Wörlitzer Park i Tyskland - Dessau-Wörlitz trädgårdsrike

Wörlitzer Park is part of the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its exceptional example of Enlightenment landscape design. The park is huge and full of surprises. Nearby you will also find caravan parks for motorhomes.

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Wörlitz Park

Wörlitzer Park was founded in the second half of the 18th century, under the rule of Leopold III Friedrich Franz, Prince and Duke of the then Principality/Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau. We spent a lovely full day here, and we didn't even take a guided tour of the castle.

Wörlitzer Park i Dessau-Wörlitz trädgårdsrike

Wörlitzer Park is part of the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom, located in Oranienbaum-Wörlitz in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany. The park is located about 18 kilometres east of the city of Dessau.

Wörlitzer Park - one of the first and largest

Built between 1769 and 1773 and extended until 1813, Wörlitzer Park is considered to be one of the first, and by far one of the largest German landscape parks on the English model.

Its creators were Prince Leopold III Friedrich Franz, the court gardener Johann Friedrich Eyserbeck and the architect Friedrich Wilhelm von Erdmannsdorff.

Visiting Wörlitzer Park in the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom

You can explore Wörlitzer Park on foot, by bike or by boat on Lake Wörlitz and the waterways. Given the size of the park, there is some advantage to cycling, although it was difficult to cross some of the charming little bridges with Peter's trike/box bike.

Since the park is so big, it's also good to have a map of it. We bought a map in the small shop at the car park, but you can also use the park's signs and Google Maps or other digital maps.

In the park there is a lot to see and discover, but also restaurants and cafés. For us it was ice cream (with very lots of cream) at a summer café.

Wörlitzer Park - among bridges, caves and monuments

Wörlitz Park is the largest park in the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom. The park is designed like a classic English park, but much larger and filled with more surprises than you are used to. The park includes a large number of beautiful and charming bridges.

Bro i Wörlitzer Park i Dessau-Wörlitz trädgårdsrike

There are also several different caves where you can climb down to see if you can get out somewhere else.

Grotta i Wörlitzer Park i Dessau-Wörlitz trädgårdsrike

A building called "Luisenklippe" can perhaps be described as both a cave and a tower at the same time.

There are also plenty of monuments and statues throughout the park.

Gothic house

One of the larger and more important sights in the park is the Gothic House (Gotisches Haus). It was built in 1773 and is one of the oldest originally preserved neo-Gothic buildings in Europe.

Originally intended as a residence for the court gardener, the house was later expanded as a residence and art collection centre for Prince/Duke Franz. Today it is possible, for a fee, to visit the inside of the house to see the Gothic interior and the art collections.

When we were here, a bunch of peacocks were wandering around the area without a care. One of them posed nicely at one of the entrances, where it seemed to feel comfortable ...

Pantheon

Another nice building in Wörlitzer Park is the one called 'Pantheon'. This is a scaled-down replica of the Pantheon in the Italian capital. Rome.

Stein Island with "volcano" and Villa Hamilton

One of the most exciting places in the park is the island of Stein, with its spectacular monument, to say the least. Located at the eastern end of Lake Wörlitz, the island includes Villa Hamilton, an amphitheatre and a ... artificial volcano.

The island was created between 1788 and 1794, after Prince Franz travelled in Naples and became fascinated by Italy's volcanoes. By creating this work, he was able to show his subjects, who normally had no chance of travelling abroad, what Italy was like.

For a fee, you can visit this special place. You can stroll the dark alleys, see the Italian-inspired statues and be fascinated by the amphitheatre.

The strangest of all is, of course, the artificial 'volcano'. The volcano was designed to have fire-breathing "eruptions", and on rare occasions these eruptions have been organised even in the 21st century.

Vulkan i Wörlitzer Park i Dessau-Wörlitz trädgårdsrike

Also on the island is the lovely little Villa Hamilton, adorned with beautiful ceilings, paintings and artefacts.

St Peter's Church

St Peter's Church (St Petri Kirche) is also located at Wörlitzer Park. The church was built in 1201 as a Romanesque church, and was later rebuilt in neo-Gothic style. From here it is then close to restaurants, cafés and Wörlitz Castle.

