The Botanical Garden boasts Denmark's largest collection of living plants. The garden is also home to the country's only gene bank for wild plants, and to one of the largest herbariums in the world – a collection of pressed and preserved plants and fungi from across the globe.
The Botanical Garden in Copenhagen was first established by Christian IV in the 17th century. Over the years the garden has been located at four different sites; back in the 1600s it was located near the street now known as Krystalgade.
In 1871–74 the garden was relocated to its present-day address on the Copenhagen ramparts after the old fortifications had been taken down. The landscape and garden designer H.A. Flindt created the designs for the new Romantic garden. The impressive Palm House is modelled on the famous Crystal Palace, and I.C. Jakobsen, the founder of the Carlsberg breweries, was one of the driving forces behind its construction.
The Botanical Garden is part of the Natural History Museum of Denmark, which in turn is part of the University of Copenhagen.