The Hortus Botanicus Lovaniensis (Dutch: ''Kruidtuin'') is a botanical garden in

Leuven Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipalit ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, dating from 1738. It is situated in the city centre and has an extent of 2.2 hectares.

History

A first botanical garden was established in Leuven in 1738 by Henri-Joseph Rega, Professor of Medicine at the University of Leuven. Its first aim was to provide herbs for medical use. Later, the gardens became used for study purposes and they hosted an extensive collection of ornamental plants, cultivated plants with economic potential, and rare plants. When the university was closed in 1797, the botanical garden was seized by the state. A botanical garden was re-established in the 1820s, adjacent to the original garden, under the auspices of the new

State University of Leuven The State University of Leuven () was a university founded in 1817 in Leuven in Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was distinct from the Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) and from the Catholic University of L ...

. When the State University closed in 1835, ownership of the new botanical garden was transferred to the city authorities. In 1874, a girls' school was built over the original site of the 1738 botanical garden, but the newer garden established in the 1820s continues in use as a municipal park. Access is free and it is used extensively by tourists and citizens alike. The garden functions sometimes as a place of exhibition for contemporary art.

References

Botanical gardens in Belgium Gardens in Flanders Geography of Flemish Brabant Tourist attractions in Leuven {{garden-stub