phases of knowing him, generally mentioning the main conclusions of many research on Gilibert. At the same time author leaves to next speakers a detailed analyze of Gilbert’s contribution to the development of Polish science
7

Jean Emmanuel Gilibert and Vilnius University Botanical Garden: results of current studies of archive material from Vilnius Archives, Göttingen University and National Herbarium of Ukraine (KW)

88%
Skridaila A., Žilinskaitė S., Shiyan N.
Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki
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2015
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vol. 60
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issue 1
95–116
EN
The Vilnius University Botanical Garden (VUBG) was founded by French professor Jean Emmanuel Gilibert (Joannes Emmanuel Gilibert, 1741-1814). Until he arrived to Vilnius, he was working in Grodno (now Belarus), where started in 1776 and founded the botanical garden too. He was invited to Vilnius in 1781 and came there in the late autumn of that year. Location of the first BG in Vilnius was in the heart of town, in the courtyard of the Medical College (Collegium Medicum) (now 22, Pilies str.), in a small plot of about 200 square metres. In early spring 1782 the majority of plants (trees and shrubs) were moved from Grodno BG to new VUBG (Köhler, 1995; Skridaila, 2001). Plants, in that time known as hard for Lithuanian climate conditions, were planted outdoor in to beds. Other of them planted in a small, quickly built greenhouse. J.E. Gilibert headed new BG in Vilnius for very short time. Unfortunately, in the beginning of 1783 he left Vilnius forever. There is no accurate data how many plants were cultivated by J.E. Gilibert in VUBG. The document retrieval was carried out in various Lithuanian and foreign archives (Gӧttingen, Kyiv). Some manuscripts of the second director of Vilnius BG - Georg Forster (Johann Georg Adam Forster, 1754-1794), have been studied in Gӧttingen, where they survived. According G. Forster’s data of year 1785, he found in VUBG, collection of plants and seeds, left by J.E. Gilibert, which took 500-600 names of plants (Skridaila, 2006). Another source was studied in the Herbarium of Institute of Botany in Kyiv too. In period 2008-2012 full inventory of this Herbarium was carried out. The collection contains 7401 specimens and includes the collections of vascular plants, mosses, lichen and one specimens of algae from Belarus, Lithuania and Poland (Shiyan, 2014). The Herbarium consists of three parts: Herbarium Linneanum, Herbarium Grodnensis and Zielnik Klassa 5. Pentandria. Herbarium Grodnensis contains herbarium sheets signed as "ex HortiAcad" or "in HortiAcad“ too. These sheets are examples of plants which were grown in VUBG. The total number of these herbarium sheets - 82. Considering the above and other sources, it is possible to suggest that J.E. Gilibert in Vilnius BG had accumulated collection of plants and seeds up to one thousand taxa.
8

Jean Emmanuel Gilibert (1741-1814) – życie i praca w świetle korespondencji i świadectw z epoki

63%
Daszkiewicz P.
Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki
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2015
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vol. 60
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issue 1
117–132
EN
J.E. Gilibert – his life and work in the light of a correspondence and testimonies of his time
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Historia Ogrodu Botanicznego Uniwersytetu Stefana Batorego w Wilnie (1919–1939)

