Collection: Hortus Eystettensis

Hortus Eystettensis (Garden of Eichstätt) is a book created by Basilius Besler, a Nuremberg apothecary and botanist, published in 1613. It describes the plants of the Prince-Bishop of Eichstätt's garden in Bavaria, located at the Willibaldsburg palace. The Renaissance-style garden, the first botanical garden in Germany and the only one outside Italy, spanned eight terraces overlooking the city. The bishop, Johann Konrad von Gemmingen (1561–1612), brought plants from around the world, creating a garden thought to contain all the known shrubs and flowering plants of the time.

Commissioned by the bishop in 1611, Besler worked on the project for 16 years, though the bishop passed away before its completion. Besler was assisted by his brother and a team of skilled German draughtsmen and engravers, including painter Sebastian Schedel and engraver Wolfgang Kilian.