• IN THE GARDEN •
• IN THE GREENHOUSES •
Life, with the garden
Location: Erlangen, Germany • • • Visits: September 2022
I was traveling between conferences, from the Austrian mountains and Berlin. I needed to stop for the night somewhere on the way. I googled: Where is there a decent botanic garden approximately halfway in-between? I ended up in Erlangen.
The garden is managed by University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. It is comparatively small, two hectares nestled into the side of the castle park. It has a greenhouse with a rich display of flowering potted plants, the kind my grandmother used to have. There was a pretty kitchen garden and a systematic garden displaying the evolution of plants. Tiny groves with different communities, atmospheres. And all in such a small space – they had used every single nook along the winding paths to its fullest potential.
The botanic garden in Erlangen is neither big nor special enough to be a destination in itself – but for anyone who happens to be passing through, it is definitely worth a stroll and a moment of tranquil reflection among the squirrels and robins.
Katja Malmborg 