Information
Landmark: Leiden Botanic GardensCity: Leiden
Country: Netherlands
Continent: Europe
Leiden Botanic Gardens, Leiden, Netherlands, Europe
Overview
The Leiden Botanic Gardens, known in Dutch as the Hortus Botanicus Leiden, ranks among the world’s oldest, where centuries of history meet living science amid bright bursts of tulips and quiet green paths.In the heart of Leiden, the university’s garden bursts with life, displaying plants from every corner of the world, from spiky desert cacti to delicate alpine blooms.Founded in 1590 by pioneering botanist Carolus Clusius, who famously introduced the tulip to the Netherlands, the Leiden Botanic Gardens is the country’s oldest and one of Europe’s earliest, serving for centuries as a hub of scientific research, exotic plant acclimatization, and global trade-from towering historic trees like a Golden Rain Tree planted in 1601, to vibrant tropical orchids and the giant, platter-sized leaves of the Victoria amazonica-while today its greenhouses, themed sections, seasonal displays, and hands-on programs invite visitors of all ages to explore its living history in the heart of Leiden.
