‘Kořeny osobností’ is a unique project that was launched by Prague Botanical Garden in the spring of 2009. Its goal is to attract public attention to the wealth of nature in the garden in the form of endangered plants and trees. The Personality Trail opened to the public in June 2017.
Who took part?
A number of prominent artists, athletes, politicians, and other important figures both from the Czech Republic and abroad have keenly participated in the project from the very beginning. Some of the Czech personalities include director and actor Jiří Menzel, director Miloš Forman, singer Karel Gott, athlete VěraČáslavská, doctor and Professor Josef Koutecký, footballer Pavel Nedvěd, snowboarder and skier Ester Ledecká, President Václav Havel, as well as the beloved children’s characters Hurvínek and Krteček.
Internationally, the project was supported by Madeleine Albright, Chökyi His Eminence Tibetan lama Mänri pönlob Thinlä Nyima Rinpoche, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Pierre Richard.
Masaryk’s oak is the hundredth tree
The trail currently has one hundred stops, with the most recent tree added at the end of November. Charlotta Kotíková, the only living representative of the Masaryk family, is its patron.
Mrs. Kotíková, first Czechoslovak President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk’s great-granddaughter, planted the oak to commemorate Masaryk's children, Alice and Jan. The tree was specifically chosen by the representatives of the garden. According to the garden’s curator of trees Tomáš Vencálek, important agreements used to be made under oaks. In addition, Masaryk himself is believed to have had a warm relationship with oak trees, and he liked to rest in their shade.
For further information, please visit the garden’s website: https://www.botanicka.cz/en.