Palmengarten Frankfurt

This guide to Palmengarten in Frankfurt traces back to 1866, when Prussia crushed the Duchy of Nassau and its ruler, Duke Adolph, lost his throne but kept a private botanical collection at his castle near Wiesbaden. It follows Heinrich Siesmayer, a Frankfurt gardener with no money of his own, who sold shares in a garden that did not yet exist to buy the dethroned duke's palms, ferns, and orchids. You'll hear which of the city's merchants and bankers bought in, and how a stock certificate behind glass nearby still tells that story. Look for that certificate case near the entrance.