GB No. 1(20)/96
Arboretum is a tree garden, that is, a specially designed area for growing trees and shrubs, indigenous or not. The aim is scientific research, mainly in the fields of ecology, breeding and acclimatisation. The oldest arboretum in Poland, of over 100 ha. in area, was founded by Tytus Działyński in the first part of the nineteenth century. The second garden, founded in 1921 in Rogów near Koluszki, belongs to the Academy of Farming (Wyższa Szkoła Gospodarstwa Wiejskiego). Another arboretum is in Gołuchów, district of Poznań. The arboretum in Karnieszewice is 15 km north-east of Koszalin, on the premises of Kamionka Forest Division, which is a part of Karnieszewice Forest Division in the village district of Sianów. It is located in the vicinity of Koszalin. To get there by car or bus, you must pass the huge greenhouse of the Gardening Plant in Karnieszewice, turn left and drive about 1 km, leaving the old village of Karnieszewice behind. The garden is in the section 25b, which resembles a rectangle. Its longer side adjoins the railway line Koszalin-Gdańsk. It is also adjacent to a motor road and a forest road.
The arboretum, which is 4.79 ha. in area, was founded on the Congress of Pomeranian Forest Association (PTL - Pomorskie Towarzystwo Leśne) in 1881. A memorial stone in the north-west corner near a level crossing confirms it and commemorates PTL. Another important proof is the age of Douglas fir, based on annual growth and estimated at 110 years during the stocktaking in 1991. The aim of the arboretum was research on development and acclimatisation of non-indigenous species, mainly the aforementioned Douglas fir. It was imported from North America to Europe for the first time in 1827 by David Douglas, a Scottish botanist, who dispersed it in English parks and gardens. Between 1880 and 1884 some seeds were brought to Pomerania and rearing experiments were carried out. The present Douglas firs are believed to have been planted then. More tree and shrub species were brought to Karnieszewice in the beginning of the twentieth century.
In the summer of 1995 an old fence, made from poles, was replaced by a solid aluminum net on strong wooden posts. A Douglas fir alley, ended with a wooden gate with the inscription: ARBORETUM , crosses the garden.
At present there are 37 tree species, 26 shrub species and 62 undergrowth species there. Apart from Douglas fir, we can find in the arboretum : Colorado fir, tulip tree, chestnut tree, Canada hemlock, rose elder, Oregon grape, meadow-sweet (Spirea japonica), daphne and many more. There are over 1,400 trees of the volume of nearly 2,000 m3. The height and breast-height girth of Douglas fir are over 40m and 4m respectively. After the Second World War the arboretum was neglected for many years. Research centers were not interested in it. There was some positive change in the sixties but the Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society (PTTK - Polskie Towarzystwo Turystyczno-Krajoznawcze) did not gain any interest until the eighties. Then the Society organised walking tours to the arboretum and interested "Amber Routs" ("Jantarowe Szlaki") in it. "Amber Routs", a quarterly published in Gdańsk since 1957, deals mainly with tourism, history and sightseeing in Pomerania.
Access roads to the arboretum need better marking. Though it is not popular, it can become an excellent place for outings, especially for schoolchildren and students, and a very attractive "educational aid".
Bernard Konarski
ul. Rzemieślnicza 10d/6, Koszalin
tel. 43-17-46
reprinted from Zielone Brygady 10/95
translated by J. Iwański