botanika

Bremen's great world of discovery

Diversity makes us unique.
Explore amazing plant phenomena, discover world cultures, or even get married? You can experience botanika in many ways – exciting, sensual, and fascinating.

You've surely been surrounded by nature before. But we often overlook or only peripherally notice the many small wonders of the pleasantly quiet world of trees, shrubs, blossoms, and grasses. Yet this world has so much to tell! At the Discovery Center, botanika puts these gifts of nature in the spotlight: The permanent exhibition offers you special insights into the plant kingdom – from ingenious to truly remarkable!

Let yourself be enchanted by our diverse offerings: Discover the vibrant colors of Asian rhododendrons and azaleas in our three large greenhouse worlds. Explore the mountain landscapes of the Himalayas. Or get up close to delicate, exotic fish. Sensual pleasures that will stay with you.

botanika
together house and display the second largest rhododendron collection in the world: nearly 600 wild species and 3,000 cultivated varieties thrive here. Only the collection of Queen Elizabeth of England is more extensive…

The Discovery Centre

Plant World – Tricky and ingenious.
Stroll through a fragrant meadow or experience what it's like to fly inside a carnivorous plant… Discover the world of plants and their animal allies from unusual perspectives.

You've never experienced plants like this before!
Plants perform incredible feats: transporting water up to 100 meters high – without muscles? Plants can do it. With elegant tricks, plants reproduce and attract and seduce their mates with masterful skill. The competition for light, water, and nutrients makes them astonishingly inventive!

Wonderful diversity – touching and significant.
Discover the beauty of plants in detail with us: Experience firsthand how "green" mechanisms work. Listen to the story of how Goethe sought a kick in his coffee or follow scientists in interviews. Find out in our wild herb kitchen which plants are edible – some greens are even pure medicine. But beware: Not all herbs are suitable for consumption; some are indeed a "false friend."

Special exhibitions

Always different.
Regular special exhibitions create plenty of variety – chicks, rabbits, Buddhist artworks and tropical butterflies are among our annual crowd favorites.

Springtime at our botanika is all about the azalea bloom: From the beginning of February, parts of the botanika are transformed into a vibrant sea of ​​color. We combine the magnificent blooming season of these small rhododendrons with an exhibition each year, which we redesign from different perspectives.

During Easter, you can expect to see a wide variety of rabbit breeds. Another Easter highlight is the hatching of chicks. And with the arrival of summer, welcome to the realm of tropical butterflies! Let yourself be enchanted by hundreds of free-floating butterflies until February of the new year.

And when darkness falls earlier and earlier in winter, we have a particularly beautiful spectacle: From November to January, our greenhouses are artfully illuminated, and in these projections, “light figures” come to life.

Greenhouse Worlds

4,000 square meters of diversity:
Approximately half of the roughly 600 wild rhododendron species in the Bremen collection are not winter-hardy. Therefore, these plants are kept under the protective roof of the botanika. The combination of an engaging exhibition and horticultural presentation in the display greenhouses brings the significance of this plant diversity to life.

From the Himalayas, the path leads down into the valley. Large-leaved, tree-like rhododendron species from the lower elevations of these mountains can be found here, as well as species from the warm regions of Vietnam and southern China, which, with their large, lily-like blossoms, don't resemble rhododendrons at all. Then embark on an expedition through Yunnan, Burma, and New Guinea – through exotic worlds where there is much to discover: For example, encounter original artifacts such as cult poles of indigenous Asian peoples, pause before prayer wheels, rest in a Chinese tea pavilion, or soak up the atmosphere before the largest reclining bronze Buddha statue outside of Asia.

Also climb Mount Kinabalu in Borneo: From there you have an unparalleled view over the largest collection of Vireya rhododendrons in Central Europe!

Free admission! Sparkasse Bremen offers free admission to children and young people under 18 on the first Saturday of every month!