Day 2: The Kremlin, Moscow State University, and the Apothecaries Garden

Katya, a research scientist and staff member at the botanical garden picked us up Monday morning, and we walked to the Metro station and took a train to the Kremlin. Here we met Ina, another scientist/staff member. Katya and Ina took us inside the Kremlin, giving an amazing, information-laden tour. The Kremlin contains 5 palaces, 4 cathedrals, and an enclosing wall and towers. It was originally designed as a medieval fortress (current walls built between 1485-1495), was a seat of Russian power through several centuries, and now houses museums and is also the current seat of Russian government and the home of the President since 1992.

Inside are several cathedrals, all Russian Orthodox, but all built to serve different purposes. The Ivan the Great Bell tower, shown below, is the tallest tower in the Kremlin, built in 1508.

Ivan the Great Bell Tower

Walking towards cathedral square in the Kremlin

We went inside 3 of the cathdrals, including the Annunciation Cathedral, shown below. Built in 1484-1489, it was originally the personal chapel of great princes and Russian tsars. Katya told us a story of the entrance on the far side (under the porch in the photo below) which Ivan the Terrible had built in 1570. He had had 3 wives and was banned from the church, so he built this porch so he could still listen to the services.

Annunciation Cathedral

After we left the Kremlin, we had lunch and headed towards Moscow State University. Established in 1755, this is the largest university in Russia, with more than 40,000 students. The MSU main building was built in the 1950s, and was the tallest building outside of New York City at the time of its construction. We were here to visit the Museum of Earth Sciences, located on the upper floors of the building. We had a wonderful tour of the museum, which had some amazing collections of minerals, soils, meteors, lava, skeletons, and of course, plants and habitat displays. At the end of our tour, we were able to go outside on the viewing platform to get a spectacular view of Moscow.

The Main Building of MSU

Inside the Museum

View from the top

From the Main Building, we walked across the street to check out the MSU botanical garden. This garden is not open to the public, so Katya and Ina gave us a special tour. A highlight was the rock garden, a large area with meandering paths and elevation changes, and many familiar species. After touring, we sat down for tea with Aleksander (executive VP of the garden), Katya, and Ina and discussed living collections policies, plant records challenges, and other common issues in botanical gardens. It is conversations like this that really make you realize what a common bond we have with staff like this all over the world, and how conversations around a table can really help generate ideas and drive change within our organizations.

Rock garden

Leucanthemum sp.

Tea time with Aleksander, Katya, and Ina

Tea time snacks

Moscow State University's Apothecaries Garden was our next stop. This botanic garden was founded by Peter the Great in 1706 as an Apothecary where medicinal plants are grown and studied by students of the medical school. This garden was wedged in the hustle and bustle of urban Moscow, and it was a wonderful surprise. Quaint, historical, creative, modern, and well-maintained, it was a highlight of the day. Quaint in that it is rather small, but packs several beautiful landscapes, interesting collections, and promises of new and exciting displays including a new area to display the flora of central Russia.

Getting dark, so hard to see part of the glasshouse complex

The history is obvious with its ties to Peter the Great, and the legend that a larch planted here might have actually been planted by Peter himself. Some of the displays were so creative, we were all inspired to bring some of these ideas back to Missouri, including an aquarium display which were more like works of art, a stunning carnivorous plant display, and succulent "art". There was also an exposition of food, most grown at the botanical garden, including pumpkins, apples, peppers, set up and interpreted creatively and beautifully. Families were enjoying it at 7pm when we left for the evening. Unfortunately, it was getting dark and my pictures weren't turning out so great, but here's one last photo of the food exposition.

We took a taxi back to the hotel for the evening so we could prepare for tomorrow, where we'll each present at a workshop at the Moscow Main Botanical Garden.