The National Botanic Garden of Latvia in Salaspils holds one of the richest living plant collections in Northeast Europe. On an area of 129 hectares, plants of more than 14000 taxa (species, forms, varieties) are grown, including more than 5000 taxa of woody plants.

These rich collections and expositions are excellent sources of information for scientists, professional, and hobby gardeners alike—a living schoolbook for students!

Welcome to our garden - for recreation and education, to become familiar with Latvia and the world’s diverse plants, to get new gardening ideas, as well as celebrate important events in your life.

Traditional gardening fairs organized in NBG occur once a month from April to October and are an important part of Latvian gardeners’ society life. There is a place to see the latest nursery novelties and to get some unusual specimens for your plant collection.

Opening hours : Open area exposition

April-September   9:00-20:00  

October-March     9:00-18:00

Opening hours :  Conservatory
    
April-September 9:00-20:00

October-March     9:00-18:00    

 *Conservatory: Mondays, Tuesdays – closed!

 

Tickets prices (EUR)

Adult                  3,00
Senior                2,00
Student              2,00
School children 0,70
Family ticket – 2 adults & preschoolers/1-3 school children   5,00
Parking place   1,50

Visiting of garden is free of charge for children younger than 7 years-old, inmates of a children's home, disabled persons.

     
Contacts and Directions

Phone number on working days:  67945468, 67944610
On days off:  22019340
Excursions: 28201516
Fax: 67945459, welcome@nbd.gov.lv

MAILING ADDRESS
1 Miera Street, Salaspils, LV-2169


Directions

It is very easy to reach to the Botanic Garden by train. In Riga you need to choose train line Riga-Aizkraukle or Riga – Ogre or Riga – Daugavpils and step out on the train station called Salaspils. Just across the street you’ll see the entrance of the Botanical Garden.

Bus from Riga (station “Academy of Science”) to Salaspils (station “Salaspils train station”). Entrance to botanic garden is on the opposite side of Salaspils train station.

Botanic garden have two entrances:

1. Tourism information centre – entrance just for pedestrians.

2. Rigas street gateway - arrival by car and parking in the garden area. Possibility to pay for entrance tickets and parking only with cash at the ticket window.

History

The Botanical Garden was established in 1956. However, it has rich history dating as far back as 165 years ago when, in 1836, the gardening company was organized by Сhristian Wilhelm Schoch who owned a seed shop in Riga and a nursery at Ganību Dambis (Pasture Dam) near Rīga. After increasing the nursery, it was transferred to Salaspils. The plants for C.W. Schoch’s company were imported from West Europe, including the famous L. Späth’s company in Berlin. Before World War I, thousands of fruit-trees and many ornamental trees were sold yearly from Salaspils nursery to gardeners of Latvia and the European part of Russia. From 1888 to 1918, the company was managed by Wilchelm Beer. In 1919, during the first independence period of Latvia, it was bought by Pēteris Balodis. By that time, the Salaspils nursery had become the largest nursery in the Baltic states regarding its area and assortment of plants.

Before the end of the World War II, the State Experimental Nursery of Fruit-trees and Berry-bushes was formed in the autumn of 1944, which later, in 1947, was renamed the ‘Gardening Experimental Station’ where ornamental plants were widely cultivated.

On the initiative of the scientists - professors P. Galenieks, A. Kalniņš, J. Sudrabs and academic Alfrēds Ozols - the Botanical Garden of the Academy of Sciences was founded in Salaspils on September 1, 1956, using the rich collections of plants (more than 2000 taxa) from nursery and the heritage of the past gardening traditions. At which time, the area of the Botanic Gardens covered 198 ha (now 129 ha).

At the time of establishing the Botanical Garden, the main tasks had been defined: investigations in botany and ornamental gardening, plant collections, introduction of plants, researches in genetics and breeding, and besides these - information and popularization of the investigations' results. The status of “Institute of Scientific Research” was conferred to the Botanical Garden in 1968.

After the re-establishing of Latvian independence in 1992, the status of National Botanic Garden was conferred to the Botanical Garden of Salaspils making it approved by the law as an object of national importance in education, culture, and science.

nbd.gov.lv