Scharer Heinrich

Scharer Heinrich (1828–1906), German botanist. On recommendation of Karl Kohe, a scholar from Berlin, he was invited to Tbilisi in 1859. He was assigned to lay out a garden according to the Viceroy’s wish. Initially, upon his arrival in Tbilisi, Scharer lived in the Viceroy’s palace. He designed the layout of Alexander’s Garden, which is sited on the presentday Rustaveli Avenue. The garden was solemnly inaugurated in 1863 after careful plannings and technical works were completed. It was the first Europeanstyle garden in Tbilisi. Besides being a landscape architect, H. Scherer engaged in exploring wholesome plants, usable for developing arable farming, vegetable growing and viticulture. As from 1861 he was in charge of botanical garden; in 1871 he built a House of Horticulture on its territory. Later, H. Scherer set up hothouses, where he cultivated ornamental plants that were innovations in Georgia. In 1886 a Museum of Botanics was inaugurated, while the botanical garden acquired the status of scientific-research establishment. H. Scherer’s successor A. Gintzenberg ran it in the format of a research institution.