Major Botanic Gardens
in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland
Image (above): This is a reproduction of the botanical garden of Carolus Linnaeus from a contemporary engraving. In the 1920s, the garden was restored according to Linnaeus' original specifications. It's now also a museum of 18th century botany.

AUSTRIA

VIENNA
ARGE Österreichischer Botanischer Gärten / Austrian Botanic Garden, University Vienna
Founded in 1754; cultivation of more than 10,000 species representing all continents; special collections include endangered plant species native to Austria such as the 'Austrian Dragonhead' (Dracocephalum austriacum). 1754 gegrendet; mehr als 10.000

Botanic Garden - Schoenbrunn Palace
The park at Schoenbrunn Palace was opened to the public around 1779, it was placed together with the palace on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1996
The palm house in the grounds of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna
The palm house in the grounds of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna

BELGIUM

​
​PLANTCOL: Belgian Living Plant Collections​ - Belgium has a rich tradition in both botany and horticulture. In an area little over 30,000 km, there is an enormous density of botanic gardens, arboreta and private plant collections, each with their unique identity, profiles and specialisations.
Picture
National Garden of Belgium - Plant Palace - The Victoria House - via Wikimedia Commons

FRANCE
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In France Botanic Gardens are called ​Jardins botaniques
REFERENCE:
PARIS
Royal Garden of Medicinal Plants

The original ​was created in Paris in 1635 by by King Louis XIII's physician Guy de La Brosse. 

​It was renamed the Jardin des Plantes but remains on its original site covering 28 hectares (68 acres). It's the main botanical garden in Paris. The new Botanical Gallery contains the Herbarium and the Library.  There are also a number of other Natural History Galleries on the same site. There's been a lot of development since 1990.
Picture
Jardin des Plantes of Paris - Map (via Wikimedia Commons)

GERMANY
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​GENERAL
In Germany, botanic gardens are known as Botanischer Garten
  • Verband Botanischer Garten e.V. / Association of Botanical Gardens (in Germany) - ​(Use Chrome to do an automatic translation) The botanical gardens in Germany cultivate a fifth of the world's known flowering plants in their collections documented, maintain conservation of rare plants and cultures cooperate in conservation.
​BERLIN
​Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem (BGBM)
​- One of the largest botanical gardens in the world,. It has 20,000 different species of plants on 43 hectares. Originally developed by the Great Elector Friedrich as a model agricultural garden. In 1891 the Rpyal Herbarium was developed. In 1879 a Botanical Museum was created to house and promote research on the continuously growing collection.
Picture
BGBM (Botanical Garden Berlin) Greenhouse in the snow
FRANKFURT - Palmengarten Frankfurt
(Dreadful website!)
​- The Palmengarten is a trust established by the citizens of Frankfurt in 1868. On 50 acres, the gardens display numerous beautiful and interesting plants throughout the year. ​
"Palmhouse" at "Palmengarten" in Frankfurt am Main.

ITALY
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There are over 100 Botanic Gardens (Orto Botanico) in Italy including the  world's first university botanical garden created in 1545 and some of the other oldest botanic gardens in Europe.

A few are highlighted below.
REFERENCE:

Garden of Simples

Otherwise known as herb gardens, specialised medicinal gardens have been created at least since the Middle Ages, especially in monastery courtyards. During the European Renaissance, with the advance of medical and botanical sciences, monastic herb gardens developed into botanic gardens. Thus, the original function of these gardens was to display plants for medicinal use. The section where herbs were grown became the “Garden of Simples”, a 'simple' being an herb used on its own in medical treatment.
The Garden of Simples - Università di Bologna
PADUA
​Botanical Garden of Padua (Italian Orto Botanico di Padova)
Picture
The Botanical garden of Padua (The Garden of Simples) with the Il Santo Basilica in the background
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site (see video below) because of its claim to be the oldest academic botanical garden - associated with a university - in the world. 

Founded in 1545 for the cultivation of medicinal plants (simple herbs) and in continuous use for ever since. However, it has relocated twice. It has only occupied its current, and now-permanent, location since 1591. 
Also known as Garden of the Simples (Orto dei Semplici). A circular wall was built to enclose the garden and protect the theft of the plants.  Its original layout is preserved – a circular central plot, symbolising the world, surrounded by a ring of water.  Its herbarium is the second most extensive in Italy. Its Library contains more than 50,000 volumes and manuscripts of historical and bibliographic importance. Its plant collections includes one devoted to medicinal and poisonous plants. The oldest plant is a palm planted in 1585 called the "Goethe palm" - which has its own greenhouse.
Picture
L'Orto Botanico di Padova - the oldest botanical garden in the world. The Goethe Palm greenhouse can be seen on the right.
Picture
The Botanical Garden at Padua | Wellcome Institute - Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
FLORENCE
Botanical Garden of Florence | Orto Botanico di Firenze
- also known as the Giardino dei Semplici, the "Garden of Simples

​Founded in 1st December 1545, the garden is the third oldest botanical garden in Europe and covers more than two hectares (and was the thirld largest in the world in ancient times). The hot and cold greenhouses containing tropical and subtropical plants were built in the 19th century and are the largest in Italy (162metres in length).  

