Botanical Garden Berlin

The Botanical Garden Berlin in the Lichterfelde area covers more than 106 acres (43 hectares), making it one of the largest botanical gardens in Germany, and with roughly 22,000 different plant species it is the second largest of its kind in the world. The garden as it stands today was begun in 1899 on former potato fields, planned by the botanist Adolf Engler together with the architect Alfred Koerner. The first visitors came in 1903, and the official opening followed in 1910. It is now a central institution of the Freie Universität Berlin and draws about half a million people a year.

The centerpiece is the Great Tropical House, built between 1905 and 1907. At 197 feet long, 95 feet wide and 82 feet high (60 by 29 by 25 meters), it is one of the largest free-span steel and glass structures in the world, and giant bamboo grows right up into its roof. Also worth seeing are the Victoria House with its giant water lilies, the arboretum of around 34 acres (13.9 hectares) planted with native trees, the outdoor area arranged by plant geography, and sixteen display greenhouses in all. The attached Botanical Museum holds a herbarium, a library and a seed bank.

Plan several hours, because the sprawling grounds with their geometric Italian Garden, themed beds and greenhouses do not compress into a quick loop. One nice detail is the scent and touch garden, where the plant labels are also written in Braille. Families, nature lovers and photographers get something out of the place year round, since the picture changes dramatically with the seasons.