Archaeologists uncovered the foundations of Mendel's greenhouse in the park of the monastery in Brno

Brno - Archaeologists from the Archaia company revealed the complete foundations of the greenhouse where the Augustinian monk and founder of genetics, Gregor Johann Mendel, conducted his plant crossing experiments over the past three weeks in the park of the monastery in Old Brno. As Lenka Sedláčková, the head of the research, told ČTK, the interior of the greenhouse below the surface was surprisingly undamaged.

"After removing the rubble that covered the foundations of the greenhouse, new construction details emerged every day, culminating in a stunning view of the interior appearance of the greenhouse at floor level. Notably, the system of heating stoves and channels distributing heat should be mentioned, although this area has been the most remodeled and suffered the most damage during the demolition of the greenhouse," Sedláčková said.

The former greenhouse was destroyed by a storm in the second half of the 19th century, leaving only its foundations, which were buried under rubble and covered by a layer of gravel, while people sat on the patio of a local café above the greenhouse.

There are several construction plans for the greenhouse, but archaeologists discovered that the actual shape of the greenhouse's foundations diverges from these plans. "The research has obviously revealed a number of modifications to the interior itself, particularly certain reconstructions of the stoves and heating channels, so it cannot be ruled out that the differences visible today from the original plans are actually just the result of these activities. The interpretation is particularly complicated by the fact that we cannot 'look' beneath the revealed level, as we would have to remove it, thus destroying it," Sedláčková added.

The foundations of the original greenhouse will remain under the planned construction of the new greenhouse, which is to be built on stilts around them. The design of the new greenhouse will replicate the footprint of the original greenhouse. The new greenhouse, featuring a steel structure, will primarily house a permanent exhibition of Mendel's legacy, but it will also host international conferences, lectures, banquets, exhibitions, or concerts.

The archaeological examination at the site, which lasted over the past three weeks, will continue even after the commencement of excavation work for the technical facilities of the new greenhouse. There it will be possible to dig deeper. "Already in the test pits around the greenhouse, we captured modern settlements, but we expect to reach the early Middle Ages in the test pit at the site of the technical facilities," Sedláčková added.

Gregor Johann Mendel (1822 to 1884) worked as a monk and later as the abbot of the Augustinian monastery in Old Brno. He is known worldwide as the founder of genetics and the discoverer of the basic laws of inheritance. He conducted his pea crossing experiments in the garden of the Old Brno monastery.