Palmengarten

When the Duke of Nassau lost his lands in 1866, his palm collection at Biebrich came up for sale, and a group of Frankfurt citizens formed a company in 1868, bought it, and opened a garden to house it in 1871, financed by shares and subscriptions rather than by a ruler. The Palmenhaus of 1869 still stands. The Tropicarium, opened in the 1980s, runs visitors through a sequence of climate zones from desert to cloud forest in linked houses. Outdoors, twenty-two hectares hold rock gardens, a rose garden and a lake. It remains one of the largest botanical gardens in Germany.

What you actually see

• The 1869 palm house - the original glasshouse built for the ducal collection.
• The Tropicarium - linked houses running from desert to cloud forest.
• The outdoor grounds - twenty-two hectares of themed gardens and a lake.
• The founding story - a garden bought by citizens rather than a state.

When to go

Year-round; the glasshouses make winter visits worthwhile. Spring and early summer are best outdoors. Concerts and flower shows run through the season.

Honest expectations

Some glasshouses close in rotation for maintenance. It is busy at weekends with families. The adjoining botanical garden has separate arrangements.

Nearby

The Senckenberg museum is close; the Main lies south.