Bogor Botanical Garden

Bogor Botanical Garden

The present-day Bogor Botanical Gardens were originally part of the Samida forest, which was established around the time of the Sunda Kingdom under the rule of Sri Baduga Prince, also known as Prabu Siliwangi (1474-1513), as described in the Batutulis inscription. The Samida forest was created to protect rare wood seeds. Another Samida forest, known as the Ciung Wanara Forest, was established near the border of Bogor and Cianjur. However, it was abandoned after the defeat of the Sunda Kingdom by the Banten country.

In 1744, the Dutch East Indies Company built a mansion and garden on the site of the present-day Bogor Botanical Gardens in Buitenzorg. In 1811, Stamford Raffles became the Lieutenant-Governor of Java and had the Buitenzorg garden landscaped, where his wife Olivia Raffles died in 1814. A memorial was erected in her honor, which still stands in the Bogor Botanical Gardens today. In 1817, the garden was officially recognized as a botanical garden and was called 's Lands Plantentuin, an idea introduced by German-born Dutch botanist Caspar Georg Carl Reinwardt. 

Throughout the 19th century, the gardens were used for researching and cultivating plants and seeds from other parts of the Dutch East Indies. This tradition continues today, and the gardens are known as a center for botanical research. In 1848, the West African feather palm was introduced to the gardens, believed to be the mother tree in West Africa from which various descendants were propagated to support the growth of the oil industry in the region. In 1862, the Cibodas Gardens were established as an extension of the Bogor Botanical Gardens, and in 1889, the Teysmann Garden was established in honor of Johannes Elias Teijsmann, who was the director of the Bogor Botanical Gardens from 1830 to 1869. The Teysmann Garden follows formal European designs.

In 1928, the Astrid Avenue was established on the eastern side of the Bogor Botanical Gardens, containing a stunning display of lilies of various colors in memory of a visit by Princess Astrid of Belgium. In 1994, the APEC Heads of Government meeting was held next to the gardens at the Bogor Palace. The gardens were used throughout the APEC summit in Indonesia, attended by 60 world leaders, which formalized the Bogor Declaration. 

Today, the Bogor Botanical Gardens boast more than 15,000 species of trees and plants, with 400 exceptional palm varieties on display throughout the lawns and avenues. The gardens provide a sanctuary for over 50 different bird species and groups of monkeys that roost high up in the trees. The garden's flower houses contain around 3,000 varieties. In 1862, the Cibodas Botanical Gardens were established as an extension of the Bogor Botanical Gardens, located approximately 45 kilometers southeast of Bogor. The Bogor Botanical Gardens are home to five titan arum plants, all from Pagar Alam, South Sumatra, which is the largest number of specimens among botanical gardens. The most recent flowering events occurred in June and July 2011.