Caspar Dechmann

4.00 Switzerland - 13-Mar-25 -

This may well be the most underrated site in Germany if you look at the ratings on this website and indeed, it is a site that reveals its extraordinary value and charm perhaps only when you dive deeper in its history and ideas. Another reason may be that some of our members wrote reviews without having seen more than one component and not even the most important ones, in which case you wonder how a rating could make any sense.

The central figure here is Prince Leopold III of Anhalt-Dessau who famously introduced landscape gardening into continental Europe. What may first sound only like a decorative achievement means actually much more since the change from the French philosophy of absolute rule, even over nature, to the open and “natural” English landscaping meant much more than an aesthetic change but a new concept of men and society. It included pedagogical, economic, social and medical reforms, more than in any other German state at the time. Also, the “noble simplicity” of the newly applied classical architecture referred to this utopian ideal. 

Prince Leopold definitely imported much more then gardening books from England and wanted to reform his little country completely and for the better of his people. He aimed to change his realm into one garden, a kind of paradise, that should not only be beautiful but progressive and useful for everybody. The beacons of this garden realm are the various palaces, some of them were built anew, some older ones were integrated into a remodeled landscape. And this English landscape was not only open in the aesthetic sense but could be entered and enjoyed by everybody. People could even knock at the palace door and often the family retired from their apartments to allow their guests unmolested access. The landscape was also transformed in an agricultural sense and the prince introduced modern methods to improve the harvest. He encouraged new methods of schooling that found interest and visitors from all over Europe: The schools should be non-confessional, free for all children, use modern media and models for more vividness.  Practical activities and experiment complimented visits to manufactories. 

Even the gardens served an educational service: for example, all the many bridges in the duchy are of a different construction or material. That is not only aesthetically pleasing but should show his subjects all the possible kinds of bridge construction: Metal, wooden and stone bridges, hanging, floating and swimming bridges. The whole landscape was transformed into a delightful schoolbook for everybody. 

When I visited the area in April 2024 I travelled without a car. In total that was not a problem, but you have to do some good planning especially on weekends when there is very little public transportation.  I had to skip on a few of the remoter (and hopefully) minor parts of the garden kingdom. 

The first part I visited from Dessau town center, called Georgium, lies right across the street from the Meisterhäuser of Bauhaus fame. This may not be the best part, but it is part of the core zone and home to the ducal painting gallery, a neoclassical building with a remarkable collection. At least the rooms with the old German, Dutch and Flemish paintings are definitely world class (with Bosch and Cranach) and could hang in any museum in Berlin or Paris, even the portraits of the ducal family members of the era are of Leopold and his children of rare vividness. When I went out to the park I walked to the huge ducal mausoleum, also more appropriate for Berlin or Paris, but unfortunately rarely open. From there I walked north past several follies, ponds and belvederes up to the River Elbe. The path leads along a natural marshy forest called Beckenbruch. The human-formed landscape and the wild landscape blend seamlessly and the latter serves as a natural romantic outlook. From the Wallwitzburg tower you have a nice view on the Elbe River and how the park and the more natural landscape are connected. Walking west from there I passed charming sheep herds in the park until I reached the beautiful restaurant Kornhaus, a building from the Bauhaus school. From the rather rough maps on the UNESCO-website it is hard to tell if it is included in the core zone ore not.  For me the attractive modern building with a beautiful view out on the river makes a nice connection between the two WHS of Dessau.

The next day I took the bus to castle Oranienbaum, the oldest of the included palaces. Its baroque plan includes the garden and the baroque town. The latter has a well-preserved layout but is in a rather sad shape. Like in many parts of eastern Germany you can easily see the economic problems. In the building that you can only visit with a tour you find rare original Chinese wallpaper. Even more precious is the well-kept Chinese garden: it includes a pagoda and Chinese-style islands. This style of garden was quite popular all over Europe at the time but hardly any of these gardens are still preserved. I have only seen one other example in England. The much more frequent Japanese gardens are of a rarer period. 

