Singapore is having our Golden Jubilee this year. Yes, we're having our 50th birthday bash, and a month before the day, the nation received our birthday present - our very own UNESCO listed World Heritage Site!
While there are over 1000+ World Heritage Sites in the world, there are only 3 Botanic Gardens in them. So, we're indeed honored to be one of the three, and not only that, we are the first and only tropical Botanic Garden in it (the other 2 is in England & Italy). Since establishment in 1859, the development of our Gardens from a British tropical colonial botanical garden to today's multi-faceted site for conservation, cultivation, education and recreation certainly proved its worth for inscription into the World Heritage Site list.
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| Beautiful Light in our 1st UNESCO World Heritage Site |
Visitors to Singapore would be delighted to know that admission to our Botanic Gardens is free (with the exception of the National Orchid Garden), and is open whole year-round, right till midnight! Within the Botanic Gardens grounds, there are various other gardens like the National Orchid Garden which is the only one that charges an admission fee. There are also a few historic buildings, many meandering paths to enjoy the flora and picnic spaces for family gatherings and outings. Particularly, the space n front of the Symphony Lake is especially popular as there is a stage set up there for performances during weekends.
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| Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage |
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| Watching a concert in the Botanic Gardens during our Golden Jubilee |
Of course, for botany enthusiasts, there is a Botany Centre where a library on Botany & Horticulture, a Herbarium and an Orchid breeding centre is. There are also heritage trees within the park, in particular the Tembusu tree that is pictured in our Singapore 5-dollar note. It is also estimated that 70 per cent of all rubber latex in the world originates from the 11
rubber trees originally planted in this garden in 1877. The Singapore Botanic
Gardens was truly a test bed for economic plant cultivation in early
Singapore.
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| One of many types of orchids in our Botanic Gardens |
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| Beautiful atmosphere in the Gardens |
Check out their
website for more information, especially the guided tours to the gardens. They are very informative, and are conducted by very passionate guides. And tomorrow is our National Day! Here's wishing Singapore a
Happy 50th Birthday!!!
