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Leuven Botanical Garden (Kruidtuin)

Leuven Botanical Garden (Kruidtuin)

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Leuven Botanical Garden (Kruidtuin)

Name: Leuven Botanical Garden (Kruidtuin)
Rating: 2

Recommended by 16 hikers

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Location: Flemish Brabant, Flanders, Belgium

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Best Hikes to Leuven Botanical Garden (Kruidtuin)

4.4

(14)

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1. Natuurgebied De Doode Bemde – Boardwalk in Doode Bemde loop from Leuven

28.1km

07:14

140m

Hard hike. Very good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Hard

5.0

(4)

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2. View of Park Abbey and Ponds – Park Abbey loop from Leuven

11.2km

02:52

40m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Moderate

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3. KU Leuven University Library – Leuven Town Hall loop from Sint-Maartensdal

5.29km

01:22

30m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

Tips

Jantje 🚲 🚴‍♂️🇧🇪

March 8, 2025

The Kruidtuin in Leuven is the oldest botanical garden in Belgium. The University of Leuven created it in 1738 for its medical students. Lovers of plants and herbs can indulge themselves in the diverse collections.

In the 450 m² greenhouse complex you will find numerous herbaceous plants, herbs, water and tub plants, as well as a variety of tropical and subtropical species.
Tips

Look for the 'Sunken Garden'
The Kruidtuin is a great place for a picnic
A first botanical garden was created on the initiative of rector Henri-Joseph Rega from 1738 onwards on a site between the Dijle and the Voer. From this original location in the Minderbroedersstraat, all that remains is the classicist entrance gate from 1771, designed by Laurent-Benoit Dewez.[1]

After the foundation of the Rijksuniversiteit Leuven, the garden, which had become too small, was moved to the other side of the Kapucijnenvoer. Until the French Revolution, the Capuchin monastery stood on this site; this monastery contained a large kitchen garden along the Voer.

The garden was created by the garden architect Guillaume Rosseels, under the scientific supervision of the German botanist Franz-Joseph Adelmann. Court architect Charles Vander Straeten designed the entrance building and the orangery. When the State University was abolished in 1835, the garden was transferred to the city council of Leuven.

Today, an extensive collection of trees, shrubs and bushes can be found on an area of approximately 2.2 ha. In addition to the collection of herbaceous plants, herbs, water and tub plants, a greenhouse complex (450 m²) exhibits a variety of tropical and subtropical species.

Translated by Google •

Jeff S

April 2, 2025

Your walk spiced up with plants and images...

Translated by Google •

2 days ago

The first herb garden of Leuven (a "pharmaceutical plant garden") was built from 1738 onwards under the impetus of Professor Hendrik Rega (1690-1754) on a site between the Dijle and the Voer rivers, where municipal school for girls number 3 was later built. The only thing you can still see of it (Minderbroedersstraat number 50): the gate.

The second botanical garden—and the current one—was created by the Leuven landscape architect Guillaume Rosseels (1769-1832), under the direction of the German botanist Professor J.F. Adelman. Based on a design by Charles Vander Straeten (1771-1834), court architect to the Prince of Orange.

From 1821 to 1823, the gatehouse with the gardener's cottage, the orangery with greenhouses, and a surrounding wall were built in a strict classical style.

In 1835, the state university ceded the botanical garden to the city of Leuven, which has since been called the "Municipal Botanical Garden."

The garden's layout was already modified in 1838 to allow for greater plant diversity; the symmetry of the flowerbeds at the foot of the orangery partially disappeared. The orangery itself was also repeatedly renovated.

In In 1984, the tropical greenhouse (1880) east of the orangery was replaced by a larger one, allowing it to better accommodate the garden's evolving function: from a scientific herb garden to a recreational botanical garden. In the same vein, the botanical garden was recently expanded to include an area behind the former Marollen Monastery (Kapuchijnenvoer 32), where an orchard and a sunken garden with a Victorian greenhouse were created.

Inventory of Immovable Heritage: Urban botanical garden, id.erfgoed.net/erfgoedobjecten/42252

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Informations

Elevation 30 m

Weather

Today

Sunday 16 November

9°C

3°C

100 %

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Max wind speed: 7.0 km/h

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Location: Flemish Brabant, Flanders, Belgium

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Leuven Botanical Garden (Kruidtuin)

1. Natuurgebied De Doode Bemde – Boardwalk in Doode Bemde loop from Leuven

2. View of Park Abbey and Ponds – Park Abbey loop from Leuven

3. KU Leuven University Library – Leuven Town Hall loop from Sint-Maartensdal

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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