From there I went on to Wörlitz, certainly the artistic heart of the kingdom. The palace can be visited with various tours, and I booked the most popular tour with the representation rooms on the ground floor. Unfortunately, it is forbidden to take pictures but the quality of the rooms is exquisite and can be compared to the most exquisite British mansions of that period and is very clearly inspired by the art of Robert Adams. The park of Wörlitz is packed with impressive follies: the most spectacular is certainly the “recreation” of the Vesuvius: At the time the visit of the Vesuvius was such an important part of the Grand Tour to Italy that the duke decided to recreate it. So, for the first time people who could not afford the Grand Tour could get at least some idea of the power of a volcano something that impresses deeply me each time I visit one. He even made nocturnal shows simulating an eruption of the Vesuvius by using light and steam. I did not get to enjoy this during the days I was in the area but even without it the eruption the “volcano” is an unusual visit. It is full of surprising hallways, views on the parkland and copies of ancient statues in mysterious settings. Rather odd but a bit like a trip into the subconsciousness. Next to the volcano is the small Villa Hamilton, very much in Pompeian style, offering above all the reliefs of exquisite quality clearly imitating the famous Wedgwood ware from England.  Not far from it you can find perhaps the most remarkable of all the bridges in the duchy: A model of the wonderful iron bridge from the English WHS. It is a model but you can cross it. 

The second main folly is the gothic house: It is filled with artworks and vistas of famous cities, probably all stops of the Grand Tour as well. There is also a room where he had his “pomological cabinet”: a collection of wax models of hundreds of kinds of apples: They served as illustrative material for exact classification. Modern apple orchards should beautify the duchy but also create income for the farmers and the duke himself. 

The most visually iconic view of the park may be the monument island for J.-J. Rousseau, at the time a much-revered philosopher. There is also a lovely neogothic church worth a visit, a historic museum in the House of the Duchess, a nice café in the historic buildings of the castle kitchen and a small town center. Together with the extensive park you can easily spend a full day just in this part.

The next day I visited the Luisium, the small private park for his wife with several follies and a deceivingly simple three-story tower: Even more surprisingly spacious and exquisite is the interior: comparable in s style and quality to the before-mentioned Villa Hamilton but grander. 

The last major part is the palace of Mosigkau, a rarely preserved rococo park predating Leopold’s reign but integrated in his garden kingdom. The palace includes some wonderful stucco work, reminding me of the Würzburg residence and an art gallery with some excellent works. 

Not part of the core zone but not miss is the towns history museum. It gives good insight in the modernity of Leopold’s innovations and shows among many models even some of his wax apples. 

I missed the Gross-Kühnau Park NW of Dessau. It includes castle Gross-Kühnau, another neogothic church and the Weinbergschlösschen, but all of them are closed to visitors at least at the time being. Also, the villages of Mildensee and Waldersee are included but offer not much beyond their churches. The mountain park Stieglitzer Berg includes some follies, none open to the public and is hard to reach be bus. If you have a car, they are probably worth a stroll but will hardly add anything essential. The meandering river landscape SE of Dessau, the Untere Mulde, could be a very attractive spot for a longer hike or a bike ride.

This is not I sight for a short visit and to see all the elements, you would need at least two days and a car. If I were to give a recommendation, which parts are the most important or interesting, I would certainly say, start (or better: end) with the Wörlitz area, and include at least a visit to the castle, the volcano and the gothic house, and naturally time for the park. For the castle a reservation may be recommendable. The second-best part for me was the central Georgium with the great art collection and its landscape between English garden and wild nature, including the Bauhaus element of the Kornhaus. Here I would definitely check out if the mausoleum has opening hours. Third would be the Luisium with its tasteful park and interiors, forth Oranienbaum for the Chinese Garden. 

