Oude Hortus
After years of travelling around Europe, apothecary Henricus Munting settled in Groningen in the early 17th century and planted a herb garden. Thus began the history of today's Hortus in Haren, one of the oldest botanical gardens in the Netherlands.
Take a closer look
Because the friends he had made while travelling sent him special plants, the collection grew into an impressive one, which he eventually offered to the University of Groningen. There he became professor of botany in 1654 at the age of 71, the first professor of botany in the Republic of the United Netherlands. For centuries, the Hortus remained in the city centre, expanding with an arboretum, an orangery and greenhouses until further expansion was impossible. In 1966, the Hortus moved to Haren. But surrounded by university buildings, the oldest Ginkgo biloba in the Netherlands still stands in its old spot among rare plants and twenty species of ornamental plants. An extraordinary indoor garden in the heart of the city.