1. Laeken, Belgium's Royal Greenhouses
The greenhouse was a new form of structure that could be built due to developments in construction methods and the increased availability of metal and glass throughout the nineteenth century.
The massive pavilions, glass cupolas, and broad arcades traverse the site like covered streets. They are more than just a cute little narrative about how architects may utilize iron and glass in their work or a place to see some exotic plants up close. Architecture and, more narrowly, a massive building project called the “Ideal Glass Palace” is at the heart of what the Royal Greenhouses are trying to convey.
2. El Retiro Park, Madrid, Spain
El Retiro Park has been a component of the city’s cultural and botanical endowment for decades. Once used exclusively by the Royal Family as a recreational place, the park has become a significant tourist attraction and symbol of the city.
The Catholic King period is when this park was first mentioned. The founders of the Jerónimos Monastery (Monasterio de los Jerónimos) also served as temporary royal household residents when they occupied a portion of the monastery, known as “the Quarters,” as their residence. Its current name dates back to Felipe II when it was used as a religious retreat and respite from royal life.
3. The Botanical Garden and Museum, Berlin, Germany
4. Northern Ireland's Palm House, Belfast
The Palm House and Tropical Ravine are the highlights of the Botanic Gardens.
The Palm House is one of the oldest instances of a glasshouse created from bent iron and glass. It is home to various tropical plants, hanging baskets, seasonal displays, and birds of paradise. It demonstrates how, because of advancements in glasshouse technology, horticulturists in the Victorian era could cultivate previously unattainable plant species.
Sir Charles Lanyon, who also worked at adjacent Queen’s University, was responsible for the building’s design. Richard Turner, a prominent ironworker, laid the cornerstone in 1839 and built the two wings by 1840. In 1852, a dome was constructed.
5. Copenhagen's Botanical Garden, Denmark
The University of Copenhagen is home to the Botanical Garden, a section of the Natural History Museum of Denmark. The garden is home to an incredible collection of live plants and three gene banks. The garden is connected to the most incredible collection of plants and fungi in Danese herbaria and also to Botanisk Centralbibliotek, the country’s primary library for botanical literature.
6. Helsinki's beautiful Kaisaniemi Botanic Garden, Finland
About four hectares in size, the outdoor garden invites guests to step into the world of plants. The center garden is an open area with ponds and flowers, flanked by glasshouses and rose bushes. It is perhaps the most eye-catching feature of the grounds in the summer. In the heart of the garden is a herbarium, which is housed in a historic stone edifice that was once intended to be the king’s castle.
There are ten public greenhouses where visitors may see plants from extreme climates, including deserts, jungles, and tropical swamps. You can learn what it means when someone exclaims, “It’s a jungle out there!” or you can view the world’s largest seed.
7. Jardin Botanique, Lyon, France
A municipal botanical garden, the Jardin botanique de Lyon occupies 8 hectares in the Parc de la Tête d’Or in Lyon, Rhône-Alpes, France. It is free and available to the public on weekdays.
The park, which claims to be the most enormous municipal botanical garden in France, was founded in 1857 on the grounds of older botanical gardens going back to 1796. There are currently around 15,000 plants there, including 3500 plants from temperate regions, 760 shrub species, 100 wild rose species, 750 historical rose varieties, 200 peony varieties recognized by the Conservatoire Français des Collections Végétales Spécialisées (CCVS), 1800 alpine plant species, 50 water lily varieties, and 6,000 species in its greenhouses.