This was my second visit to the garden kingdom, and I am very happy I had the chance to explore within two days not all of its elements but probably all the major spots. It is a wonderful utopia that reveals its charms more and more if you take your time exploring and understanding how the landscape expresses how the duke tried to transform his land into a little paradise, not only for himself but for all his people. This may have been one of the very few moments in human history when a monarchy was the best possible state form. 

FK

4.00 Deutschland / Germany - 15-Aug-20 -

The Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz covers a large area of 142 km².

According to park administration, seven palaces and parks are part of the Garden Kingdom:

• Schloss Wörlitz (my rating 5*)
• Schloss Luisium (my rating 4*)
• Schloss Oranienbaum (my rating 3*)
• Schloss Mosigkau (my rating 3*)
• Schloss Georgium (my rating 3*)
• Schloss Großkühnau (my rating 2*)
• Park am Sieglitzer Berg (not visited)

During my summer trip to Sachsen-Anhalt, I have visited six of them. Thanks to warm sunny weather, my first impression was quite positive.

Wörlitz is by far the most impressive park of the whole Garden Kingdom and the major reason to come here. Visiting the park is free, but the parking lot charges a fee. Two hours are minimum to walk once through the park, five hours are recommended to visit all buildings inside and to eat a local lunch in nearby Wörlitz. Staying overnight in Wörlitz is also possible. The little town of Wörlitz with some hotels and restaurants, considered as part of World heritage, is located next to the palace. Most paths in the park are covered by gravel, so good sneakers are recommended, but some visitors were wearing flip-flops. Well-educated dogs on a leash are allowed. This park is a popular destination for families. The park consists of artificial lakes, fields, meadows, forests and some small buildings. Ferries are crossing the lakes, you have to pay one Euro per ride. Roseninsel is accessible by two ferries, the first (inward) trip is liable to pay, the (outward) return trip is free. For visiting the Gothic house inside, you need to buy a ticket at the main office.

This park offers a great variety of views with modest physical activity. Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe, a similar park, is located on a hill and requires climbing 240 metres upstairs.

Nearby Oranienbaum is an older and more symmetric park and palace, it looks a bit like half-timbered Versailles. Compared with Wörlitz it is less impressive, but UNESCO wanted to include a wide range of palaces in order to compare them.

Luisium near Dessau is a minor palace designed for the duke's wife. The palace itself is small, but the surrounding park has a charming quiet atmosphere. As I enjoy quiet parks, personally I would rank this park as second in Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz.

Georgium is an urban park in the City of Dessau. This park, located near Bauhaus, is the easiest opportunity to tick Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz off the list, but not the most impressive one.

Mosigkau, located west of Dessau, is also a symmetric park and palace. Compared with other palaces, it looks quite average, but it preserves some traditional plants of an aristocratic garden. Visiting the park is free, but the parking lot charges a fee. 

Sieglitzer Berg is only accessible by bicycle or on foot, it takes one hour to walk 5 km from Luisium to Sieglitzer Berg. As I decided to visit Wörlitz and Wittenberg on one day, I had to skip this minor remote park.

This World Heritage site also includes some churches and towers in nearby villages, practically the whole area between Rehsen in the east and Waldersee in the west. The World Heritage status protects this area from major industrial development near historic palaces and encourages tourism. 90% of this area, however, are just plain meadows near Elbe river. Wörlitz, the only area that may be called "bang for the buck", is just a small percentage of the whole World Heritage site.

Klaus Freisinger

3.00 Austria - 18-Apr-19 -

The reviews of this site are not very enthusiastic, but seem to stem from the fact that most people only visited the Georgium, which is the most central component and is located right across the street from the Bauhaus masters' houses in Dessau. I took a walk there as well, but since this is basically just a city park with some Baroque landscaping features added, I can understand why nobody was overwhelmed. The main part of this site, the Wörlitz Park, is much larger and provides a much nicer experience. It can be reached by a special train from Dessau (and a short walk from Wörlitz Train Station) and is a classic English-style landscape garden with many natural elements, large bodies of water, a few historic buildings, the expected birdlife from peacocks to swans, and, especially, a wide variety of bridges in different shapes, colours and sizes. On a nice day, it is a pleasure to take a stroll through the park (including several mini ferry rides). It still isn't a first-class WH site, but overall better than I expected.

