Amsterdam City Council founded the
Hortus Botanicus (initially named the
Hortus Medicus) in 1638 to serve as a herbal garden for doctors and
apothecaries, as botanical extracts were the primary treatment for illnesses during this time period.
Physicians and
pharmacists received their training and took exams there. The garden's initial collection was amassed during the 17th century through plants and seeds brought back by traders from the
Dutch East India Company for use as medicines and potential commercial possibilities. A single
coffee plant in
Hortus' collection served as the parent for the entire
coffee culture in Central and South America. Likewise, two small potted
oil palms that were brought back from Mauritius had produced seeds which were propagated throughout all of Southeast Asia, becoming a major source of revenue in the
Dutch East Indies and present-day Indonesia. Hugo de Vries became the director of the
Hortus Botanicus between 1885 and 1918, bringing international attention to the garden. The garden's governing board directed the construction of the
Palm House and laboratory in order to keep the professor there. In 1987, the garden almost went bankrupt when the
University of Amsterdam suddenly stopped paying its expenses, but a community of individual supporters prevented its closure. The
Hortus Botanicus is now supported by the Amsterdam City Council. ==Attractions==