Sochi Arboretum, Arboretum on Bald Mountain in Sochi, Russia
The Sochi Arboretum is a botanical garden spread across 49 hectares on terraced slopes with over 1,500 tree and shrub species from around the world. The layout follows the natural contours of the hillside, creating different growing zones for plants at various elevations.
Publisher Sergei Khudekov founded this botanical garden in 1889, starting with around 400 plant species from Russia and Europe that he collected. The Villa Nadezhda became the centerpiece and residence where he developed his vision for the botanical collection.
The house museum inside Villa Nadezhda, opened in 2014, displays the founder's life and shows how Russian botanical work developed over time. Visitors can see how the passion for plants shaped this place and the people who cared for it.
The garden is divided into two sections connected by a cable car that runs from the lower entrance near Sochi's circus up to the upper grounds. This system allows you to reach different elevation levels and see the plants that grow at each height without too much walking.
The garden holds 24 palm species, 80 oak varieties, and 76 pine types growing outdoors in Russia's only subtropical climate zone without greenhouse protection. This rare combination of warm-weather plants thriving in a cool mountain setting makes it exceptionally unusual for the region.
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