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10
Currents
August 2019
Globetrotter
By: Max Edwards
Cologne’s Garden Retreat
Within big-city sprawl, Cologne’s Flora und
Botanischer Garten offers unexpected refuge and
delight. Located in Cologne’s
northern Riehl section, the Gar-
den is easily reached. One can
walk about 30 minutes along the
left bank of the Rhine from the
iconic Dom (the Cathedral), or
take the No. 16 or No. 18 tram
from Neumarkt (central train sta-
tion). The Hop On-Hop Off bus
also provides direct access.
There is no admission charge.
This Garden does not tire with
a tedious ramble, in spite of its
28.5-acre size. Instead, visitors
are provided benches, a café with
high-quality fare, and varied
scenery. In the Garden’s center
is an iron and glass orangery
(conservatory), reminiscent of
London’s Crystal Palace. The
tableau created by the numerous
water cascades and fountains
[see photo] is both tranquil and
inspiring. Visitors marvel at the
Garden’s location in Germany’s
fourth-largest city, home to 1.08
million people.
The Flora-Park, designed in
1864, was a pastiche of French
baroque, Italian renaissance, and
English landscape gardens. The
Flora-Park was combined with the
Botanical Garden (created in
1912), and expansion continued.
Some buildings were added in the
1950s.
Today, the Garden contains
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