National Botanical Garden Institute "Alexandru Ciubotaru"

On 27 September 1965, Decision No. 919 of the Government of the Republic of Moldova allocated 104 hectares of land in the southwestern part of Chișinău to create a new botanical garden. This location was carefully selected to ensure diverse environmental conditions, including hills, slopes facing various directions, diverse soil types, and access to flowing water. These conditions were considered essential for cultivating a wide variety of native and introduced plant species. Between 1966 and 1971, comprehensive plans were developed by a design institute based in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). The master plan for the garden was formally approved during the All-Union Session of Botanical Gardens held in Chișinău in September 1971. Construction of the garden began in the spring of 1972. The garden's layout was structured into clearly defined zones. The primary exhibition zone included distinct sections such as a dendrarium, a rose garden (rosary), a lianrium (garden dedicated to climbing plants), a Japanese-style rock garden (rokarium), a lilac garden (syringarium), and an alpine garden (alpinarium). Central to the garden's design was a series of decorative lakes showcasing aquatic plants and an area dedicated to East Asian flora. Other planned facilities included a central greenhouse for tropical and subtropical plants, a laboratory building, educational areas, scientific research zones, and supporting infrastructure such as an extensive underground irrigation system, scientific library, herbarium, and botanical museum.