Wörlitz Castle

Wörlitz Castle was built between 1769 and 1773 and is beautifully situated on Lake Wörlitz. It was the first purely classicist castle on the European mainland and was built for Prince Franz. The castle can be visited inside, on guided tours. You can see the interiors, which also include features such as a freezer, a pull-out double bed and a system of underground passages.

There is also a small cable ferry near the castle, for those who want to get quickly across to the other side of the lake for a small fee.

Neumark's garden

If you want, you can also stroll around the island in the park called 'Neumark's Garden', where you will find a labyrinth.

Motorhome pitches

If you're travelling with a motorhome, visiting Wörlitzer Park is very convenient, as there are two parking spaces right nearby. We stood on Large car park Seespitze, which was in an excellent location for visiting the park.

There are relatively many pitches, and it was not even half full when we were here in July. Electricity is available on all sites, and there is a small shop nearby. However, there is no possibility of emptying, and the possibilities for rubbish collection are also limited.

Ställplats vid Wörlitzer Park i Dessau-Wörlitz trädgårdsrike

Film from Wörlitzer Park

Things to see and do near Wörlitzer Park

Wörlitzer Park is part of the larger Unesco protected area known as the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom. More to see and experience in this area include:

Georgium castle and park
Grosskühnau castle and park
Luisum castle and park
Mosigkau castle and castle park
Orange tree castle and castle park
Sieglitz mountain park

Nearby you will also find the city of Dessau, which is famous for Bauhaus design. It's also close to Wittenberg, which is famous for being the site of the Reformation when Luther nailed up his 95 theses.

READ MORE: Things to do in Dessau - 14 tips for the Bauhaus city
READ MORE: Things to do in Wittenberg - 11 tips for the Lutheran city in Germany

Have you visited Wörlitzer Park?

Have you visited Wörlitzer Park, or any other place in the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom? Tell us about it!

Facts about Wörlitzer Park - in the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom

Country: Germany
Federal Republic of Germany: Saxony-Anhalt
Read more: You can find more information at Garden Kingdom website.

Services and practical information

Opening hours: The park is always open. In summer, the castle is open Tuesday-Sunday 11:00-18:00. During March-April and October-November the castle is open Tuesday-Sunday 11:00-17:00.
Prices: Visiting the park is free of charge. A visit to Stein Island and Villa Hamilton costs €5/person for adults. A guided tour of the castle costs EUR 8.50 for adults and EUR 6.50 per person for people with a discount. A combined ticket for the castle and the Gothic House costs €13 per person. (2022)
Food service: There are several restaurants and cafés in the park area. Most of these are located in the neighbourhood of the castle.

READ MORE: What to do in Saxony-Anhalt - 9 wonderful experiences

6 Comments

Add yours →

Mr Nils-Åke Hansson says:

Wörlitzer Park would be exciting to visit. Nice to read about it.

23 July 2022 - 8:31

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  A fantastic park! Glad you liked our report! 🙂
  
  25 July 2022 - 16:29
  
Lena+in+Wales+and+Spain says:

Very interesting!
Have heard of the place, but never visited it. I realise through this post that I have missed something.
Have a nice weekend!

23 July 2022 - 10:34

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Glad you liked our report! And thank you!
  
  25 July 2022 - 16:30
  
BP says:

You are fantastic! This long trip was probably the most interesting one you have written about. I didn't realise that the former East Germany has so much to see. Contrary to expectations, everything is so incredibly well maintained.

23 July 2022 - 18:09

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  How nice to hear that you found this extra interesting! We ourselves think that we have visited many exciting places! 🙂
  
  25 July 2022 - 16:30

Wörlitzer Park in Germany - Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom

Wörlitz Park

Wörlitzer Park - one of the first and largest

Visiting Wörlitzer Park in the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom

Wörlitzer Park - among bridges, caves and monuments

Gothic house

Pantheon

Stein Island with "volcano" and Villa Hamilton

St Peter's Church

Wörlitz Castle

Neumark's garden

Motorhome pitches

Film from Wörlitzer Park

Things to see and do near Wörlitzer Park

Have you visited Wörlitzer Park?

Facts about Wörlitzer Park - in the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom

Services and practical information

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6 Comments

Mr Nils-Åke Hansson says:

Helena says:

Lena+in+Wales+and+Spain says:

Helena says:

BP says:

Helena says:

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