The Jardin botanique de l'Hôpital d'Instruction des Armées Clermont-Tonnerre (Botanical Garden of the Teaching Hospital of the Clermont-Tonnerre Armies) is a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

located on the grounds of the Hôpital d'Instruction des Armées Clermont-Tonnerre at Rue du Colonel Fonferrier,

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress *Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria *Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France **Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Brest, ...

Finistère Finistère (, ; br, Penn-ar-Bed ) is a department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.

, in the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It is open to the public weekend afternoons; admission is free. The garden was begun in 1688 by Desclouzeaux, ''Intendant de la Marine'' at Brest, as a ''jardin des simples'' for herbs and medicines on the grounds of the royal naval hospital (established 1684). Under the supervision of chief gardener Antoine Laurent (1744-1820) it developed greatly to become an important adjunct to the Jardin du Roi (now Jardin des Plantes) in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, as Brest's mild climate favored the cultivation of a wide variety of exotic plants from around the world. By the 19th century it had become a major botanical garden, but the slow withering of its original medical function led to a progressive decline. The garden's remnants were almost totally destroyed in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, along with the hospital itself, but in subsequent years the garden has been gradually been restored. Today the garden's terraces are again open to the public, and still display some 19th-century accessions. The garden is described in ''Actu Santé'' as containing the oldest two Chinese palms in Europe, the largest ''

Ginkgo biloba ''Ginkgo biloba'', commonly known as ginkgo or gingko ( ), also known as the maidenhair tree, is a species of tree native to China. It is the last living species in the order Ginkgoales, which first appeared over 290 million years ago. Fossils ...

'' in Europe, and excellent specimens of

Camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are more than 220 described species, with some controversy ...

s and ''

Gunnera manicata ''Gunnera manicata'', known as Brazilian giant-rhubarb or giant rhubarb, is a species of flowering plant in the family Gunneraceae from the coastal Serra do Mar Mountains of Santa Catarina, Parana and Rio Grande do Sul States, Brazil. It is a ...

''. Rare and valuable specimens are identified by signs. BrestBuerg

References

Actu Santé - N° 100 - juillet - août 2007
page 11.
Culture.fr entry (French)

CityVox entry (French)

L'Internaute entry (French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jardin botanique de l'Hopital d'Instruction des Armees Clermont-Tonnerre Brest, France Hopital d'Instruction des Armees Clermont-Tonnerre, Jardin botanique de l' Hopital d'Instruction des Armees Clermont-Tonnerre, Jardin botanique de l'

See also

References