Trees older than the city
Some are over a century old, while Rotterdam's architecture was all rebuilt after 1940.
Wilma Verburg โ CC BY-SA 2.5 nl ยท Wilrooij โ CC BY-SA 4.0 ยท Wilrooij โ CC BY-SA 4.0 ยท Wilrooij โ CC BY-SA 4.0
With one day in Rotterdam, no; the modern architecture, the cube houses, the covered market and the Erasmus bridge come first. On a longer stay, or on a day when you want quiet, it is a good choice, and the place is visually beautiful without knowing the species.
Spring for the rhododendrons and early collections, or autumn for the colour in the maples and oaks. Winter is quieter but the hours are shorter and many trees are bare.
Sign in to write your review of this place.
No reviews yet โ be the first.
A botanical garden and arboretum in the east of Rotterdam, created by the van Hoey Smith family in the nineteenth century and extended by them across generations before becoming a foundation open to the public. What distinguishes it is that it is not an ordinary city park but a serious plant collection: oaks, maples and conifers gathered from around the world, with some trees more than a century old. For plant people it is a reference site; for everyone else it is simply a beautiful, quiet place. That contrast is what makes it worthwhile in Rotterdam specifically: a city whose architecture is entirely modern after the bombing of 1940, holding a garden whose trees are older than most of its buildings. The site is outside the centre in an eastern residential district and needs a metro or tram. The grounds take an hour to two to walk, and spring and autumn are its best seasons for colour.
Some are over a century old, while Rotterdam's architecture was all rebuilt after 1940.
Created by the van Hoey Smith family and extended by them across generations.
Outside the centre and lightly visited โ the opposite of Rotterdam's busy architectural frontage.
Eastern Rotterdam