The Lisbon Botanical Garden was designed in the mid-19th century, on the initiative of Count Ficalho and Andrade Corvo, both teachers at the local Polytechnic School. The diversity of plants collected by their first gardeners (German E. Goeze and French J. Daveau) came from different parts of the world under Portuguese sovereignty, at that time.
Nowadays, different species of palm trees, cycads and other endangered plant species from New Zealand, Australia, China, Japan and South America are conserved here. One of the most popular species in the garden is the Australian Cycad that attracts attention due to its unusual shape.
Located in the Príncipe Real district of Lisbon, the mild climate of the capital has proved beneficial to the growth of the plants making this one of the most beautiful and scenic gardens of southern Europe.
The Botanical Garden has also become famed for other scientific studies, including astronomy and meteorology. It houses facilities such as the Astronomical Institute Observatory and the Meteorological Observatory.
Today the Botanical Garden belongs to Lisbon University and is part of the Natural History Museum of Lisbon. Lisbon’s Botanical Garden is not only a place of special interest to botanical science lovers, but also a nice place to for a simple stroll, enjoy the scenery and unwind away from the chaos of the city.
