Zurich Succulent Plant Collection
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Why go
- Agaves, aloes, cacti and stonecrops represent more than 80 plant families.
Don't miss
- Nine-metre rock cactusThought to be more than 100 years old, this cactus grows among the collection’s largest specimens.Large plant house
- Winter-hardy succulentsThe outdoor rock garden grows succulents that withstand winter conditions.Outdoor rock garden
- How succulents surviveBooks, panels, display cases and listening stations explain water-storing plants; periodic displays explore how succulents survive.Visitor displays
Shorts
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Blooming season in Zurich Succulent Plant Collection, SwitzerlandUnfiltered Switzerland
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Visit this beautiful succulent collection in Zürich ...Two Foxes On The Run
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ZURICH SUCCULENT PLANT COLLECTION | TEMPAT WISATA GRATIS DI ZURICH SW…SYIFA IN SWITZERLAND VLOG
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2018 at Zurich Succulent Plant CollectionMaria Pentzel
History
In the late 1920s, Jakob Gasser unsuccessfully offered his collection of about 1,500 succulents to the city. Its first home was in greenhouses on the former municipal gardens site at Mythenquai, under the name Städtische Kakteensammlung, or Urban Cactus Collection. Since 1955, it has also housed the IOS conservation collection.
- OriginsLina and Jakob Gasser gathered and sold cacti and other succulents from their Zürich nursery.
- 1929Julius Brann bought the Gassers’ collection for 20,000 francs.
- 1931Brann donated the collection to the city on condition that it remain open to the public. The city formally established it, with Hans Krainz as director.
- 1947–1948The main complex was built and inaugurated. The greenhouse site was expanded in 1948, and the collection began participating in international seed exchanges around 1947.
- 1950The herbarium was founded alongside the International Organization for Succulent Plant Research.
Show all
- 1954–1984The greenhouse site expanded in 1954, 1961 and 1984. In 1983–84, technical facilities and greenhouses were renovated and the administration building rebuilt.
- 1996–1999A support association formed in 1996 after the city considered closing or outsourcing the collection. The threat was resolved in 1999.
- 2011The entrance area and visitor information were redesigned for the collection’s eightieth anniversary.
How to get there
- On footThe collection stands across Mythenquai road from the lower lake promenade and Enge harbour, near the lower entrance to Rieterpark and Mythenquai lido.
Accessibility
- Step-free access
- Wheelchair-accessible toilet No wheelchair-accessible toilet.
Sources: Sukkulenten-Sammlung Zurich - Wikipedia · Spitzenerlebnis | Sukkulenten-Sammlung · Unsere Sammlungen | Sukkulenten-Sammlung · Faszination Sukkulenz | Sukkulenten-Sammlung · Sukkulenten-Sammlung Zürich - Wikipedia · checked 11 Oct 2026
- Phone
- +41 44 412 12 80
Plan from here: Evening walk →
Questions and answers
Can I visit the whole Zurich Succulent Plant Collection?
Much of the living collection is open to visitors. The library and herbarium are reserved for scientific use; researchers can request access.
How do succulents at the Zurich Succulent Plant Collection store water?
They store water in stems, leaves, leaf stalks or roots to cope with periodic shortages. They also grow on freely draining surfaces such as rocks and trees.
Do succulents at the Zurich Succulent Plant Collection grow naturally in Switzerland?
Yes. Houseleeks and stonecrops are examples.
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