During Museum Night, the Hortus transforms into a magical place where plants are not only silent witnesses, but also storytellers, guides and healers. Travel through different worlds of plant power: from medicinal rituals to ancient myths and contemporary applications.
Discover folkloric plant stories from different climates in our Climate House, ask the Plant Oracle a question in the World Room, or listen to talks about medicinal plantain and healing beers in our Glass Room (yes, you read that right: medicinal beer!). Not a beer fan? Then try a gin and tonic tincture in the Palm House.
Plant oracle
Visit the Plant Oracle in the World Room in the Climate House and consult the plants for all your life questions. Let their shapes, functions, colours and scents speak to you. Each plant carries a message, a memory from a world older than ours. Ask your question and listen to nature’s answer. Discover the hidden stories, secrets and insights that plants have carried with them for centuries, and be surprised by their silent, living wisdom.
𖡡 World Room (in the Climate House)
⏱︎ 7 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Folkloric tales in the Climate House
Visit our Climate House and listen to folkloric stories about plants from the tropics, the desert and the South African Cape climate. From unusual superstitions to local legends: all over the world, plants are surrounded by stories.
The paintbrush (Haemanthus albiflos) in the photo, for example, is known in South African folklore as a plant used to ward off thunderstorms.
𖡡 Climate House
⏱︎ 7 p.m. – midnight
Talk: Healing beers - Wouter Bijdendijk
Did you know that people used to drink beer for its healing properties? And did you know that the lager you drink in the pub today actually lowers your libido? Discover centuries-old traditions and lost knowledge of sacred herbs and medicinal beers.
Author and anthropologist Wouter Bijdendijk takes you on a “beer-tastic” journey.
𖡡 Glass Room
⏱︎ 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Talk: Healing properties of plantain - Annet Breure
Meet plantain: a powerful plant that connects continents. It grows on roadsides here, but did you know that this species has been used as medicine for centuries? In this mini-lecture, you will also discover its lesser-known uses and the folklore surrounding it. You will learn how to recognise the different types of plantain and hear stories that have been passed down from generation to generation in north-western Europe.
Annet Breure is a storyteller, performer and producer of cultural nature education projects.
𖡡 Glass Room
⏱︎ 9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Natural Symphony - Music & workshop
Natural Symphony is a unique sound installation: using homemade instruments and sensors, British sound and light artist Joseph Dean literally gives plants a voice. Their electrical impulses are translated into sounds, rhythms and melodies, as if the ancient trees in our Palm House are sharing their secrets with us.
Later in the evening, Joseph Dean will take you on an interactive workshop in the Glass Room: Unseen Connections. Here he will talk about the birth of his project and the search for the hidden connections between nature and humans. His story interweaves art, plant research and spirituality.
Music
𖡡 Palm House
⏱︎ 7 p.m. – 2 a.m.
Lecture
𖡡 Glass Room
⏱︎ 11 p.m. – midnight
Tincture bar
Stimulate your senses and explore a world of natural power in every drop. Our carefully crafted tinctures support your well-being, balance and energy. Just one small drop in your gin and tonic works wonders – a boost from nature. Come and taste, discover and treat yourself.
𖡡 Palm House
⏱︎ 7 p.m. – 1 a.m.