Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin

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The Berlin Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum (German: Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin) is a botanical garden in the Lichterfelde locality of the borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Berlin, Germany. Constructed between 1897 and 1910 under the guidance of architect Adolf Engler, it has an area of 42 hectares [ha] (104 acres) and over 20,000 different plant species. The garden is part of the Free University of Berlin and attracts about half a million visitors annually. Historically, the garden was commonly referred to as the Dahlem Botanical Garden, a name derived from the Royal Domain of Dahlem, where it was established in the late 1890s. However, since the latter part of the 20th century, the area has been included in the Lichterfelde West neighbourhood in the Berlin-Lichterfelde district. The most well-known part of the garden is the Great Pavilion of Great Tropical Greenhouse (Großes Tropenhaus), and among its many tropical plants, it hosts giant bamboo. The garden complex consists of several buildings, including glass-houses with a total area of 6,000 square metres [m2] (64,583 sq ft). These include the glass Cactus Pavilion and the glass Pavilion Victoria; the latter...

The Berlin Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum is a botanical garden in the German capital city of Berlin, with an area of 43 hectares [ha] (106 acres) and around 22,000 different plant species. It was constructed between 1897 and 1910 under the guidance of architect Adolf Engler in order to present exotic plants returned from German colonies. It is named the second largest botanic garden in the world, surpassed only by Kew Gardens in London.

The garden is located in the Lichterfelde locality of the borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf. When it was founded, a part of it was located in Dahlem, a fact reflected in its name. [ clarification needed ] Today, [ when? ] the garden is part of the Free University of Berlin. The Botanical Museum ( Botanisches Museum ), together with the Herbarium Berolinense (B) and a large scientific library, is attached to the garden. [ citation needed ] The Herbarium Berolinense is the largest herbarium in Germany and holds more than 3.5 million preserved specimens.

The complex consists of several buildings and glass-houses, such as the Cactus Pavilion and the Pavilion Victoria, which features a collection of orchids, carnivorous plants and the giant white water lily Victoria amazonica ( Victoria-Seerosen ). The glass-houses encompass an area of 6,000 square metres [m 2 ] (64,583 sq ft). [ citation needed ] The garden's open-air areas consist of 13 ha (32 acres) sorted by geographical origin, and the arboretum area totals 14 ha (35 acres). [ citation needed ]

The best-known part of the garden is the Great Pavilion ( Großes Tropenhaus ). The temperature inside is maintained at 30 °C (86 °F) and air humidity is kept high. Among the many tropical plants it hosts giant bamboo.

In the year 1573, during the time of Elector John George, the first noteworthy collection of plants for the enlargement of the national collection was achieved under the leadership of the chief gardener at the kitchen garden of the Berlin City Palace, Desiderius Corbianus. Even though the expression "botanic garden" did not exist at the time, it was, in fact, the first of its kind in Berlin. This garden later developed into the Pleasure Garden that still exists today.

In 1679 on Potsdam Street (de: Potsdamer Straße) in Schöneberg - on the site of today's Kleistpark, a hops garden was laid out. It was used for the electoral brewery and as an orchard, fruit and kitchen garden. Carl Ludwig Willdenow made sure that the garden was assigned in 1809 to the Berlin Frederick William University. Under the care of the university, the garden developed into a botanic garden with scientific character that is recognised worldwide.

The area extending south to today's Grunewaldstraße became a suburb of Berlin during the city's expansuion in 1861, known as Schöneberger Vorstadt. Following a redrawing of district boundaries in 1938, the region south of Kurfürstenstraße was reintegrated into the district of Schöneberg.

Stimulus to move the garden was first proposed in 1888 due to several factors. The existing garden required expansion to accommodate new plantings and the creation of an arboretum. Additionally, significant renovations were needed for several aging greenhouses. Environmental conditions also played a role, as the surrounding areas of Berlin and Schöneberg had become densely developed, leading to unfavourable urban and impacts including air pollution and a lowered groundwater table, which posed harm to the plants. Financial considerations further supported the move, as selling the original site could help fund other university projects, including expansions for the Charité, the Institute for Infectious Diseases, the Institute of Hygiene, and the Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry.

At the time, the garden was managed by the Ministry of Spiritual, Educations, and Medical Affairs. Friedrich Althoff, representing the ministry, tasked Ignaz Urban, the interim director of the Botanical Garden, with evaluating potential relocation sites on the outskirts of Berlin. Urban identified a 41-hectare area on the Royal Domain of Dahlem, previously used as a potato field, as the most suitable location for the new botanical garden.

