Wörlitzer Park in Germany - Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: August 2026 | Wörlitzer Park is part of the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom, which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its exceptional example of landscape design during the Enlightenment. The park is enormous and offers lots of surprises. You will also find parking spaces for motorhomes right next door.

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 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

The Wörlitzer Park began to be built in the second half of the 18th century and became the first landscape park based on the English model on the European mainland. The park became the center of the large Dessau-Wörlitz garden kingdom that Prince Leopold III Friedrich Franz created together with, among others, the architect Friedrich Wilhelm von Erdmannsdorff.

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

Wörlitzer Park is best experienced on foot or from the water, for example with a gondola ride on the lake and canals. Cycling is a good way to get around the larger Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom, but bicycles should not be taken into the park itself.

Since the park is large, it is also good to have access to a map. There are signs in the area and you can also use a digital map to orient yourself.

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.

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

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.

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

When we visited Wörlitzer Park, we parked our campervan in the parking lot. Large car park Seespitze, which was in a great location for exploring the park. There was plenty of space when we visited in July and from here we could easily walk to Wörlitz. Check current rules, prices and services before you visit.

Things to see and do near Wörlitzer Park

Wörlitzer Park is part of the much larger Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom. If you have more time, there are several other interesting places to discover in the area.

Visit the Luisium Castle and Park

Luisium is a small classicist castle surrounded by a beautiful English landscape park. The castle was built as a country retreat for Princess Louise of Anhalt-Dessau.

Discover Oranienbaum

Oranienbaum is home to both a Baroque palace and a special Anglo-Chinese garden from the 18th century. The area is another part of the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom, a World Heritage Site.

Continue to Dessau

In nearby Dessau you can swap the 18th century for the 20th century and discover Bauhaus. The Bauhaus buildings in Dessau are also on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Take a trip to Wittenberg

Not far from Wörlitz is Lutherstadt Wittenberg, where you can follow in Martin Luther's footsteps and discover the places associated with the Protestant Reformation.