Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Dominique-Alexandre-Godron Garden, formerly the Sainte-Catherine Botanical Garden, was created in 1758 by Pierre-Joseph Buc'hoz and Grilllot. It became Nancy's first botanical garden, inheriting in 1768 collections of the garden of the University of Pont-à-Mousson (founded in 1572). This place, located on Rue Sainte-Catherine, was enriched in 1805 by a gift of rare plants of Josephine de Beauharnais, from the Château de Malmaison.

In 1854, botanist Dominique Alexandre Godron took the direction of the garden and gave it its present appearance. He had greenhouses built in 1867, designed by architect Prosper Morey, but these were destroyed in the 1920s. Only a stone wall of Jaumont remains today, integrated into the facade of the botanical institute built between 1927 and 1930. The plants were then transferred to the municipal greenhouses of Olry Park.

In 1976, the garden was entrusted to the Conservatoire et jardins botaniques de Nancy (CJBN), before being returned to the city in 1993. He then lost his purely botanical vocation to adopt a pedagogical approach. Since 2010, he has been labeled a remarkable Garden, and Eco-garden since 2016. The site also houses a monument dedicated to explorer Jules Crevaux, erected in 1885, celebrating his expeditions in the Amazon.

The garden is distinguished by its central access, between Stanislas and Alliance squares, and its history linked to scientific figures like Godron. Its evolution reflects the transformation of botanical gardens from a conservation role to an educational and ecological mission. Today, it remains an emblematic place of the heritage of the Netherlands, mixing history, science and nature.

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