In the heart of Strasbourg, more than 6,000 species of plants on 3.5 hectares
In this 3.5ha urban garden belonging to the Institute of Botany, the pleasure of a natural space located in the heart of the city is combined with science, through the 6,000 species of plants that can be observed there. .
A first botanical garden, founded in 1619, disappeared in 1870. The new botanical complex inaugurated in 1884 is part of the campus of the German Imperial University. The architect Hermann Eggert directs the development according to the scientific program drawn up by Professor Anton de Bary. The site of the large greenhouse which stood on the edge of Goethe Street (demolished in 1963) is now occupied by the Institute of Botany, the main modern enclave in the German campus which has remained homogeneous.
Thematic collections and a greenhouse listed as historical monuments
Over its 3.5 hectares, the garden houses various thematic collections. In its western part dedicated to the school of botany, the plants are organized in a didactic way, following the hierarchical classification adopted for the plant world. Then the garden bypasses the astronomical observatory to become an arboretum in its eastern part. At the junction of the two sets, an outcrop of the water table was exploited to promote the development of a more specifically aquatic flora.
In addition to the cold greenhouse and the tropical greenhouse populated by exotic plants, one can still admire the Victoriahaus or Serre Victoria, a dodecagonal aedicula reminiscent of a pagoda and specially designed to house the spectacular giant water lily Victoria amazonica or Victoria regia. Renamed Serre de Bary since its restoration in 1993, it is today the last vestige of the metal greenhouses of the last century.
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