Rhododendron-Park Bremen, Botanical garden in Horn-Lehe, Germany

The Rhododendron-Park Bremen covers 46 hectares in Horn-Lehe, with more than 600 wild rhododendron species and about 3,500 cultivated varieties, the largest such collection worldwide. Its azalea park displays azaleas under old beech and oak trees, and the rhododendron forest holds plants first set in 1936. A 3.2-hectare botanical garden lies at the centre.

The park was established in 1933 when the German Rhododendron Society transformed farmland and forest into a public garden, opening to visitors in 1937. This founding marked the beginning of its role as a major plant collection site.

The park is home to the German Rhododendron Society, whose office is on the grounds. The garden's name comes from its collection, which includes more than 600 wild rhododendron species and about 3,500 cultivated varieties. Visitors can see historic and current cultivars from the Czech Republic, Germany, and the United States, and new German-bred varieties are planted every five years with the society's help.

The best way to experience the grounds is by walking at a leisurely pace through the different planted areas. A separate visitor center with greenhouses provides shelter during poor weather and displays tropical and subtropical environments.

The Botanika, opened on 6 June 2003, holds what the park describes as the largest Buddha statue outside Asia, alongside statues from Southeast Asia, prayer wheels and a Chinese tea pavilion. Its glasshouses gather rhododendrons from Nepal, Tibet, Yunnan and Burma that cannot survive Bremen's winters outdoors.