The Alexandre-Godron garden, a historic botanical garden
Discreet yet steeped in history, Jardin Alexandre-Godron is Nancy's oldest botanical garden. Tucked behind the Muséum-Aquarium, it unrolls its box-edged beds and plant collections in an almost studious calm.
A botanical garden born in the 18th century
This is Nancy's oldest garden devoted to plants. Created in 1758 at the instigation of Duke Stanislas, as an annexe to the royal college of medicine, it was first the Sainte-Catherine botanical garden, dedicated to the study of useful plants. It remained an active scientific site until 1993, when its collections moved to the larger Jardin botanique du Montet on the city's edge. Nancy then named it after botanist Dominique Alexandre Godron, giving it a public demonstration role.
Who was Dominique Alexandre Godron?
Dominique Alexandre Godron (1807-1880) was a renowned Nancy botanist who directed the garden from 1854 and boosted its scientific standing. A naturalist, doctor and geologist, he lent his name to several studies of the region's flora. Naming the garden after him extends the memory of a long Lorraine scholarly tradition, going back to the first plant garden founded in the 16th century. The place thus keeps the soul of a botanical cabinet of curiosities, on a human scale.
Box hedges, perennials and themed collections
The garden is small but well tended. It is arranged in long beds edged with box, extended by a lawn planted with trees. You'll find summer perennials, urban-planting species often marked with labels, and beds of cultivars renewed each year around a theme. Through the seasons come spring bulbs, irises, peonies, hardy geraniums and hostas, plus a few rare trees and shrubs. It is a place to learn as much as to stroll, ideal for a curious pause a step from the museum.
Infos pratiques
Adresse : 3 Rue Sainte Catherine, 54000 Nancy
Questions fréquentes
Is Jardin Alexandre-Godron a botanical garden?
Yes, it is Nancy's oldest botanical garden, created in 1758. Since 1993 its main scientific collections are at the Montet, but it keeps themed collections shown to the public.
Where is Jardin Alexandre-Godron?
It is at 3 rue Sainte-Catherine in Nancy, right behind the Muséum-Aquarium. You can easily combine a visit to the garden and to the museum on the same outing.
What can you see there by season?
Depending on the time of year, you can admire spring bulbs, irises, peonies, hardy geraniums, hostas and summer collections renewed yearly around a theme, plus a few rare trees.
Wikimedia Commons — Alexandre Prévot from Nancy, France · Wikimedia Commons — M.Strīķis
