In short
The pleasure and kitchen garden of the Berlin palace had become too small by 1679 and so the Great Elector Friedrich decided to enlarge his herb garden in the suburbs and to create a model agricultural garden. In 1718 Friedrich Wilhelm I, who was famous for his thriftiness, gave it away to the Prussian Academy of Sciences. Around 1815 the royal herbarium developed out of the extensive botanical research done by C.L. Willdenow. In 1879 the Botanical Museum was established to house and promote research on the continuously growing collection. When the city began encroaching, moving to the outskirts of Berlin again became inevitable and was completed under the direction of A. Engler onto a state potato farm in 1910. Today with 22,000 different species of plants on 43 hectares our Botanic Garden has become one of the largest and most diverse botanical gardens in the world.
Journey around the world in one day
Come for a walk through the magical world of wild plants: climb over the
European mountains to the impressive Himalaya, enjoy the calm beauty of a
Japanese landscape and the splendour of plants of North America. This journey
for adventurers is named Pflanzengeographie. Romantics will prefer the pure
nature of the Arboretum, old trees on flowering meadows. Those who strive for
order will head for the System. Here, biological relationships rather than
geographical origin determines who may grow next to whom. 16 greenhouses (Gewächshäuser)
with an area of more than 6000 m2 house many delicate and precious plants of the
tropics and sub-tropics. If you do not wish to see all at once, take the walk
for specialists: to the garden of aquatic and marsh plants (Sumpf- und
Wassergarten), to the beautiful aroma and touch garden (Duft- und Tastgarten),
to the medicinal plants (Arzneipflanzen) or the useful plants (Nutzpflanzen). On
first sight nature keeps her secrets hidden but in the Botanical
Museum, which is unique in Central Europe, you will be able to see more by
enlargements or models of, for example, microscopically small organisms, a
nettle's hair, the root systems or insides of a plant.
Research and Service - A Portrait
Research on plants is essential for their preservation and is an enormous
project which shows no signs of exhaustion. As an internationally renowned
research institution the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem
contributes substantially to this goal. Highly qualified and competent staff and
excellent technical equipment are necessities for this task. Our duties include
services for research, government authorities and the public: We serve 30-40,000
plants or plant parts yearly to the Berlin universities as study aids. Courses
for customs officers support the Washington Treaty on Rare and Endangered
Species. Thousands of inquiries are being answered.
Yet - this is only a
small part of our duties. You can help too! The
Friends of the Botanic Garden
support our ideals and finances.
Mission Statement of BGBM Berlin-Dahlem
