Akademischer Forstgarten Gießen, Historical arboretum in Giessen, Germany.

The Akademischer Forstgarten Gießen is a 5.7-hectare former teaching and experimental garden in the Schiffenberger Wald, south of Gießen. It holds more than 200 tree and shrub species, including rare examples such as the wild service tree and tulip tree. Among the plantings, visitors can still see the experimental plots where mixed stands of tree species were tested.

The site was founded in 1778 when the University of Giessen established its forestry school and needed a learning forest for students to study. The collections expanded over subsequent decades as new species were added to represent more forest types.

The garden serves as a teaching space where visitors walk among collections that show how different forest regions of the world look and function side by side. People come here to understand the variety of trees and how they fit into larger landscapes.

You can walk through the site free of charge during daylight hours without needing to book ahead or pay for entry. If you would like a guided tour, contact the local forestry office in advance to arrange it.

The garden's layout is the work of forester Karl von Gall, who began planting it in 1825; a memorial stone on the site wrongly gives 1831 as the start. His superior, Johann Christian Hundeshagen, took little part because he did not get along with Gall. Rare species still growing here include the wild service tree (Elsbeere) and the tulip tree.