The Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam is situated
in the Plantage District near the lively centre of Amsterdam.
Established in 1638 by the Amsterdam City Council, today this
garden is the home of more than 4000 different species of plant.
The soothing, peaceful atmosphere of this place provides visitors
the opportunity to spend some time in an environment which is
absolutely different from the world outside.
Initially, the Hortus was a medicinal herb
garden, which was built at a time when Amsterdam was recovering
from a plague epidemic. Herbs played a vital role in that era
as they were the foundation of medicines of that time. The garden
acted as a resource; a provider of the materials required for
manufacturing life saving medicines.
The garden to a great extent was enriched in the 17th and 18th
century as the ships of the Dutch East India Company brought
exotic ornamental plants along with a wide array of herbs and
spices. Some of them survive still now. For an example, Eastern
Cape giant cycad is as old as the garden itself.
At the centre of the garden is the café
Orangery that is counted amongst the best outdoor cafes of Amsterdam.
Apart from being a café, the recently renovated Orangery
also offers two assembly rooms for special parties and meetings.
Transport
Tram 9
and 14: Mr. Visserplein stop.
Tram 6 (Mon-Fri):
last stop
Metro: Waterlooplein
stop (Hortusplantsoen exit)
Car
Parking facilities
Safe and secured parking facilities are available
nearby the garden at Music Theatre, City Hall, Waterlooplein,
and Markenhoven.
Opening
Hours
The timings of the garden are as follows:
Monday thru Friday: 09:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday:
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday and
holidays: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Please take a note of the following:
During the months of December and January, the garden closes
at 4:00 p.m.
During the
months of July and August, the garden closes at 9:00 p.m.
daily.
The garden
remains closed on 1st January and 25th December every year.
The Garden
and Greenhouses
The Hortus is the home of a wide array of
plants. Approximately 6000 plants are accommodated in 7 green
houses and the garden. Each greenhouse is well equipped to
accommodate plants from 6 different types of climate. Over
the years the garden has underwent a lot of changes. The present
shape was given to the garden in 1863 with the soul purpose
of giving the fatigued traveler some space to relax and forget
the hustle bustle of the city that he has left behind the
garden’s gate.
Special Corners of the Garden
Have a look at the different corners of Hortus Botanicus:
The Butterfly Greenhouse
Constructed in 1896 this green house is the dwelling place
of thousands of beautiful tropical butterflies. After they
lay their eggs on the plants the garden staffs gather the
caterpillars and they are nurtured in another greenhouse up
till the pupa stage. When the butterflies are about to come
out, the pupae are again taken back to the butterfly greenhouse
and suspended in a special pupa cabinet.
The tropical plants that grow in this greenhouse
are economic plants. They are used as medicines and for many
other important purposes. Coffee plants, pepper plants cacao
trees, tea, rice and sugarcane are among the few plants found
in this greenhouse.
The Three-climate Greenhouse
Constructed in 1993 the three-climate greenhouse is one
of the major attractions of the Hortus. The temperature and
humidity of different parts of this greenhouse is automatically
controlled by a computer system which makes it possible for
plants from three separate climate zone to stay together.
The architects of this unique construction are Zwarts and
Jansma.
The hot, dry desert area of this greenhouse showcases a wide
range of cacti and similar trees like the Welwitschia from
Namibia. In the subtropical section Cape 'Fijnbos' the temperature
is changed every season. In winter temperature is kept as
low as 8 degree Celcius at night whereas in summer time very
high temperatures are maintained. This subtropical section
presents vegetation types found only in South Africa and Australia.
The final section of this greenhouse bears a strong resemblance
with a real jungle. Numerous plants grow abundantly in this
warm, humid climate.
The Palmhouse
This high building with its brick road surface provides
a typical Victorian mood to this place. In winter most of
the plants are kept in very fine wooden containers whereas
in summer, they are to be found in the garden or the terrace.
This was the dream of Professor Hugo de Vries and to stop
him from leaving Amsterdam this Palm House was constructed
in 1912.
The Herb Garden
This garden was established way back in 1638 with the
soul intention of providing herbal resources to doctors and
pharmacists, as herbs were the foundation of all kinds of
medicines at that time. The beds of this garden are arranged
according to the applications of the herbs. Information like
which part of the herb is important and what purposes are
served by the herb is provided on the information signs kept
beside the beds.
