André Heller Botanical Garden – Gardone Riviera

A plant kingdom where varieties from all over the world and artistic sculptures combine: André Heller Botanical Garden is a true paradise created through the dedication of its founder, Arturo Hruska, who was so in love with the beauty of Lake Garda that he devoted over 60 yeast of his life to this magical place.

André Heller Botanical Garden: a one-of-a-kind Eden

André Heller Botanical Garden in Gardone Riviera is much more than a simple collection of plants, flowers, and trees: there are plants from all over the world and all climate areas, for a total of 3,000 different species which now coexist in harmony in a unique and valuable environment.

As you enter, you will find yourself immersed in an almost supernatural dimension. Along the paths you will admire contemporary sculptures, streams, lily pads, and artificial ponds arranged to create an engaging setting where Lake Garda’s beauty and mild climate play a crucial role.

We strongly recommend to spend some time relaxing in various corners of the garden: sit on benches and small walls to admire the beauty of the vegetation as it creates unique settings and unforgettable sensory experiences.

André Heller Botanical Garden, from the doctor to the artist

The uniqueness of Lake Garda, with its mild Mediterranean climate and blue waters, had been known since ancient times. At the beginning of the 20th century, naturalist doctor and dentist Arturo Hruska leaves Austria and his job with the Czar family to move to Gardone Riviera after he fell in love with the beauty of this region. Passionate about travel, nature, and gardens, here he finds the ideal location to create his personal terraced botanical garden. He immediately adds plants that he encountered during his numerous explorations.

Only another person with the same creativity and passion for nature and travel could have fostered this great vision: in 1988, Austrian artist André Heller acquired the land and further improved the site by adding contemporary works of art and stunning scenic effects, which at the same time harmoniously blend with the surrounding landscape.