Conrad-Gessner-Denkmal

Conrad Gessner in Zurich is best experienced at the Gessner-Garten, a herb garden on the hilltop of the Old Botanical Garden (Alter Botanischer Garten) in the city centre. A memorial to the Renaissance naturalist stands at the northern end of the garden, and the labels beside the plants introduce the medicine of his day.

Who was Conrad Gessner?

Gessner (1516–1565) grew up in a poor Zurich family, yet his talent earned him a university education in classical languages, theology and medicine. He became the city physician but still found time to collect, research and write. His great works covered bibliography and zoology, and plague cut his life short while he was preparing a major botanical text. He is considered a founder of modern scientific bibliography, zoology and botany, and in 1559 he was among the first to describe the tulip in Europe.

What will you see in the Gessner-Garten?

The garden opened on 27 May 1997 on the hill of the former Katz bastion. Private horticultural firms built it and the Pro Katz foundation paid for it. About 50 medicinal plants grow here in the manner of a medieval herb garden. Every plant carries a sign with a quotation from a sixteenth-century healer, showing how Gessner and contemporaries such as Hieronymus Bock and Leonhart Fuchs understood remedies. A visit takes a quarter of an hour or so, which makes it an easy pause between city sights.

What is the Old Botanical Garden?

The park lies at Pelikanstrasse 40 and covers around two hectares. Johannes Gessner founded Zurich's first botanical garden in 1746, drawing on the herbarium of his ancestor Conrad. The present layout dates from 1837 and was designed by university gardener Leopold Karl Theodor Fröbel. The collections later moved to the Weinegg district, where a new botanical garden opened in the 1970s. The old grounds now serve as a recreation area and arboretum. The glass Palmhaus, opened in 1851, hosts concerts, theatre and exhibitions.

How do you get there?

Enter from Pelikanstrasse. The nearest tram stop is Sihlstrasse, served by lines 2 and 9. The main station and the old town are within walking distance.

When should you visit?

From April to September the park is open 7:00–19:00, and from October to March 8:00–18:00. The plantings look best from late spring to early autumn.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Conrad Gessner memorial in Zurich?

Yes, it stands at the northern end of the herb garden on the hill of the Old Botanical Garden.

How many plants grow in the Gessner-Garten?

Around 50 medicinal species, each labelled with a sixteenth-century quotation.

Where is the Gessner-Garten?

On the former Katz bastion, inside the park at Pelikanstrasse 40, Zurich.

Is there another garden dedicated to Gessner?

Yes, a second herb garden linked to him lies in the former cloister of the Grossmünster, by the Carolinum.