Alexandru Borza

Who was Alexandru Borza?

Alexandru Borza was a Romanian botanist, Greek-Catholic priest and honorary protopop of Cluj.

As part of a group of professors, physicians, soldiers, etc., he helped bring Scouting to Romania.

In 1923, he founded the Cluj Botanical Garden, which now bears his name. The Retezat National Park, the first nature park of Romania, was founded in 1935 at his initiative.

Before World War II, he was the president of the General Association of the Uniate Romanians, a Greek-Catholic association. For this, he was briefly arrested in 1948, after the Communists came to power in Romania.

He is credited with first advocating for the legal protection of Nymphaea lotus f. thermalis whilst he was the Government minister in charge of education.