​Initially it was a Garden of Simples with a prime interest in medicinal plants. It then became more focused on experimental agriculture. The garden today contains some 9,000 plant specimens. They are planted within a roughly square site surrounded by walls, crossed by a grid of walkways, and with a central fountain. It is now a section of the Museum of Natural History of the University of Florence. In 2004 the Garden was named CESFL (Center for the conservation ex situ of flora) by the Region of Tuscany
Picture
Aerial view of the Botanical Garden in Florence
VENTIMIGLIA
​Hanbury Botanic Gardens (Giardini Botanici Hanbury) ​

​The gardens are located west of Ventimiglia, in the westernmost part of Liguria (near the border with France). The garden is located on a steep peninsula next to the sea and covers 18 hectares - of which 9 hectares are cultivated and contain some 2500 taxa. It was declared a nature preserve in 2000.  Many of the species are plants of Mediterranean climates from the six Mediterranean climate zones of the world. It has an orchard of rare fruits (see video). It is now operated and managed by the University of Genoa. ​
Picture
Giardini Botanici Hanbury - pavilion.

NETHERLANDS
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 'Hortus Botanicus' - The older botanic gardens in the Netherlands are known by the Latin term for a botanical garden​
​AMSTERDAM 
​Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam plus the Facebook Page for Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam. One of the oldest botanical gardens in the world, it is located in the middle of Ansterdam.

LEIDEN
Hortus Botanicus Leiden - founded in 1590, this is the oldest surviving botanic garden in the Netherlands and one of the oldest in the world.  It started life as a Hortus Medicus - for medical students.  You can see pictures of the plants on Flickr 
Picture
East entrance bridge to the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam, via Wikimedia Commons
Picture
Hortus Botanicus Leiden (The Netherlands) in 1610. Engraving: Willem Swanenburgh after Jan Cornelisz Woudanus (van 't Woudt), via Wikimedia Commons

NORWAY
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​Nasjonalt nettverk for botanist hager - National Network of Botanical Gardens is an informal collaboration between botanical gardens and arboretum in Norway. The network aims to strengthen the botanical gardens and arboreta in Norway.
Picture
Arctic-alpine botanic garden in Tromsø Norway
BERGEN
The Arboretum and Botanical garden, Milde, University of Bergen - Blondehuset Historical Garden has 5000 plant taxa from all over the World and Norway's largest collection of Roses in Norway and Rhododendron collection in Scandinavia. 

KRISTIANSAND
Agder Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden - largest collection of succulents in Norway
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OSLO
​The Botanical Garden, NHM, University of Oslo - Founded in 1814 - it is the oldest scientific garden in Norway.. Belongs to the Natural History Museum of the University of Oslo. The collection includes roughly 35,000 plants of about 7,500 unique species
STAVANGER
​The Stavanger Botanic Garden and Rogaland Arboretum - established in 1978; includes 12.9 hectares of garden and parkland. Geographic Garden, Herb Garden and Perennial garden.

​TROMSO
Arctic-alpine Botanic Garden, University Museum of Tromsø - just two hectares of Garden dominated by rocky hills simulating nature in the Arctic or in mountainous areas, including the plants

​TRONDHEIM
​Ringve botanical garden, The NTNU Museum of Natural History and Archaeology - around 32 acres and opened as part of the university in 1973. It contains an Arboretum, Old Perennials, a Systematic Gardenm a Renaissance Garden, a Historic Park and Ornamental beds

RUSSIA

ST. PETERSBURG​​
​V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute - The St. Petersburg Botanical Garden is one of the oldest in Russia. It was founded by Peter the Great in 1714. Medicinal plants were cultivated and it functioned as an "Apothecary garden". In 1823, the Imperial Botanical Garden with large greenhouses was established. In 1940 it was named after the outstanding Russian botanist Vladimir Komarov. It's now the Russian national center of plant science and one of the leading botanical institutions in the world. The address is 197376, St. Petersburg, ul. Professor Popov, d. 2 
Picture
The Palm Greenhouse, St. Petersburg Botanical Garden - via Wikimedia Commons

SPAIN

MADRID
​The Real Jardin Botanico in Madrid - Founded on October 17, 1755, by King Ferdinand VI. Today it has seven major outdoor sections and five greenhouses. In total there are 90,000 different plants and flowers, and 1,500 trees. It also contains a substantial herbarium.
Picture
Real Jardin Botanico in Madrid [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

SWEDEN

Picture
An image of the original Linnean Garden in Sweden From a A set of Linnaeus' Dissertations By Carl von Linn (Christie's, LotFinder: entry 1731366) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Picture
The old botanical garden of Uppsala University (now known as the Linnean Garden), depicted by Olof Rudbeck | printed 1675
UPPSALA
​The Linnaeus Garden The Linnaeus Garden was the first botanical garden in Sweden founded in 1655 by Olof Rudbeck the elder. It is laid out in the French Style and restored following Linnaeus' and Carl Hårleman's design from 1745.

Linnaean Garden - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Linnaean Garden or Linnaeus' Garden (in Swedish Linntrdgrden) is the oldest of the botanical gardens belonging to Uppsala University in Sweden. It has been restored and is kept as an 18th century botanical garden, according to the specifications
Uppsala Botanical Garden
Botanical garden Villavgen 8SE-752 36 Uppsala Phone: +46 18-471 28 38 (week days 9.30 am-11.30 am). More than 8,000 species from all parts of the plant kingdom, all types of environments and all corners of the world. Most are wild, some are cultivated. The Botanical Garden was previously situated east of the Fyris river, where the Linnaeus Garden is today but suffered from flooding. By 1807, all of the plants had been moved to the new gardens in the grounds of at Uppsala Castle

SWITZERLAND

ZURICH
​Hortus Botanicus Helveticus - the botanical gardens and plant collections in Switzerland