The Regensburg Botanical Society (''Regensburgische Botanische Gesellschaft''), founded 1790 in the city of

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...

, Bavaria, Germany, is the oldest extant scientific society focused on botany. It was initially supported by the Prince-Archbishop

Karl Theodor von Dalberg Karl Theodor Anton Maria von Dalberg (8 February 1744 – 10 February 1817) was Prince- Archbishop of Regensburg, Arch-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Empire, Bishop of Constance and Worms, prince-primate of the Confederation of the Rhine and ...

of Regensburg. Over the centuries the society has held scientific meetings, published scientific journals and had a

botanic garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

(until 1855),

herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (called ...

and

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

. In the twentieth century the society extended its role into nature conservation. It currently collaborates closely with the

University of Regensburg The University of Regensburg (german: link=no, Universität Regensburg) is a public research university located in the medieval city of Regensburg, Bavaria, a city that is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university was founded on 18 ...

Foundation

The Regensburg Botanical Society was founded 14 May 1790 by the botanist

David Heinrich Hoppe David Heinrich Hoppe (15 December 1760 – 1 August 1846) was a German pharmacist, botanist, entomologist and physician. He is remembered for contributions made to the study of alpine flora. Life Hoppe, a merchant's son from Vilsen, Hanover, ...

. It was previously known as the Royal Bavarian Botanical Society of Regensburg (''Königlich Bayerische Botanische Gesellschaft zu Regensburg''). The first 'meeting' took place in the open air near

in what is now the Max-Schultze-Steig nature reserve. The location was adjacent to prominent cliffs with a cave above the river

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

that provides some shelter and was subsequently called the 'Hoppefelsen' in memory of Hoppe. He walked there accompanied by his friends Ernst Wilhelm Martius, Johann August Stallknecht and

Heinrich Christian Funck Heinrich Christian Funck (22 November 1771 – 14 April 1839) was a German pharmacist and bryologist born in Wunsiedel, Bavaria. He was a co-founder of the Regensburg Botanical Society. He received early training at a pharmacy in Regensburg, subs ...

, all pharmacists, and then read a statement of the aims and rules of the new Regensburg Botanical Society. Several prominent local people soon joined, including two Frenchmen, Charles François Marie Duval and François Gabriel de Bray, the French ambassador to Regensburg. Schutzfelsen Pentling 2014

A commemorative plaque in French was installed in 1792 and has been restored, translated and extended in 1890 and 1975. It states: Gedenktafel am Hoppefelsen Pentling 2014

Gedenktafel am Hoppefelsen Pentling 2014

History of the society

The ruler of the Principality of Regensburg, Prince-Archbishop

supported the society in its early years. He gave it the garden of

Saint Emmeram's Abbey Saint Emmeram's Abbey (german: Kloster Sankt Emmeram or ''Reichsabtei Sankt Emmeram''), now known as Schloss Thurn und Taxis, Schloss St. Emmeram or St. Emmeram's Basilica, was a Benedictine monastery founded in about 739 at Regensburg in Bavari ...

, which had had a long tradition of scientific enquiry. From 1803 until 1855 the society maintained a botanical garden there. The society also started a

focusing on plants found in Germany. By the 1820s it contained 3,265 specimens with along with some from other parts of the world. The most substantial donation of additional material to the herbarium, 20,000 specimens, was from the estate of Baron Franz Ludwig von Welden, an Austrian army officer who travelled widely. In addition the society began to form a specialist library, which by 1805 contained 216 titles. In the early 1900s, as nature conservation began to be appreciated the society's chair, Heinrich Karl August Fürnrohr, led the society to purchase several areas of land for conservation value. These included in 1905 Drabafelsen near Etterzhausen, in 1906 the Schutzfelsen where the society was founded and in 1911 the Sippenauer Moor. The society disposed of some of the herbarium and library during the early-twentieth century. From the 1950s the society developed a new journal (''Hoppea''), increased activity related to conservation and new connections with other regional scientific societies. In 1974 the society became part of the

and the books (in 1974), herbarium (in 1977) and society's archives (in 1984) were added to the university's collections as permanent loans. Conservation work has been undertaken on the documents and herbarium specimens, and the herbarium is now housed in modern facilities. The change in the society's fortunes has been reflected in an increase in the number of members which has been around 600 since 1999.

