The Jacquin Grove

From 1770 to 1839, the Jacquins (father and son) were the directors of the Botanical Garden and established its worldwide renown. The Jacquin fountain and the Jacquin grove in Group 21 commemorate these two directors. They were designed in 2011 by Sarah Glaser, a member of the landscape design class of the University of Applied Arts, Vienna, and erected by the Garden’s staff.

The two original gravestones currently in the Jacquin grove were transferred to the Botanical Garden from the tomb row in Waldmüllerpark in Wien-Matzleinsdorf in 1977 on the occasion of the 250^th anniversary of Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin’s (the father) birth date. The graves themselves have not been preserved.

The gravestones are made of sandstone. The English translation of the original Latin inscription is:

NICOLAI. IOSEPHI. IACQVIN.
LIBERI. BARONIS.
NATVRAE. INDEFESSI. SCRVTAT.
BOTANICORVM. AEVI. PRINCIPIS.
VIRI.
INGENIO. DOCTRINA. HVMANIT.
EXIMII.
PRINCIPI. PATRIAE. MVSIS. AMICIS
CARI.
PATRIS. OPTIMI.
TVMVLVM.
POSTERITATI.
PIA. MENTE. DESIGNAT.
FRATER. CVM. SORORE.
NATVS. LVGD. BATAV. XVI. FEBR. MDCCXXVII.
OBIIT. VINDOBONAE. XXVI. OCT. MDCCCXVII.

Nikolaus Joseph
Freiherr von Jacquin,
untiring natural scientist,
foremost among the botanists of his time,
that
brilliant man, rich in talent, scholarliness and humanity,
dear to the Emperor, the fatherland, the muses and to friends,
the best father –
his tomb –
for posterity
dedicated in faithful commemoration
by brother and sister [this refers to son and daughter]
born in Leiden, The Netherlands on 16 Feb. 1727
died in Vienna on 26 Oct. 1817

IOSEPH. FRANC. LIB. BARON. IACQVIN
NICOL. FIL.
PATERNAE. VIRTVTIS. ET. GLORIAE. HAEREDI
BOTANICORVM. ET. CHEMICORVM. AVSTRIAE
PER. SEMI. SAECVLVM. MAGISTRO.
VIRO.
INGENIO. DOCTRINA. MORVM. SVAVITATE. PER. ORBEM. ILLVSTRE.
PRINCIPIBVS. ACCEPTO. PATRIAE. CARO.
AMICIS. DILECTO.
MARITO. OPTIMO.
PATRI. PUSSIMO.
HVNC. TVMVLVM.
MOESTA. VXOR. CVM. FILIA.
P. P.
NATVS. SCHEMN. HVNG. VII. FEB. MDCCLXVI.
OBIIT. VINDOB. IX. DECEMB. MDCCCXXXIX.

Joseph Franz Freiherrn von Jacquin,
son of Nikolaus,
heir to his father's virtue and glory,
who taught Austria's botanists and chemists
for half a century,
a man blessed with
talent, scholarliness and civil manner known around the world,
recognized by the rulers, dear to the fatherland,
loved by friends,
the best husband,
the most affectionate father –
this tomb [is erected for him by]
the mourning wife with daughter
everlasting peace [be with him]
born in Schemnitz in Hungary [today's Banská Stiviavnica, Slovakia], on 7 Febr. 1766,
died in Vienna on 9 Dec. 1839