45%
Zemanek A., Köhler P.
Studia Historiae Scientiarum
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2016
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vol. 15
301–345
PL
Ogród Botaniczny Uniwersytetu w Wilnie był łącznie przez ponad 70 lat placówką należącą do botaniki polskiej. Utworzony w 1781 r. przez Jeana Emmanuela Giliberta (1741–1814), w praktyce funkcjonujący od 1782 r., działał do 1842 r., kiedy to został zlikwidowany przez rosyjskiego zaborcę. W 1919 r. założono w nowym miejscu Ogród Botaniczny Uniwersytetu Stefana Batorego (czynny od 1920 r.), pełniący funkcję zakładu pomocniczego dwóch zakładów (katedr) botanicznych. Organizatorem i pierwszym dyrektorem był w latach 1920–1923 fizjolog roślin – Piotr Wiśniewski (1884–1971). W latach 1924–1937 kierownictwo sprawował Józef Trzebiński (1867–1941) – mykolog, jeden z twórców polskiej fitopatologii, a w latach 1937–1939 – Franciszek Ksawery Skupieński (1888–1962) – badacz śluzowców. Dla rozwoju Ogrodu duże zasługi położył główny ogrodnik, czyli inspektor Konstanty Prószyński (Proszyński; 1859–1936), były właściciel ziemski, przyrodnik amator, autor jednej publikacji mykologicznej, zatrudniony w latach 1919–1936. Ogród, obejmujący ok. 2 ha, usytuowany był w zakolu rzeki Wilii zwanym Zakretem (po litewsku Vingis), poza centrum miasta. Mimo trudności finansowych założono tutaj działy roślin analogiczne do istniejących w innych ogrodach botanicznych: systematyki ogólnej, flory krajowej, roślin piaskowych (psammofilnych), roślin uprawnych, ekologii roślin, alpinarium, torfowisko wysokie, a także arboretum oraz gatunki wodne i błotne. W latach 1926–1929 wybudowano szklarnię dla uprawy roślin ciepłych stref klimatycznych. Grupy ilustrujące roślinność różnych typów siedlisk odzwierciedlały rozwój ekologii i fitosocjologii w nauce tego okresu. Liczba uprawianych gatunków wzrastała w miarę upływu czasu: od 1347 w latach 1923/1924 do ok. 2800 w okresie 1936/1937. Począwszy od 1923 r. zaczęto wydawać drukowane katalogi nasion. Prowadzono tutaj doświadczenia do prac naukowych, m.in. z zakresu fitopatologii. Kolekcje roślin wykorzystywano w czasie zajęć ze studentami, a także do edukacji młodzieży szkolnej i szerokiej publiczności. Po przyłączeniu Wilna do Litwy w 1939 r. władze litewskie zamknęły Uniwersytet Stefana Batorego, kończąc tym samym historię polskiego ogrodu botanicznego. Obecnie jego teren jest jednym z działów Ogrodu Botanicznego Uniwersytetu Wileńskiego (dział „Vingis” – Vilniaus universiteto botanikos sodas). Nadal służy studentom i mieszkańcom miasta, a kwitnące rośliny używane są do ozdabiania uniwersyteckich sal i uświetniania uroczystości.
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The university in Vilna (Lithuanian: Vilnius), now Vilniaus universitetas, founded in 1579 by Stefan Batory (Stephen Báthory), King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, was a centre of Polish botany in 1780-1832 and 1919-1939. The Botanic Garden established by Jean-Emmanuel Gilibert (1741–1814) in 1781 (or, actually, from 1782) survived the loss of independence by Poland (1795), and a later closure of the University (1832), and it continued to function until 1842, when it was shut down by Russian authorities. After Poland had regained independence and the University was reopened as the Stefan Batory University (SBU), its Botanic Garden was established on a new location (1919, active since 1920). It survived as a Polish institution until 1939. After the Second World War, as a result of changed borders, it found itself in the Soviet Union, and from 1990 – in the Republic of Lithuania. A multidisciplinary research project has been recently launched with the aim to create a publication on the history of science at the Stefan Batory University. The botanical part of the project includes, among others, drafting the history of the Botanic Garden. Obtaining electronic copies of archival documents, e.g. annual reports written by the directors, enabled a more thorough analysis of the Garden’s history. Piotr Wiśniewski (1884–1971), a plant physiologist, nominated as Professor in the Department of General Botany on 1 June 1920, was the organiser and the first director of the Garden. He resigned from his post in October 1923, due to financial problems of the Garden. From October 1923 to April 1924, the management was run by the acting director, Edward Bekier (1883–1945), Professor in the Department of Physical Chemistry, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. For 13 subsequent years, i.e. from 1 May 1924 to 30 April 1937, the directorship of the Garden was held by Józef Trzebiński (1867–1941), a mycologist and one of the pioneers of phytopathology in Poland, Head of the Department of Botany II (Agricultural Botany), renamed in 1926 as the Department of Plant Taxonomy, and in 1937 – the Department of Taxonomy and Geography of Plants. From May 1937 to 1939, his successor as director was Franciszek Ksawery Skupieński (1888–1962), a researcher of slime moulds. Great credit for the development of the Garden is due to the Inspector, i.e. Chief Gardener, Konstanty Prószyński (Proszyński) (1859–1936) working there from 1919, through his official nomination in 1920, until his death. He was an amateur-naturalist, a former landowner, who had lost his property. Apart from the work on establishing and maintaining the Garden’s collection, as well as readying seeds for exchange, he published one mycological paper, and prepared a manuscript on fungi, illustrated by himself, containing descriptions of the new species. Unfortunately, this work was not published for lack of funds, and the prepared material was scattered. Some other illustrations of flowering plants drawn by Prószyński survived. There were some obstacles to the further development of the institution, namely substantially inadequate funds as well as too few members of the personnel (1–3 gardeners, and 1–3 seasonal workers). The area of the Garden, covering approx. 2 hectares was situated on the left bank of the Neris river (Polish: Wilia). It was located on sandy soils of a floodplain, and thus liable to flooding. These were the reasons for the decision taken in June 1939 to move the Garden to a new site but the outbreak of the Second World War stood in the way. Despite these disadvantageous conditions, the management succeeded in setting up sections of plants analogous to these established in other botanical gardens in Poland and throughout the world, i.e. general taxonomy (1922), native flora (1922), psammophilous plants (1922), cultivated plants (1924/1925), plant ecology (1927/1928), alpinarium (1927–1929), high-bog plants (1927–1929), and, additionally – in the 1920s – the arboretum, as well as sections of aquatic and bog plants. A glasshouse was erected in 1926–1929 to provide room for plants of warm and tropical zones. The groups representing the various types of vegetation illustrated the progress in ecology and phytosociology in the science of the period (e.g. in the ecology section, the Raunkiaer’s life forms were presented). The number of species grown increased over time, from 1,347 in 1923/1924 to approx. 2,800 in 1936/1937. Difficult weather conditions – the severe winter of 1928 as well as the snowless winter and the dry summer of 1933/34 contributed to the reduction of the collections. The ground collections, destroyed by flood in spring of 1931, were restored in subsequent years. Initially, the source of plant material was the wild plant species collected during field trips. Many specimens were also obtained from other botanical gardens, such as Warsaw and Cracow (Kraków). Beginning from 1923, printed catalogues of seeds offered for exchange were published (cf. the list on p. ... ). Owing to that, the Garden began to participate in the national and international plant exchange networks. From its inception, the collection of the Garden was used for teaching purposes, primarily to the students of the University, as well as for the botanical education of schoolchildren and the general public, particularly of the residents of Vilna. Scientific experiments on phytopathology were conducted on the Garden’s plots. After Vilna was incorporated into Lithuania in October 1939, the Lithuanian authorities shut down the Stefan Batory University, thus ending the history of the Polish Botanic Garden. Its area is now one of the sections of the Vilnius University Botanic Garden (“Vingis” section – Vilniaus universiteto botanikos sodas). In 1964, its area was extended to 7.35 hectares. In 1974, after establishing the new Botanic Garden in Kairenai to the east of Vilnius, the old Garden lost its significance. Nevertheless, it still serves the students and townspeople of Vilnius, and its collections of flowering plants are often used to decorate and grace the university halls during celebrations.
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