Oliwa Palm House – an oasis of exoticism in the heart of Tricity

The Adam Mickiewicz Palm House in Oliwa Park was established in the second half of the 18th century as a monastery winter garden. Initially, it served as a space for cultivating exotic plants and was an integral part of the park's composition, located near the main avenue, southeast of the Abbey Palace.

Over the years, it was expanded several times – especially in the 19th century, in the 1950s and in 1984. The modern glass rotunda, with a cylindrical shape and a height of 15 meters, was built in 1954. The Palm House consists of two parts: the eastern, single-storey, brick building with glazing on the south side and the modern dome in the western part.

Inside, there is an impressive collection of exotic plants, including palms, banana trees, araucarias, philodendrons, cacti, aloes, agaves, opuntias, ficuses, cycads, tree ferns and orchids. Particularly noteworthy are specimens such as the Brazilian jelly palm, the Philippine Christmas palm, and the Mexican palm. The collection also features a 17-meter-tall araucaria from the Australian rainforest and exotic Australian banana trees.

The Palm House is also famous for its old specimens – the Oliwa date palm, which was 180 years old, was the oldest artificially cultivated specimen of this species in Europe and the only one in Poland. Currently, among the oldest plants are over 150-year-old cycads and a slightly younger Canary Island date palm.