Flora
Cologne's botanical garden centred on the 1864 glass festival hall 'Flora' — a Lenné-designed park with over 10,000 plant species across more than 11 hectares.
since 1864
The Flora is Cologne's botanical garden, combining a historicist park with the glass festival hall from its founding era — both sharing the name 'Flora'.
At a Glance
- Type
- Botanical garden of the City of Cologne
- Location
- Riehl district, Nippes borough, adjacent to Cologne Zoo
- Opened
- 14 August 1864
- Area
- over 11 hectares
- Plants
- more than 10,000 native and exotic species
- Garden architect
- Peter Joseph Lenné
- Listed status
- Listed monument in North Rhine-Westphalia
The aquarium that opened in the Flora in 1869 was housed in an artificial grotto built from lava rock and was considered a sensation: it was one of the first public aquariums in Europe, opening right after those at London Zoo and the Crystal Palace – simultaneously with the one in Berlin.
Things to do here
- Stroll through the historic Lenné landscaped park
- Discover over 10,000 plant species from around the world
- Marvel at the glass festival hall from 1864
- Explore the tropical, desert and subtropical greenhouses
- Take photos at the water cascade and the baroque parterre
- Linger on the lawn and enjoy the nature
Area comparison
Area compared with other Cologne parks and green spaces.
Age comparison
Age compared with other places in Cologne.
History
After the old Cologne Botanical Garden near the cathedral had to make way for the new central railway station, planning for a replacement site in Riehl began in 1862. Cologne citizens and business leaders founded the Flora AG company for this purpose, with Queen Augusta as patron. The grounds were inaugurated on 14 August 1864 with a concert and fireworks, on a site of around 5.6 hectares next to Cologne Zoo, which had opened just four years earlier.
Garden Design
The overall layout was created by Prussian Director-General of Gardens Peter Joseph Lenné, who wove several European garden styles into a unified composition in the spirit of Historicism. The parterre between the main entrance and the palm house draws on the French Baroque garden; a five-tiered water cascade with pergolas follows the Italian Renaissance tradition; and the wider grounds are laid out as an English landscape park. Several themed gardens trace the evolution of garden design across roughly 150 years.
The Festival Hall
The centrepiece of the grounds is the so-called Glass Palace — a winter garden of iron and glass designed by architect Max Nohl, inspired by the Parisian Jardin d'hiver and London's Crystal Palace. The building blends Neo-Renaissance elements with Romanesque round-arch forms and Moorish architectural touches, and originally measured 57 metres long, 22.5 metres wide and 18 metres high. It served both as a palm house and as a venue for grand balls.
Plant Collection
The Flora holds a large stock of exotic trees and shrubs dating back to the founding year. Plants from a wide range of climate zones grow both outdoors and under glass; the grounds include tropical glasshouses, a desert house and a subtropical house, together home to more than 10,000 species.
Timeline
- 1860Cologne Zoo opens, Riehl develops as a recreational area
- 1862Planning of new botanical garden begins; founding committee on 5 September
- 1863Flora AG founded (6 March); King Wilhelm I approves statutes (13 April)
- 1864Flora opens on 14 August with concert and fireworks
- 1865Orangery (53 m long) built for the International Agricultural Exhibition
- 1869Aquarium in artificial lava-stone grotto opens – one of the first in Europe
- 1888Imperial pavilion in Rococo style built; horticultural exhibition
- 1898Neo-Baroque concert hall added – largest hall in Cologne (2,457 persons)
Gallery
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
Address
Alter Stammheimer Weg
50735 Köln
Hours
Mo: 08:00–21:00
Di: 08:00–21:00
Mi: 08:00–21:00
Do: 08:00–21:00
Fr: 08:00–21:00
Sa: 08:00–21:00
So: 08:00–21:00
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Sources & links
- Official website
- Wikidata (retrieved 2026-06-23)
- Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-06-23, rev 267891255)
- Official website (retrieved 2026-06-24)
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26
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