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Jardim Botânico de Coimbra Traditional Geocache

Hidden : 8/20/2008
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


Jardim Botânico de Coimbra
1º Owner GeoDragon 5.5
2º Owner bocaseca
Português English
Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Coimbra Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra
Visitar um jardim botânico é como viajar pelo planeta sem sair da cidade. As colecções de plantas que preenchem cada espaço transportam-nos para diferentes latitudes e regiões do mundo, transformando o Jardim num verdadeiro museu vivo.

O Jardim Botânico, localizado no coração da cidade de Coimbra desde 1772, por iniciativa do Marquês de Pombal, estende-se por 13 ha em terrenos que na sua maior parte foram doados pelos frades Beneditinos.
The Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra (Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Coimbra or simply Jardim Botânico) is a botanical garden in Coimbra, Portugal.

It was founded in 1772-1774 and it was integrated in the Natural History Museum established by the Marquis of Pombal.

The place for the Hortus Botanicus was chosen by the vice-chancellor of the University of Coimbra (Francisco de Lemos) and it was part of the farm of S. Bento's College, located at the Ursulinas Valley. Domingos Vandelli was the first supervisor for the orientation of the Garden, being followed in 1791 by Félix Avelar Brotero, professor of Botany and Agriculture.
Os jardins botânicos surgem na Europa como consequência da expansão europeia do século XV. O contacto com plantas e animais exóticos despertou o interesse pelo seu estudo. Exemplo disso foi o português Garcia da Orta que no séc.XVI viajou para a Índia e se dedicou ao estudo das propriedades terapêuticas das plantas, publicando dois importantes ensaios.

O século XVIII é marcado por uma revolução de mentalidades e por grandes avanços na ciência, nomeadamente no campo da Medicina. Assim, o Jardim Botânico de Coimbra foi criado com o objectivo de complementar o estudo da História Natural e da Medicina. Podemos destacar neste período o naturalista e botânico Avelar Brotero com várias publicações científicas, entre as quais a primeira Flora Lusitana (1804). Este investigador português deu início à primeira escola prática de Botânica.
The area of the Garden, which has been enlarged, reaches the 13 hectares it occupies at present. The Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra, considered one of the most beautiful of Europe, can be divided in two parts.

The first part, located at the highest level of the Garden and at the top of the valley, constitutes the most formal area and it is divided in terraces.
The lower terrace, known as the Quadrado Central (The Central Square) is the most primitive part of the garden and is decorated as other European Gardens of the 18th Century. In this terrace, adorned with a fountain from the 1940s, some trees planted during the time of Brotero can still be seen, such as: Cryptomeria japonica, Cunninghamia sinensis and Erythrina crista-galli. On the other terraces are:

a) The Order Beds, where plants, taxonomically grouped, are cultivated for the use of the students of Botany and for exchange with numerous similar institutions (Botanical Gardens and Institutes) all over the world (Index Seminum et Sporarum).
b) The Greenhouses, where tropical and sub-tropical plants develop under different conditions of temperature and humidity, according to their various needs, among which Victoria cruziana is one of the best known and admired.
A criação do banco de sementes e respectiva publicação do Index Seminum (catálogo de sementes) em 1868, até hoje anualmente actualizado, incluiu variedades exóticas e portuguesas muito diversificadas. Este facto permite-nos hoje salvaguardar espécies que se encontram em risco de extinção no seu habitat natural. O jardim ganhou assim novas funções no âmbito da conservação da natureza.

No domínio educativo, o Jardim Botânico de Coimbra promove programas de educação ambiental e cultural, sensibilizando os cidadãos para questões ligadas às temáticas ambientais e à adopção de comportamentos cívicos.

O Jardim é também um espaço de tranquilidade, repleto de recantos que nos convidam simplesmente a um passeio.
The second part of the Garden, including the valley where once a small stream flowed, is the Arboretum, usually known as Mata of the Botanical Garden.
Here we can observe, alongside with the Monocotyledoneae collection, a splendid forest of bamboos and a dense vegetation with exotic trees. In the Arboretum holds an excellent collection of Eucalyptus, about 51 species.
There is a notable specimen of Ficus macrophylla sprawling on steps. The Department of Botany of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra (Instituto Botânico Dr. Júlio Henriques), from which the Garden is a component, comprises the Library, the Herbarium, the Museum and the Laboratories, dating from the period of Prof. Júlio Henriques direction (end of 19th century). The classes of Botany were first taken at the natural History Museum, but they were lately transferred, by Avelar Brotero's initiative, to a house built in the Garden for that purpose (Classe of Botany) and later demolished.
The Botanical Garden shelters several species of birds in their natural environment. The brown squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) has been part of the ecosystem since it was successfully introduced in June 1994. In fact, the six couples of squirrels which were the initial population seem to have adapted and have bred well, being now integral part of the environment.
A cache The cache
Esta cache tem como finalidade dar a conhecer o Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Coimbra.

Está colocada no interior do jardim que se encontra aberto todos os dias entre as 09H00 e as 17H30.

O sinal de GPS pode não ser muito estável devido à vegetação.
With this cache we want you to have a pleasant visit to this great place in Coimbra.

The cache is located inside of the Garden, which is open every day from 9h00 to 17h30. Pay attention to the muggles that are always moving in the garden.

The GPS signal might not be the best due to all the trees around..

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Zntaégvpn (cbe qrgeáf qn sbagr) Zntargvp (oruvaq gur sbhagnva)

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)