The Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam is one of the oldest botanic gardens in the world. Located in the city centre of the Dutch capital, the garden is a beautiful and intimate place with an unique collection of plants.

Originally, the Hortus was a medicinal herb garden, founded in 1638 by the Amsterdam City Council. In those days, herbs were of vital importance as the basis of medicines and the city had just experienced a plague epidemic. Doctors and pharmacists trained in the preparation of prescriptions at the Hortus. In the 17th and 18th centuries the garden collection expanded very quickly when ships of the Dutch East India Company started bringin in exotic ornamental plants from overseas. In fact, a few of the Hortus' 'crown jewels' date from this period, e.g. the 300-year-old Eastern Cape giant cycad.

The Hortus houses more than 4,000 different species of plants, which is still only about 1% of all plant species growing on Earth. The greenhouses make you feel like travelling through desert and jungles. The impressive monumental Palm Greenhouse provides winter shelter for the container plants, and is used for concerts and dinner parteis in de summer. In the outdoor garden, the curving paths wind around forty different thematic areas. The Museum Restaurant offers a delicious seasonal menu. Throughout the year the Hortus organises concerts, (photography) exhbitions, workshops and lectures. The site is also a popular spot during Amsterdam museum night and the Amsterdam Light Festival.

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