History

Take a look at the most significant milestones

• 1895 – Origin of The Higher School of Orchardry and Horticulture (Höhere Obst-Gartenbauschule) in Lednice na Moravě, the first high school with the maturita graduation exams in the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire.
• 1912 – Establishment of The Institute of Plant Breeding of Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein and J. G. Mendel in Lednice na Moravě, in honor of the originator of genetics J. G. Mendel. It was built on land located south of Lednice along the Valtice alley, now called the Bezručova alley, and following the gardens of the german Higher School of Orchardry and Horticulture and the Thuma villa, belonging to painter Carl Maria Thuma (1870 – 1925).
• 1919 – – On July 24, 1919 the University of Agriculture in Brno was established, becoming the first independent school of agriculture in all of Czechoslovakia. In the beginning the school had two fields of specialization: Agricultural engineering and Forestry engineering. Horticultural disciplines were included in the compulsory subjects such as Orchardry, Vegetable growing, Viticulture and Fruit industry.
• 1922 – At the initiative of professor Bayer, the Biological station of Czech universities was established in Lednice na Moravě as a joint research institute of universities located in Brno: the University of Agriculture, the University of Veterinary Medicine, the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University. The station resided at Rybniční zámeček (Jägerhaus) in Lednice, under administration of VŠZ since 1951.
• 1947 – On April 15, 1947 a viticulture-horticultural study field was established at the University of Agriculture in Brno. The institutes included within this field were:
  • The Institute of Orchardry, under the leadership of Doc. Dr. Ing. Jindřich Schmidt (1908 – 1963);
  • The Institute of Vegetable Growing, under the leadership of Doc. Dr. Ing. Karel Kočnar; in 1949 the name was changed to The Institute of Vegetable Growing and Breeding, with Doc. Dr. Ing. Jaroslav Podešva taking Kočnar’s place;
  • The Institute of Viticulture and Cellar Management, under the leadership of Doc. Dr. Ing. Josef Blaha;
  • The Institute of Technology and Cellar Management, under the leadership of Doc. Dr. Ing. Vladimír Kyzlink;
  • The Institute of Orcharding and Floriculture, under the leadership of Doc. Dr. Ing. Jaromír Scholz.
• 1952 – Establishment of The Department of Horticulture with follow-up specialized institutes and branches. The Department of Horticulture was relocated to Lednice the same year. Prof. J. Scholz, the rector of VŠZ in Brno, was named head of the department. The audience was accommodated in the renovated building of the former St. Hedwig‘s hospital of the Vincentka sisters, in the premises of the former chateau riding stables and the chateau Hunting yard.
• 1953 – The horticultural field attained a nationwide scope. Audiences from all horticulture-focused colleges  (Prague, Nitra, Brno) transferred to Lednice na Moravě for their third year of studies.
• 1963 – To ensure the flow of the horticultural subjects, the Lednice-based Department of the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Agriculture was established, led by the vice dean.
• 1977 – All of the admissions acts were relocated from Brno to Lednice. The applicants could choose from two individual subjects: Horticultural Production, and Orcharding and Landscaping. These subjects acquired the right to have their own state commission for the defense of dissertation candidate theses necessary to obtain the scientific title „Candidate of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences“. The construction of the P. Bezruče Dormitory in Lednice was finished (1974 – 1979).

