The Jardin Exotique de Monaco ( French for "exotic garden of Monaco") is a botanical garden located on a cliffside in Monaco.

History

The

succulent plant In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', mea ...

s were brought back from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

in the late 1860s. By 1895, Augustin Gastaud, who served as the Chief Gardener of the State Gardens of Monaco, grew the succulents in the Jardin St Martin.

Albert I, Prince of Monaco Albert I (Albert Honoré Charles Grimaldi; 13 November 1848 – 26 June 1922) was Prince of Monaco from 10 September 1889 until his death. He devoted much of his life to oceanography, exploration and science. Alongside his expeditions, Albert I ...

acquired a piece of land in Les Moneghetti in 1912. He commissioned Louis Notari, the Chief Engineer of Monaco, to build a new garden with

footbridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...

s. During the construction, Notari found a

grotto A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high ti ...

underneath in 1916. Meanwhile, the garden was finished in 1933. Monegasque agronomist Louis Vatrican served as its first director from 1933 to 1969. He added African succulents to the existing South American plants. After he retired in 1969, he was succeeded by Marcel Kroenlein. The grotto was opened to the public in 1950, but it may only be visited with specialized guides. Evidence of prehistoric human inhabitants has been found in the cave. There is a museum of Prehistoric Anthropology within the Exotic Garden displaying many of those prehistoric remains. It was founded by Prince Albert I in 1902.

References

External links

Jardin Exotique website
Botanical gardens in Monaco Protected areas established in 1933 Cactus gardens {{garden-stub