Notes on history of Acclimatization Garden of All-Ukrainian Academy of Sciences (based on documents of Institute of Archival Studies of V. I. Vernadskyi National Library of Ukraine)

The aim of the study. The article focuses on the history of the Acclimatization Garden in Kyiv in the period from 1915 to 1934. The objective was to pin down the date of the establishment of the Acclimatization Garden, to trace the course of formation and functioning of this plant acclimatization research institution under the auspices of the All-Ukrainian Academy of Sciences and the role of its director Mykola Feofanovych Kaschenko in these processes, as well as the impact of the political situation on scientific processes and fates of researchers, based on the documents of the fond "Acclimatization Garden of the All-Ukrainian Academy of Sciences (AUAS)" that has been recently set up at the Institute of Archival Studies of the V. I. Vernadskyi National Library of Ukraine, as well as the personal archival fond of M. F. Kaschenko. The methodology of research lies in applying narrative, historical, and chronological methods, which made it possible to examine the chronological sequence of events of the history of the Acclimatization Garden that took place against the backdrop of the 1920–30's, and to fill in the gaps in its chronicles. The scientific novelty lies in reconstruction of the history of the Acclimatization Garden as a scientific institution of the All-Ukrainian Academy of Sciences based on previously unpublished archival sources. The study reveals not only the facts of achievements of Ukrainian scientists, but also new evidence of interference by the ruling party into the scientific process and pressure on researchers. Conclusions. The archival documents cited in the publication made it possible to track down the exact date of the establishment of the Acclimatization Garden in Kyiv, to examine the most productive period of its operation under the management of director M. F. Kaschenko despite the political and economic circumstances of the time, as well as the role of M. F. Kaschenko as the founder and head of the institution.