Overview

Arboretum

A tranquil place in the heart of the island

The precious Arboretum makes Mainau a unique park experience at all times of the year. This parkland invites you to wander, linger and observe. Welcome under giant redwoods, Atlas and Lebanon cedars, metasequoias and tulip trees to mention just a few of the more well-known ones.

The word Arboretum stems from the Latin word Arbor (=tree) and describes a collection of predominantly exotic trees. Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden acquired Mainau Island as his summer residence in 1853 and started to create the Mainau Arboretum in 1864. Little by little, the Grand Duke, who was interested in plants, had exotic foreign trees from almost all the continents planted on the island’s high plateau. These formed the base stock for today’s Arboretum. The trees were planted through a passion for collecting and for aesthetic reasons rather than from a scientific point of view as is common in other Arboretums. Mainau soon became famous for its collection of rare and beautifully shaped conifers. More than 150 years later it is chiefly these “cone bearers” that shape the skyline and appearance of the Flower Island.

The Arboretum consists of approx. 250 different species of trees and shrubs including many giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) and coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) which came to Europe from California in the 19^th century.

Other trees in the Arboretum: