Botanisher Garten,Darmstadt
The Botanical Garden ( Botanisher Garten in German), located not too far from the city’s centre, is a hidden treasure of Darmstadt. It is a garden that boasts more than 100-year-old trees and more than 9000 plant species, including tropical/subtropical and aquatic plants.
The plant species are labelled, and numerous information boards help one understand more about the surrounding ecosystem, making it an excellent place to learn. Apart from serving the purpose of learning, the surrounding greenery, open grounds, and winding paths make it an ideal place to stroll, relax, and rest. There are multiple greenhouses too, which can be visited.
The story of the garden:
Like many other gardens in Darmstadt, this one also has a story behind it.
The moat of the Schloss in Darmstadt ( Schlossgraben in German) was initially filled with water from the Darmbach stream. Since this stream also took the sewage from the neighbouring town, the moat stinked severely during summer. It was then, in 1814, that the Grand Duke, therefore, agreed to a proposal by his building council to drain the palace moat and have a botanical garden laid out on the reclaimed area. The idea was to cultivate native plants and display them. However, they soon realized that the moat was too small. This led to the relocation of the botanical garden to its present location on Roßdörfer Straße in 1874.
Botanisher Garten Today
The garden is open to the public, and there is no entry cost. However, it can be visited only on foot. Bicycles are not allowed.
Their official website is: https://www.bio.tu-darmstadt.de/botanischergarten/index.de.jsp
Here, you can get information about visiting hours and the various events and exhibitions in the botanical garden.
Some Interesting activities in Botanisher Garten
- Friendkreis e.V works towards protecting and developing the botanic garden. They organize programs like lectures, guided tours of the garden, and exhibitions. The funds generated are used to support the staff and the garden’s maintenance and development. More information about them can be found here: https://www.bio.tu-darmstadt.de/botanischergarten/freundeskreis/uebersicht_freundeskreis/index.de.jsp
- They also have an exciting program called the Grünes Klassenzimmer ( meaning Green Classroom). Under this program, experimental learning amidst nature offers multiple learning opportunities for children of all ages. The program lasts about 2-3 hours. More information about it can be found here: https://www.bio.tu-darmstadt.de/botanischergarten/gruenes_klassenzimmer/infos_angebot/index.de.jsp
The botanical garden is a beautiful little hidden treasure of Darmstadt and is undoubtedly worth a visit. Check out the pictures of the garden taken during the spring of 2022.
To know more about places and experiences in Darmstadt, click here.
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