Hortus medicus

Until 1664, Johannes Snippendaal maintained an impressive garden at the Reguliershof that featured a heated greenhouse and as many as two thousand plant species, including ornamental and medicinal plants. The city’s surgeons and pharmacists used these plants to prepare their medicines. When the botanical garden moved to the Gasthuis complex, where the Allard Pierson Museum is now located, there was reportedly not enough space, and the garden was limited to medicinal plants for the education of pharmacists and surgeons (in training). After 1682, the garden moved to the site of the current Hortus Botanicus in the Plantage.

The Allard Pierson and the Hortus Medicus

For the Allard Pierson, the historic garden is interesting because of the context of its collections. Connections can be drawn to the Allard Pierson Artis Library, including the Moninckx Atlas (1686–1749), the gastronomic collection featuring historical cookbooks on health and food, and the medical collection and cartography of the place.

The Allard Pierson Museum brings Amsterdam’s historic Hortus Medicus back to life with a contemporary interpretation. A place for relaxation, nature, and learning in the heart of the busy city center.

Education and research 

The new Hortus Medicus will be a center for education and research in many fields. On July 8 2026, a BioBlitz was organized in the current courtyard garden. In collaboration with Copijn Landscape Architects, UvA researchers from IBED, RAVON, and Earth Sciences, landscape ecologist and botanist Gerard Oostermeijer of Science4Nature, and entomologist Aglaia Bouma of Naturalis, as many insect and animal species as possible were documented. The results serve as a baseline measurement of biodiversity at this location, prior to the start of the construction on the new Hortus Medicus.

Using this data, we will be able to monitor the impact of the new plantings on the garden’s ecosystem in the coming years: which species will remain, and which new species will appear?