Rhododendron-Park Bremen

The Rhododendron-Park Bremen (46 hectares), also known as the Rhododendron-Park und Botanischer Garten Bremen, is the biggest collection of rhododendrons and azaleas worldwide, as well as a substantial botanical garden (3.2 hectares), located in Bremen, Germany. It is open daily; park admission is free but a fee is charged for the nature center Botanika. The botanical garden dates to 1905 when it was created by businessman Franz Schütte at a different site (1905 Osterdeich, 3 hectares). This original garden was organized geographically, with plants from the Orient, Mexico, and the Caucasus, as well as collections of crop plants, medicinal herbs, native plants, and poisonous plants. It remained privately held until 1935 when it became city property, and was transferred to its current location within the Rhododendron Park over the next few years. Today's garden was completed in 1949-1950. The park itself began in 1933 at the initiative of the German Rhododendron Society on former farmland and forest, opening to the public in 1937. Its Botanika facility, described as Germany's largest nature center, opened in 2003. In 2007 ownership of the park was transferred to a nonprofit foundation.