Nature

The first well-thought gardening in Brzeg was conducted thanks to king Friderick the Great in the second part of 18th century. In the town’s free areas Mulberry orchards began to be set up, which allowed to establish silkworm farms. Thanks to those moves, Brzeg was famous for the silk and haberdashery goods production. Until today the remains of 18th century Mulberry cultivation can be found in Brzeg especially in the neighbourhood of Filozofow and Ofiar Katynia streets.

After 1807 in the space of 19th century the town authorities with great assistance of The Town Beautifying Associations started to set up promenades and park areas in place of liquidated municipal fortifications. At the close of 19th century W. Wicherkiewicz described the charms of Brzeg’s green belt in the following way: “Above all it was the beautiful walks on the former fortress embankments that caught our eye as the decoration of the town which is situated on the left bank of the River Odra. Like in Wroclaw, they go all the way around the town and in a way make three parts of a square with the River Odra being the fourth part. One may even like the Brzeg walks more than the ones in Wroc³aw because while the latter ones are characterized by artistic gardening, the paths in Brzeg are more of an English- style garden. One may find here more nature, more fresh air and more diversity.”

At the beginning of 20th century with the Mayor J. Peppel’s initiative the town authorities decided to set up a large landscape park in the south-western part of Brzeg. Between 1901 and 1905 thanks to purchasing and the dedication of the owners of Skarbimierz and von Lobbecke family areas of Brzeg’s southern suburbs were acquired for this purpose. This is how Brzeg’s largest park was created. It used to be called The Wolnosci Park, but since not long ago it has been the Julius Peppel Park. Nowadays the park has the area of almost 100 hectares.

Thanks to the dedication of Brzeg’s naturalists and the actions taken at the beginning of 20th century the park area was planted with the abundance of various species of trees and bushes. Despite being thinned out in the post-war years, today they constitute the number of almost 180 European, Asian and North American species and plant specimens. Chinese Redwood, Swamp Cypress, Niko Fir, as well as White Oak, Japanese Cranberry, Clammy Locust should be mentioned as the most interesting ones. Thanks to extensive parks, stagnant waters, and the River Odra getting cleaner every year, Brzeg’s fauna is abounding as well.

Andrzej Peszko