Hortus Botanicus Leiden – Leiden, Netherlands - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

Hortus Botanicus Leiden

Leiden, Netherlands

A 'living museum' in Leiden, the oldest of its kind in the Netherlands. 

View all photos
Hortus Botanicus Leiden Deb Collins on Flickr (Creative Commons)
Hortus Botanicus Leiden Deb Collins on Flickr (Creative Commons)
Hortus Botanicus Leiden zoetnet on Flickr (Creative Commons)
Hortus Botanicus in the snow Deb Collins on Flickr (Creative Commons)
Hortus Botanicus Leiden Vysotsky on Wiki (Creative Commons)
Engraving of the Hortus botanicus in Leiden, 1610 Willem Swanenburgh on Wiki (Public Domain)
The entrance building of the Hortus botanicus in Leiden Tubantia on Wiki (Creative Commons)
MichielSt (Creative Commons)
298
600
Top Places in Leiden
Museum Depot.
Museum Depot
Leiden, Netherlands
Leiden Stones
Leiden, Netherlands
Bibliotheca Thysiana
Leiden, Netherlands
 See All

It may not be as central or have as many celebrity specimens as the Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam, but Leiden’s Hortus Botanicus is a treasured haven for local students, and the keeper of flora from all four corners of the world.

The oldest botanical garden in the Nederlands, this beautiful natural science center was founded in 1590,  less than 50 years after the Botanical Garden of Pisa (Guinness Book of World Records holder for “oldest botanical garden”) was brought to life. It was installed by the University of Leiden by pioneer botanist and Flemish doctor Carolus Clusius, whose original garden behind the academy building contained over 1,000 different plant species and introduced several new specimen via the Dutch East India Company, including the much-loved tulip. 

Today, more than 10,000 species from all over the world reside in the garden’s various beds and greenhouses, including a significant carnivorous plant collection and an impressive selection of cycads. The university works alongside the NCB Naturalis (Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity Naturalis) researching, preserving, and cultivating endangered species, and serious horticultural students flock here to study amongst some of the rarest and most captivating flora to be kept all in one serene oasis tucked away in the historical center, season after season.

horticulture botanical gardens flora medicine plants
Nearby
Victoria Amazonica
0.05 miles
Zweetkamertje (Sweat Room)
0.08 miles
Einstein's Chair
0.08 miles
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
Near This Place
A baby having a photoshoot.
Leiden, Netherlands

Victoria Amazonica

People have been placing babies on these lilies for photoshoots since the Victorian era.
Zweetkamertje
Leiden, Netherlands

Zweetkamertje (Sweat Room)

Graffiti covers the walls of a room where university students through the centuries have waited nervously to defend their theses.
Einstein's Chair
Leiden, Netherlands

Einstein's Chair

Albert Einstein would often sit in this chair during visits to the observatory to discuss science with Willem de Sitter.
The world's second-oldest observatory in all its glory
Leiden, Netherlands

Leiden Observatory

Devious political maneuvering and four ancient, working telescopes are central to the world's second-oldest observatory.
Related Places
Kodaira, Japan

Tokyo Metropolitan Medicinal Botanical Garden

Home to a garden of poisonous plants and the only legal cannabis and opium farms in Tokyo.
Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden.
Los Angeles, California

Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden

This “living museum” at UCLA exhibits thousands of plant species from all over the world.
Varaždin Cemetery.
Varaždin, Croatia

Varaždin Cemetery

Trimmed trees grow alongside the graves like topiary tombstones.
John Bartram's garden house.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Bartram's Garden

The oldest surviving botanic garden in the United States.
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web