Arid desert or lush rainforest? In Frankfurt's Botanical Gardens one can visit the landscapes of the Earth in just a few hours.
Heinrich Siesmayer created a spectacular landscape park complete with lakes and hills in the year 1869. The Palmenhaus, the focal point of the park, showed then inaccessible distant worlds. In the 19. century already, the people of Frankfurt marvelled here at exotic camellias and azaleas from far-away climes and palm trees from all continents.
Today, these distant countries have come closer, but the Palmengarten still manifests the enchantment of the plant world in its overwhelming magnificence - also in regular and unique exhibitions featuring various zones.
The historical park facilities have now been complemented by the latest hothouses. Today, the Palmengarten offers one of the largest collections of tropical flora in Europe, much to the enjoyment of its 700 000 visitors annually. For children and adults alike the Palmengarten is a centre for relaxation, recreation and information, not only indoors but also in the many theme gardens of the open area.
The Botanischer Garten Frankfurt am Main grew out of the former hortus medicus (medicinal garden) originally established by Johann Christian Senckenberg at the Eschenheimer Tor. From 1914 to 2011, the botanical gardens were maintained by the Department of Biological Sciences of the Frankfurt Goethe University. The extensive geobotanical area in the Palmengarten will remain unaffected by the change in management, and will continue to show plants from the areas of Central Europe, the Mediterranean, East Asia and North America.