The Mendel University Botanical Garden and Arboretum in Brno was awarded a prestigious gold medal at the recent International Orchid Exhibition in Vienna, alongside a collection of five silver and six bronze medals for individual plants. The gardens were competing against more than 30 exhibitors from Europe, Asia, and Central and South America. MENDELU has remained the sole representative of Czech botanical gardens at this event since 2010.
Michal Pavlík, director of the MENDELU Botanical Garden and Arboretum, said that the medals regularly won by both the exhibits and the overall exposition reflect the high level of expertise at the university. The architectural concept of the displays was historically shaped by the legendary Ivar Otruba, before being taken over in 2024 by Barbara Ševčíková and Anna Magni from the Institute of Garden and Landscape Architecture. The floral arrangements themselves are created by a team led by orchid collection curators Jarmila Matoušková and Anna Buchtová.
Brno residents who missed the Vienna showcase will have an opportunity to view these prize-winning plants directly in the Moravian capital. The traditional Orchids and Butterflies exhibition will take place in the greenhouses of the MENDELU Botanical Garden and Arboretum from 13 to 29 March 2026. In addition to the award-winning orchids, visitors can observe tropical butterflies flying freely throughout the greenhouse space, creating an authentic atmosphere of exotic nature.
Credit: MENDELU
The International Orchid Exhibition in Vienna’s Hirschstetten district has been held every two years since 1994 and, alongside a similar event in Dresden, remains one of the most anticipated events of the season for both professionals and the general public. This year’s edition attracted a record crowd of over 16,000 visitors. The success of the plants in competitive categories depends on many factors, including precise care during the winter months. Pavlík added that medals for the plants are influenced by the intensity of sunlight during the winter and the specific number of plants in bloom during the event. The Orchids and Butterflies exhibition will be open to the public daily from 13 to 29 March 2026. The showcase is hosted within the greenhouses of the MENDELU Botanical Garden and Arboretum at třida Generala Píky 1. More information about the exhibition is available here.