When the garden was established at the end of the 19th century, only about a quarter of its area was within the Dahlem district. The majority of the land belonged to the Groß-Lichterfelde district and, for postal purposes, was designated as part of the rural municipality of Steglitz, adding to administrative confusion.

The relocation and development of the new garden were significantly influenced by Friedrich Althoff, who secured the appointment of Adolf Engler, a prominent botanist, as director of the Botanical Garden in 1889. Engler, alongside architect Alfred Koerner, developed a detailed plan for the new site in 1895. Ignaz Urban, previously the interim director, was appointed sub-director in recognition of his qualifications and contribution.

On 26 June 1897, the Prussian Parliament approved the project, and site preparation began the same year. Following Emperor Wilhelm II's approval of the plans on 30 August 1899, construction commenced on the garden's enclosure and buildings. Engler oversaw the botanical aspects, while Koerner directed the architectural design. In the same year, the Botanical Centre for the German Colonies was established as a distinct department within the Botanical Garden, reflecting Germany's colonial ambitions and its integration into the garden's scientific mission.

The garden was designed with two equal entrances: one at Königin-Luise-Platz and the other on Unter den Eichen (then known as Berliner Straße). These entrances are connected by a main path, 8 to 10 meters wide. Most of the buildings, including the plant exhibition houses, are located northeast of this path, while the outdoor areas stretch to the southwest.

The garden welcomed its first visitors on 13 April 1903, opening briefly to around 2,500 guests. By 1904, the outdoor grounds were completed and officially opened to the public, a milestone later commemorated during the garden's centenary celebrations in June 2004. However, the full completion of all buildings, including the museum, was achieved only by May 24–25, 1910, marking the official opening of the garden and museum.

The period of National Socialism brought significant setbacks for the Botanical Garden and Museum. International scientific collaboration and exchanges, vital for research, were severely restricted. Inflation and a lack of coal following the First World War resulted in the decision not to heat the greenhouses. The reduction in and reallocation of employees additionally resulted in the grounds being neglected. Later, the impacts of World War II reached Berlin, leaving extensive damage to the site.

In the lead-up to the Second World War, pressure from the Nazi Party resulted in the dismissal of Jewish employees from the Berlin Botanical Garden. The onset of the war in the winter of 1939–1940 led to the abandonment of large sections of the garden due to limited resources. By 1943, the garden had become a waiting area for Berliners seeking shelter from Allied bombing raids in a nearby underground bunker. In March 1943, an Anglo-American air raid caused a fire that nearly destroyed the herbarium and library. By the autumn of the same year, bomb blasts shattered the glazing of the greenhouses, leaving the plants exposed to the elements and destroying two rare Coco de Mer palms. It was not until December 1943 that the remnants of the herbarium and museum holdings were finally evacuated.

As Soviet forces entered Berlin, intense fighting in 1945 caused further destruction. An anti-aircraft battery positioned in front of the greenhouses became a target for artillery fire, leading to widespread damage across the garden. By the end of the war, the garden was left in ruins.

After World War II, the Botanical Garden came under the administration of the city government, as directed by the Allied authorities. The garden reopened to the public in the autumn of 1945. Between 1947 and 1949, parts of the garden were temporarily repurposed to grow potatoes and vegetable cultivation, using Shire horses to plough the land, in response to severe food shortages among the local population. Reconstruction efforts were significantly hampered by Berlin's division into Allied sectors following the war. Despite these challenges, reconstruction of the garden began in 1949 with financial support from the United States. By early 1958, the entire glasshouse complex—except for the Tropical House—had been rebuilt.

The Victoriahaus was the first major greenhouse to be restored and reopened in 1950, marking the initial phase of recovery. By 1968, the garden's reconstruction was completed with the opening of the large tropical greenhouse. Efforts to rebuild the adjacent Botanical Museum began in 1959, under the scientific and organisational leadership of botanist Eva Potztal, who later became the museum's director. The museum's reconstruction was not completed until 1987. Although structural damage was repaired over the course of four decades, the loss of unique botanical materials from the war remains irreplaceable. In August 1961, the construction of the Berlin Wall had a significant impact on the Botanical garden again. Many employees who lived in East Berlin were suddenly unavailable to travel to work, leaving the garden understaffed and further complicating its post-war recovery and maintenance efforts.