Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam

Description

Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam is located in the Plantage district, close to Amsterdam's city centre. The Dutch Association of Botanical Gardens describes the Hortus as an intimate garden with a remarkable plant collection and as a floral breath of fresh air in the middle of busy city life.

History

The Hortus was founded in 1638 as a medicinal herb garden, the Hortus Medicus. Physicians and apothecaries studied medicinal plants there, and apothecaries took their examinations there. According to the Hortus, Johannes Snippendaal was appointed prefect in 1646 and documented the collection, recording 796 plant species. Over four centuries the garden developed into a rich botanical garden.

Nature & Design

The garden and greenhouses display special trees and plants from different parts of the world. The collection is connected with stories about medicinal plants, tropical species and botanical history.

Visitor Information

The Hortus is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00 and is closed on 25 December and 1 January. Admission is paid.

Good to Know

The late seventeenth-century Moninckx Atlases contain 420 watercolours of plants from the Hortus collection.