• 1985 – On September 1, 1985 The Faculty of Horticulture of the College of Agriculture in Brno was established, based in Lednice na Moravě. Prof. Ing. Vlastimil Fic, DrSc. was named the first dean of the new faculty. Teaching took place in two separate subjects: Horticulture, and Orcharding and Landscaping.
• 1986 – The Faculty of Horticulture, along with other subjects, founded a scientific-production association named Resistant within the Joint Agricultural Enterprise South Moravia in Velké Bílovice.
• 1987 – The interdisciplinary study of Cultivation of Ornamental Plants was started. A manufacturing association for the use of explants and tissue cultures was established, along with collaborations of VŠZ and ČSAV in Brno and the explant laboratory of the Department of Botany and Plant Breeding at the School Agricultural Enterprise in Lednice.
• 1988 – A tissue culture laboratory was built at the School Agricultural Enterprise in Lednice. The first phase of construction of the dean’s office at The Faculty of Horticulture in Lednice was finished. The interdisciplinary study of Propagation of horticultural plants and five-year study of Biotechnology in the reproduction of horticultural plants were started. The Faculty of Horticulture acquired insignia based on the proposal of the academic sculptor from UMPRUM in Prague, Slavomír Čermák.
• 1990 – The Mendeleum became part of The Faculty of Horticulture of VŠZ in Brno.
• 1991 – The construction of The Faculty of Horticulture in Lednice was finished.
• 1993 – The Faculty of Horticulture introduced an engineering field of study called Post-harvest technology, and a bachelor’s study of the Horticulture subject. A student’s canteen was opened on the campus of The Faculty of Horticulture in Lednice in collaboration with the Secondary Vocational School of Agriculture in Lednice.
• 1995 – The College of Agriculture in Brno was renamed to the Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry in Brno. The detached workplace of the school in Jihlava was cancelled. The Faculty of Horticulture introduced a new engineering field of study, Processing of horticultural products.
• 1996 – The Humanitas Hortorum Foundation was founded for the horticulture-based studies at The Faculty of Horticulture.
• 1998 – The Faculty of Horticulture started with the implementation of the European Credit and Transfer System of studies (ECTS). The second years of master’s studies at The Faculty of Horticulture were transferred from Lednice to Brno.
• 1999 – Changes related to the accreditation procedure and the transition to structured study were made in all study programs.

• 2000 – By merging two school agricultural enterprises of the MZLU in Lednice and Žabčice, the school agricultural enterprise of the MZLU in Brno was created, with its residence in Žabčice and depository in Lednice.
• 2001 – The bachelor studies of Garden and landscape architecture and Garden and landscaping management were introduced, as well as the Master’s study of Garden and landscaping management. The Technical Isolate in Lednice was created, serving as the research facility for testing the genetic material of thermophilic fruit species and grapevines.
• 2002 – Integration of the new university information system into the everyday lives of the employees and students of the MENDELU Faculty of Horticulture. Equipment of the Technical Isolate at the Mendeleum for ELISA testing, the PCR laboratory and the laboratory for thermotherapy.
• 2003 – Modernization of pavilion A and the Mendeleum. Introduction of the bachelor study of Viticulture and Winemaking and the study program of Horticulture.
• 2004 – Purchase of the former apprenticeship school’s property.
• 2005 – Accreditation of new study fields – Viticulture and Winemaking, Quality of plant food sources, and Garden and landscape architecture. Introduction of the bachelor study of Management of gardening and landscaping. Opening of the doctoral field of study of Horticultural Production. Founding of the unique workplace for the study of postharvest physiology and technology of pulpy fruits and cut flowers.
• 2007 – Opening of the reconstructed pavillion D with a detached workplace of the central library.
• 2008 – Introduction of the master’s study of Management of horticultural technologies.
• 2009 – The Graphics Center was built, along with the biotechnology laboratory with the possibility of working with GMOs at the Mendeleum.
• 2010 – January 1, 2010 the university was renamed to the Mendel University in Brno. Introduction of the bachelor study of Quality of plant food sources.
• 2011 – Opening of the Academic garden. Collaboration of The Faculty of Horticulture with the Italian Free University in Bolzano and the Slovenian University in Ljubljana, in the international master’s Joint Degree program of Fruit Science. Opening of the doctoral study program of Horticultural Engineering. Introduction of the bachelor study of Garden and landscape realization. Making of new insignia of the MENDELU Faculty of Horticulture. The author of the artistic design was the academic sculptor Michal Vitanovský.
• 2013 – The MENDELU Faculty of Horticulture obtained the EFLA (European Federation for Landscape Architecture) international accreditation for the Garden and landscape architecture study field.
• 2015 – 30th anniversary of the declaration of the independent Faculty of Horticulture of the Mendel University in Brno. Realization of Labyrinth of Nature and Paradise of Gardens grounds.