A botanical garden of about 160 ha in the Obora forest in Racibórz, with trails, a mini-zoo and a viewing platform.
The Morava Gate Arboretum (Arboretum Bramy Morawskiej) is a botanical garden and woodland walking area in the eastern part of Racibórz, on the right bank of the Oder. It covers about 160 ha of the Obora forest, of which the fenced garden with plant collections is about 35 ha. The arboretum was founded in 2000 and is a member of the Council of Botanical Gardens. Visitors can follow nature trails, look in at the mini-zoo and climb to the viewing platform above the Enchanted Garden.
According to the arboretum's website, the Obora forest, although it lies on the edge of the town, has never been cleared. Its first owners were the Piasts, then, from the 13th century, the Cistercians of Rudy Raciborskie. After 1810 it passed to Prince August Wiktor Maria von Ratibor, Duke of Racibórz, and in 1928 it became the property of the town.
The wealth of plant, fungal and animal species results from the location close to the Moravian Gate, through which runs an ecological corridor, a migration route for many species from the south and south-east of Europe. Mixed forest dominates (about 127 ha), and the trees include pines, spruces and oaks, among them oaks with a trunk circumference of four metres. There are also ravines, ponds and springs, and protected plants growing here include green hellebore, mezereon, meadow saffron, martagon lily and early-purple orchid.
The grounds are divided into an ecological trail, a dendrological trail and a fitness trail, joined by the nature trail “What does the forest say?” and the educational “Green Classroom”. Along four of the trails stand totems with QR codes, which can be scanned to read a scientific study of the place. The garden also has two landscaped ponds, Frog Pond (Żabi) and Shady Pond (Cienisty), with aquatic and bankside vegetation.
The largest collection is the Enchanted Garden, covering 1.1 ha, opened on 22 June 2012. The plants are arranged so that from above they form a flower with five petals, and an evergreen conifer maze runs through the middle. Magnolias, plums, rhododendrons, maples, witch hazels, Japanese cherries, daylilies and roses grow here. Next to it are the Stone Circle and the Twin Towns Alley. This collection also has its own entry: Enchanted Garden.
According to the arboretum, the mini-zoo is the biggest attraction for families with small children. In seven aviaries and four enclosures live birds and mammals from almost all zoogeographical regions, including Cameroon goats and sheep, ponies, donkeys, fallow deer, pheasants, peacocks and ducks. The goats and sheep may be fed only with the special feed from the dispenser, and feeding them with your own food is not allowed.
The viewing platform was built in 2018 as part of the EU project “Along the Trail of Towers and Platforms of the Silesia Euroregion”. It measures 13.5 by 6 m and stands on a slope above the Enchanted Garden, so the shape of the flower can be seen from above. From the car park on Markowicka Street it is about 800 m through the forest, past the Green Classroom and the mini-zoo.
Since 2014 the arboretum has also been building a historical stronghold in stages: a gate with a tower and a section of palisade, a shelter and a hut have been completed. The stronghold hosts the Racibórz Medieval Festival, organised by the association Drengowie znad Górnej Odry (see also Gród Średniowieczny - Stowarzyszenie Drengowie znad Górnej Odry). The forest also contains an early medieval barrow cremation cemetery.
A cycle path runs along the lower boundary of the arboretum, and the varied terrain has a fitness trail with exercise stations and walking paths. In winter there is a sledding run and cross-country ski trails. In front of the entrance lies the Sports and Recreation Centre complex with a campsite and a swimming pool.
From the centre of Racibórz, where Racibórz Castle stands, the arboretum is about 3 km away.
About 4 km further on lies the Łężczok Nature Reserve.
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