Publications

The society has published several scientific journals over the years: * Botanical Pocket Book for Beginners of this Science and the Art of Pharmacy, (''Botanisches Taschenbuch für die Anfänger dieser Wissenschaft und der Apothekerkunst'') published from 1790 (renamed New Botanical Pocket Book for Beginners of Science and the Art of Pharmacy (''Neues Botanisches Taschenbuch für die Anfänger dieser Wissenschaft und der Apothekerkunst'') in 1805), which was the first botanical journal to be published in Germany * Memoranda of the Regensburg Botanical Society (''Denkschriften der Regensburgischen Botanischen Gesellschaft'') renamed ''Hoppea'' from 1971. This was published intermittently from 1792 onwards. In 1861 a volume about the Bavarian

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.August von Krempelhuber appeared. * The Botanical Newspaper (''Botanische Zeitung'') was published from 1807 until 1817. * Flora was started in 1818 by Hoppe and

Christian Friedrich Hornschuch Christian Friedrich Hornschuch (21 August 1793 – 24 December 1850) was a German botanist born in Rodach, Bavaria. In 1808 he started his career as an apprentice at a pharmacy in Hildburghausen. In 1813 he moved to Regensburg as an assistan ...

as a successor to the Botanical Newspaper and was published by the society until 1888. It was then taken on by other publishers and is still in existence. * Flora Exsiccata Bavarica, a series of collections of the dried plants of Bavaria was produced from 1898 until 1930. * Regensburg Mycological Writings (''Regensburger Mykologische Schriften'') to be about all aspects of fungi, especially in Bavaria. This has been published since 1993 with Andreas Bresinsky and Helmut Besl as the first editors, followed by Peter Poschlod.

Awards

The society has made several awards over the years: * An award for outstanding botanical work has been made at irregular intervals. * The Anton de Bary prize for outstanding achievements in the fields of plant systematics and mycology was established in 1993.

Presidents and significant members of the society

The presidents of the society were: * 1790 – Johann Jakob Kohlhaas * 1811 – 1832 Francois Gabriel Graf von Bray * 1840 – 1868 Carl Friedrich Philipp v. Martius No-one took the role of president after 1868. Chairs of the society have included: * 1812 – 1846 David Heinrich Hoppe * 1846 – 1861 August Emanuel Fürnrohr * 1891 – 1900 Ottmar Hofmann * 1900 – 1916 Heinrich Karl August Fürnrohr * 1916 – 1956 Sebastian Killermann * 1956 – 1974 Otto Mergenthaler * 1974 – 1999 Andreas Bresinsky * 2007 – date Peter Poschlod Significant members of the society have included: *

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...

Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, p ...

Justus von Liebig Justus Freiherr von Liebig (12 May 1803 – 20 April 1873) was a German scientist who made major contributions to agricultural and biological chemistry, and is considered one of the principal founders of organic chemistry. As a professor at t ...

Adelbert von Chamisso Adelbert von Chamisso (; 30 January 178121 August 1838) was a German poet and botanist, author of ''Peter Schlemihl'', a famous story about a man who sold his shadow. He was commonly known in French as Adelbert de Chamisso (or Chamissot) de Bonc ...

, botanist and poet * Carl Wilhelm von Gümbel, geologist Honorary membership of the society has been awarded to significant scientists including: *

Josef Poelt Josef Poelt was a botanist, bryologist and lichenologist. He held the chair in Systematic Botany and Plant Geography at the Free University of Berlin (1965 - 1972) and then was head of the Botanical Institute and Botanical Garden of Graz Universi ...

The society reached its peak number of members in 1841, with 516. The membership declined gradually so that there were 89 in 1898 and only 40 by 1954. However, by the twenty-first century the society's membership had increased substantially to around 600.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Society, Regensburg Botanical Biology societies 1790 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire Scientific societies based in Germany Learned societies of Germany