Hofgarten Eremitage in Bayreuth - amazing park in Bavaria

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated August 2026 | Hofgarten Eremitage in Bayreuth is a large and incredibly beautiful park filled with castles, fountains, grottoes and water art. This is a place in German Bavaria that you simply don't want to miss.

Hofgarten Hermitage in Bayreuth

The Hofgarten Eremitage in Bayreuth began to be created in 1715, when Margrave Georg Wilhelm had the old castle built. The complex was created as a kind of courtly hermitage, where the Margrave and his courtiers could play hermit and retreat from ordinary court life.

In 1735, Margrave Frederick III of Brandenburg-Bayreuth took over and soon gave the Hermitage to his wife Wilhelmine, who developed the area further.

The Hofgarten Hermitage is located 5 kilometres east of the centre of Bayreuth, in the German state of Bavaria.

Hofgarten Eremitage in Bayreuth - a huge park

The Hofgarten Eremitage in Beyreuth is a huge park where you can stroll for hours and hours. Apart from the beautiful castles, you can discover features such as ponds, statues, fountains, avenues, bridges, stairs, arches and caves.

New Palace in the Hofgarten Hermitage

The most prominent building in the Hofgarten Eremitage is the new castle (Neues Schloss), which should not be confused with the castle located in the centre of Bayreuth that also is called the new castle.

This building is incredibly beautiful, especially with the pond and the sculptures in front of it. Every hour on the hour, during the summer months, the sculptures are transformed for a moment into water-spraying fountains.

One of the things that makes the castle beautiful and special is the colour and texture of the outer walls. These are covered with stones and crystals in a kind of colourful mosaic, which gives a very special lustre.

In addition, when you come in the summer, the area around the pond is full of lush greenery and beautiful flowers.

Lower cave

A short walk from the new castle, another attraction worth checking out is the Lower Grotto (Untere Grotte). Here you'll find a pond filled with statues and a long wall of cave-like arches.

Fifteen minutes after the fountains at the new castle, they do the same here. So if you keep an eye on the clock, you can easily see the fountains in both places.

Guided tour of the Old Castle

The Old Palace (Altes Schloss) was built in 1715 and was later taken over by Margravine Wilhelmine, who installed music rooms and Asian-inspired furnishings.

The castle is best experienced during a guided tour, when you will have the opportunity to see it. very special The water play. The central fountain creates fantastic patterns of water, and the audience stands and gapes when the jet sends up a chandelier in the middle (second picture).

If we are fascinated today, it is easy to imagine that this spectacle made the guests in the 18th century drop their jaws...! Even more fascinating is that the water art still works with the original technology from the 18th century, without electricity or pumps.

During the guided tour, you will also see some of the castle's beautiful rooms.

After the tour you can check out the long water flow (Kaskade) in the park just outside. They knew how to decorate with water in the 18th century!

Where can you stay or park your motorhome?

There is a lot to see in and around Bayreuth, so a suggestion is to start from the city center. If you are traveling by camper, there is, among other things, the camper parking P Grünewaldstrasse in Bayreuth, about a 15–20 minute walk from the historic city center. There is water and drainage available.

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

There is a lot to see and do near the Hofgarten Eremitage in Bayreuth. We highly recommend visiting the city of Bayreuth itself. There is also a lot to discover in the surrounding area. Read more here:

• Things to do in Bayreuth
• Sanspareil rock garden
• Things to do in Bamberg
• Things to do in Wurzburg