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Jardin des Plantes - Paris 5th
History
The garden was created following the completion of the work of
XVIth century botanists. In 1577 the apothecary Nicolas Houel founded
the Maison de la Charité Chrétienne (House of Christian
Charity) with a "garden of simple plants", the first botanical
gardens in Paris. By 1624 over one thousand species were cultivated
here.
In 1626 Louis XIII, at the instigation of his physician Héroard
and his apothecary Guy de la Brosse, founded the "jardin de
plantes médicinales" (Medicinal Plant Garden) which
then became the "jardin du Roi" (the King's Garden). It
was opened to the public for the first time in 1640. Its rapid growth
under Louis XIV was due to the findings from colonial expeditions
and their subsequent research. As a result, Fagon, physician to
Louis XIV and the garden's superintendent, commissioned hothouses
and a 600-seat amphitheatre where chemistry was taught. Following
this Tournefort, the Jussieu brothers, Buffon, Daubenton and Verniquet
all made successive contributions to expanding the garden giving
it more or less the appearance it has today
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