Montpellier Botanical Garden, Montpellier, France

The Jardin des plantes de Montpellier (4.5 hectares) is a historic botanical garden and arboretum maintained by the Montpellier University.

The garden was established in 1593 by letters patent from King Henri IV, under the leadership of Pierre Richer de Belleval, professor of botany and anatomy. It is France's oldest botanical garden, inspired by the Orto botanico di Padova (1545) and in turn serving as model for the Jardin des Plantes de Paris (1626).

The Montagne de Richer lies within the garden's oldest section, which also now contains a systematic garden. The garden was expanded twice in the 19th century. Its orangery was designed by Claude-Mathieu Delagardette (1762–1805) and completed in 1804, the arboretum was landscaped in 1810, and the English Garden, with pool and greenhouse, dates from 1859. The monumental Martins greenhouse opened in 1860.

Today the garden contains about 2,680 plant species, including 500 native to the Mediterranean region. Of these roughly 2,000 species are grown outdoors, and 1,000 under glass.

References:

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Miscellaneous historic sites in France

User Reviews

Melissa Dinkin (6 months ago)
Gorgeous place to walk around and enjoy nature or even pack a snack and relax for a bit. No entry fee.

T J LeRoy (6 months ago)
Very nice open garden. Well laid out with great selection of plant. Lots of nice seating in Sun and shade. Free entry. Pleasant for a little wander

Alexey Subach (6 months ago)
I expected the garden to be maintained a bit better and I was hoping to see a bit greater variety of plants and flowers there. Overall the garden is a bit on the smaller side. Not worth a dedicated walk there in my opinion but maybe okay to check out if you are really close by

Rob (Bharat) Yates (7 months ago)
Very nice garden which is well maintained by the university of Montpellier. Definitely good for a visit for a nice relaxing stroll around the garden. The garden has a great historic significance, oldest in France created in 1593 by Pierre Richer de Beleval by the order of Henry IV to develop health through medicinal plants. Many interesting plants such as a bamboo forest, orange trees and a hackberry tree over 100 years . Well worth a visit if in the area.

Simona Cristea (12 months ago)
Very beautiful garden, pleasant for relaxed walks, great place for reading a book or for drawing nature. Lovely cats wondering around in the garden. Free entrance, no toilets available, but one public toilet outside the garden, very close by.

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