Arboretum national du vallon de l'Aubonne, National arboretum in Aubonne, Switzerland
The Arboretum national du vallon de l'Aubonne is a national arboretum near Aubonne, Switzerland, covering 200 hectares of forest and open grassland. It holds over 90 genera of trees and shrubs with more than 3,000 species from temperate regions worldwide, plus four orchards preserving old fruit varieties.
The arboretum was founded in 1968, making it the only institution of its kind in Switzerland. Over the following decades, its collection grew steadily, and in 2005 the Arbrespace reception and research center was added to the site.
The reception and research centre is called Arbrespace, not a museum area; it opened in 2005 and holds the Musée du bois, a wood museum with old tools, a library on tree science and a small shop. A new exhibition on wood and forest crafts is shown each year.
The grounds are open year-round, but buildings such as the wood museum, the cafe, and the shop are only open from April to October. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear, as the paths through forest and meadows can become slippery or uneven depending on the weather.
Beavers live around the reservoir on the site, and their activity is especially visible in winter when they cut trees along the banks. The grounds also sit within a wildlife reserve where around one hundred bird species have been recorded, with about fifty nesting in the area.
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