Commemorating International Day of Peace – 21st of September 2025
The Intercultural Dialogue Association successfully opened the new season of collaborations with the Botanical Garden of the University of Ljubljana. Together, we planted a young tree — a larch — at a ceremonial event organized a few days before the International Day of Peace. In this way, we symbolically marked an international day, the significance of which should not be forgotten, but rather continuously promoted by spreading the message of peace throughout the entire year.
The event was organized in the spirit of the International Day of Peace, and we are also pleased to have launched a new collaboration — this time with the Botanical Garden. The Garden represents the entire University of Ljubljana and offers a peaceful green oasis to all residents of Ljubljana as well as other visitors to the Slovenian capital. The Botanical Garden has been located in the same place in Ljubljana since its establishment in 1810.
The event was attended by members and friends of the Intercultural Dialogue Association, as well as two representatives of the Botanical Garden — its director, Dr. Jože Bavcon, and Dr. Blanka Ravnjak. Both welcomed us warmly and guided us on a short professional tour through the Garden, sharing many fascinating facts about the planted inhabitants of the Botanical Garden.
We learned that the Garden collaborates with other botanical gardens around the world by caring for endangered plants and by planting and monitoring representatives of various species in different climate conditions.
We explored various areas of the Garden, from wetlands and tall trees to shrubs in the rock garden, and tropical plants that thrive in the warmer and more humid environment of the glasshouse.
The invited guests at the event were representatives from Turkey, Russia, Egypt, and Slovenia. All of them showed great interest in the event and were delighted by the hidden corners of the Botanical Garden that an ordinary visitor does not easily reach. Dr. Ravnjak and Dr. Bavcon also took us into a small office, where we saw the rich collection of seeds of all the plants that they collect, dry, and then store for possible exchange with other gardens around the world.
After the guided tour, the ceremonial part of the event followed — the planting of the tree. The Botanical Garden chose to plant a larch, as they did not have one among their species at the time. Our larch came from Velika planina and is now the only representative of its kind in the Botanical Garden in Ljubljana. This conifer is known for shedding its needles in the winter.
with representatives of the Botanical Garden.
Of course, refreshments were an essential part of the event. To conclude, our volunteers prepared some Turkish treats, while the Botanical Garden provided non-alcoholic beverages for refreshment. During the gathering, we enjoyed pleasant conversations about the successful event and shared our impressions of the visit to the Botanical Garden.
You can check out some video highlights below or HERE.
