Between 1941 and 1944, the city of Leningrad was subjected to a brutal siege by Nazi Germany. Cut off from the outside world and with food and other essentials dwindling, it's estimated that upwards of one million people died. Yet throughout this ordeal, a group of indomitable scientists risked their lives to protect the world's first seed bank. Danny Bird speaks to writer Simon Parkin about the Plant Institute's pioneering work and the astonishing fortitude of the men and women who laboured to preserve a unique botanical collection amid unimaginable conditions.

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Simon Parkin is the author of The Forbidden Garden of Leningrad: A True Story of Science and Sacrifice in a City under Siege (Sceptre, 2024).

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Authors

Danny BirdStaff Writer, BBC History Magazine

Danny Bird is Content Producer for BBC History Magazine and was previously staff writer for BBC History Revealed. He joined the History team in 2022. Fascinated with the past since childhood, Danny completed his History BA at the University of Sheffield, developing a special interest in the Spanish Civil War and the Paris Commune. He subsequently gained his History MA from University College London, studying at its School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES)

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