Crown Jewels
A wide array of trees and plants grow in Hortus. Few of
them are members of rare species and are very significant.
Some of them are:
Victoria
Amazonica
Quiver Tree
Welwitschia
Eastern
Cape giant cycad
Microcycas
calocoma
The Outdoor Garden
This beautiful garden was designed way back in 1863. The
garden is arranged as per the 40 orders of Eichler. In this
method members of each plant family have their own section.
Additionally this garden also has beds of plants from remarkable
locations. For example there is a bed with carnivorous plants
and is a dune bed with plants from the North Holland. The
chief attractions here are a few laid out beds, which showcases
plants that evolved during certain prehistoric periods.
The Semicircle Garden
The shapes and outlines of this garden resemble the common
garden architectures of pre Romantic era. Designed in 1863
and renovated in 2002, the Semicircle depicts plant systematics.
This is the one and only systematic garden in Netherlands
where the plants are categorized as per the rules of molecular
systematics. Here the closely related species are allowed
to grow near each other whereas the uncommon ones are grown
apart. It offers a wide array of beautiful flowers. This unique
section of the garden familiarizes the plant lovers with the
new systematics by showing real life examples.
Collections
Hortus possesses a wide range of trees, which
are very old, and at the same time unique for certain rare
attributes. Majority of them are included in the tree route.
Few significant names that attract attention of visitors are:
Indian bean (Catalpa bignonioides)
150-year-old
common catalpa
The huge
Turkish hazel (Corylus colurna; planted in 1795)
The evergreen
turners oak
Utmost care is taken to see that the trees
remain in good shape and condition.
Apart from these the normal collection of the garden includes
the following:
Specialised collection of South African plants, Cycads, Palms,
and Conservatory Plants, Carnivorous plants.
Important
plant groups like herbs, monumental trees, Victoria.
Café
The Orangery, located at the centre of Hortus,
is a café highly regarded in Amsterdam. Renovated in
November 2003 this place is also available for holding special
parties. Initially built as a lecture hall in 1875, the Orangery
offers two exquisite assembly rooms perfect for holding meetings
and presentations and parties. The Laranjazaal can be booked
during the day and in the evenings. The café has a
beautiful terrace and, if requested the foyer - is obtainable
after 5.00 p.m.
Hortus Shop
The Hortus provides a seven-day open museum
shop to visitors. The shop offers vases, pots, potting soil,
and other handy attribute for city gardeners. This shop offers
gift items for both young and the aged. Following items are
the specilalities of this shop:
Stoneware
and china
Toy animals
Postcards
and art cards
Unique writing
paper
Honey from
the Hortus bees
Books about
plants, birds, walks
Season’s posters
The season poster series shop offers different
kind of posters to visitors. The posters (size A2) can be
obtained separately. In November 2004 the Hortus season’s
posters won the prestigious international poster festival’s
gold award in Hong Kong among 1,700 entries from 40 countries.
Education
In Association with Amsterdam Nature and
Environmental Education Centre Hortus provides a number of
University courses to Biology students. It also provides classical
and individual lesson programs for elementary and secondary
schools.
Other Facilities
Other facilities provided
by the Garden:
Guided tour
Museum café
rent
Laranjazaal
rent
Wheelchair
Dining options
at Orangery from 6:00-8:30 p.m. during
Garden Highlights
Following are the highlighted features of
the Garden
The Semicircle
Mexico-California
Desert House
The Palm
House
The Tri-Climate
House
The Orangery
Cafés
Issuing
annual Seed list
Fees
The entrance fees of the garden are as follows
Adult:
Euro 6/ Euro 3(with city pass)
Child (5-14
years): Euro 3/ Euro 1(with city pass)
Group: Euro
4 per head
Day ticket
including lunch: Euro 15
Annual Pass:
Euro 20(per head) / Euro 40(family)
Company
Pass: Euro 40
Policy
The Garden doesn’t allow dogs and other pets.
Conclusion
The Hortus is the home of about 2% of all
plant species. By cultivating and breeding these plants, the
Hortus contributes to the preservation of the species and
acts as a gene depository. Featuring more than 4,000 different
species of plants this exquisite garden enriches visitors
with knowledge and visual delight rarely found elsewhere.
