''Hortus Botanicus'' is a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

in the

Plantage Plantage is a neighbourhood of Amsterdam, Netherlands located in its Centrum borough. It is bordered by the Entrepotdok to the north, Plantage Muidergracht to the east and south and Nieuwe Herengracht to the west. In the centre of the neighbour ...

district of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. It is one of the world's oldest botanical gardens.

History

Amsterdam City Council founded the ''Hortus Botanicus'' (initially named the ''Hortus Medicus'') in 1638 to serve as a herbal garden for doctors and

apothecaries ''Apothecary'' () is an archaic English term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons and patients. The modern terms ''pharmacist'' and, in British English, ''chemist'' have ...

, as botanical extracts were the primary treatment for illnesses during this time period.

Physicians A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis ...

and

pharmacists A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

received their training and took exams there. The garden's initial collection was amassed during the 17th century through plants and seeds brought back by traders from the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...

for use as medicines and potential commercial possibilities. A single

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

plant in ''Hortus collection served as the parent for the entire

coffee culture Coffee culture is the set of traditions and social behaviors that surround the consumption of coffee, particularly as a social lubricant. The term also refers to the cultural diffusion and adoption of coffee as a widely consumed stimulant. In the ...

in Central and South America. Likewise, two small potted oil palms that were brought back from Mauritius had produced seeds which were propagated throughout all of Southeast Asia, becoming a major source of revenue in the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

and present-day Indonesia. In 1646, Johannes Snippendaal was appointed director of the garden. During his tenure, he determined that the collection comprised 796 plant species, most of which were medicinal plants. Many of these plants are still grown at the ''Hortus Botanicus'' in its Snippendaal Garden, which is commonly referred to as 'the 17th century

pharmacopoeia A pharmacopoeia, pharmacopeia, or pharmacopoea (or the typographically obsolete rendering, ''pharmacopœia''), meaning "drug-making", in its modern technical sense, is a reference work containing directions for the identification of compound med ...

of Amsterdam’. The hexagonal pavilion dates back to the late 1600s. The entrance gate was built in the early 1700s. The Orangery dates from 1875, and the Palm House and

Hugo de Vries Hugo Marie de Vries (; 16 February 1848 – 21 May 1935) was a Dutch botanist and one of the first geneticists. He is known chiefly for suggesting the concept of genes, rediscovering the laws of heredity in the 1890s while apparently unaware of ...

Laboratory - both created in Amsterdam School expressionist architecture - date from 1912 and 1915.Official website abou
Herbs Culture
in Amsterdam. Hugo de Vries became the director of the ''Hortus Botanicus'' between 1885 and 1918, bringing international attention to the garden. The garden's governing board directed the construction of the

Palm House Palm house is a term sometimes used for large and high heated display greenhouses that specialise in growing arecaceae, palms and other tropical and subtropical plants. In Victorian era, Victorian Britain, several ornate glass and iron palm house ...

and laboratory in order to keep the professor there. In 1987, the garden almost went bankrupt when the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, ) is a public university, public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlan ...

suddenly stopped paying its expenses, but a community of individual supporters prevented its closure. The ''Hortus Botanicus'' is now supported by the Amsterdam City Council.

Attractions

''Hortus Botanicus'' is a popular attraction for both Dutch and international visitors. The collection is famous for its trees and plants, some of which are endangered. Well-known plants and trees can be found there, like the Persian ironwood tree. Recent additions to ''Hortus'' include a large hothouse, which incorporates three different tropical climates. There are also two halls in the garden, which are used for conferences and ceremonies, and a café.

Gallery

File:Persian iron wood tree Parottia Persica photo by Pejman Akbarzadeh Persian Dutch Network.jpg, Persian ironwood tree (''Parrotia persica'') at the ''Hortus Botanicus'' File:flowering victoria.jpg, A flowering ''Victoria'' in the ''Hortus Botanicus'' File:Transparent butterfly.jpg, A rare kind of transparent butterfly inside a greenhouse at the ''Hortus Botanicus'' (Amsterdam) File:Mermaids inside Hortus Botanicus (Amsterdam).jpg, Wood-shaped mermaids floating on water File:Stone statue.jpg, Stone statue File:Buttefly cocoons.jpg, Butterfly cocoons File:Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam. (d.j.b.) 01.jpg, Trunk of the '' Catalpa bignonioides '' (detail). File:Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam. (d.j.b.) 03.jpg, Trunk of the ''

Platanus × hispanica The London plane, or sometimes hybrid plane, ''Platanus'' × ''hispanica'', is a tree in the genus ''Platanus''. It is often known by the synonym ''Platanus'' × ''acerifolia'', a later name. It is a hybrid of '' Platanus orientalis'' ...

'' (detail). File:Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam. (actm.).jpg, Bridge 233, Dr. D.M. Sluyspad over the Nieuwe Herengracht

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1638 establishments in the Dutch Republic Botanical gardens in the Netherlands Buildings and structures in Amsterdam Parks in Amsterdam