Matejicek

2.00 Czechia - 10-Mar-19 -

I did it in similar way like others, and visited parts of the Garden Kingdom in Dessau adjacent to Bauhaus sites: I could see&visit Georgium when I was walking from main Bauhaus building to Masters` houses, but it was not very appealing for me, because the park, artifitial ruins and eclectic buildings are now penetrated by modern urban lanscapes and roads. I entered the WHS once again after visiting Masters`houses: I walked along Ebert-alle towards Weinbergschlosschen around 15 minutes. This neoclassicist bulding is quite small but pretty (see photo). Then I entered the natural park - in fact a blend of meadows, solitary trees, lakes, marchlands where everything was in bloom in May. This was my highlight of the WHS but I am not sure if it is related to OUV... Then I walked towards Elbe river and had a drink and light lunch in very pleasant Kornhaus Dessau - round functionalist restaurant.

Clyde

2.00 Malta - 07-Dec-14 -

I visited this WHS in November 2014. This WHS is made up of a cultural landscape interconnecting historic houses and gardens on a large scale. I visited all the inscribed gardens in Worlitz, Oranienbaum, Dessau, Großkühnau and Mosigkau over 2 full days. Most of the buildings are best viewed from the outside as not much is left in their interior. When I visited it was quite chilly so I opted to walk along the several trails in different parks to take in the size of the garden kingdom and the colours of the Autumn landscape. In my opinion the inscribed sites in Dessau should only be visited as a little extra treat after visiting the Bauhaus building and the masters' houses. Urban sprawling and the Autobahn completely ruins any OUV there might have been in the past. The best overview and experience can be had at the Worlitzer Park. I enjoyed birdwatching there and the highlight of my visit was the restored Gothic House. Shortly after I visited the gardens in Oranienbaum and Mosigkau. The Chinese buildings and the Luisium stand out from the rest of the buildings. I have mixed feelings about these garden WHS and I cannot say I can really grasp their true OUV. Although it makes an interesting visit, I don't think it's even comparable to the WHS in Potsdam/Berlin.

Hubert

1.50 Austria - 23-Oct-11 -

The Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz covers an area of about 140 square kilometers and consists of several English landscape gardens. The largest and most beautiful park is in Wörlitz. We were in Dessau in the summer of 2009, and after we had visited the Bauhaus sites the day before, the Garden Kingdom was the next WHS on our list. It was a warm summer day, so we went by bicycle to the Wörlitz Park (about 20 km). Thereby, we came also through some of the other parks: Georgium and Luisium with smaller palaces and pavilions, and the Sieglitz woodland park. In Worlitz we visited the Palace, the Gothic House (photo) and the Villa Hamilton. All the parks are well maintained and preserved and we enjoyed our bike tour. However, I found the Garden Kingdom not outstanding. The parks in Berlin and Potsdam, which we had visited some days earlier, impressed me much more. But maybe I was biased because we had visited too many parks in just a few days and because in Dessau I was more focused on the Bauhaus sites.

John booth

New Zealand - 16-Oct-10 -

After the austere gardens of Muskauer Park the Worlitz gardens were at the other extreme with an abundance of ornamentation. I visited the pleasant Luisium, Georgium and Muskigau parks within Dessau city first then took the train, a single car double deck contraption, out to Worlitz.

The garden there is attractively laid out, but is cluttered by many structures including a Roman villa, a synagogue, a church, wierd bridges and a stone grotto. But the chain ferries used to link the footpaths to the islands were a novel idea.

Els Slots

2.00 The Netherlands - 28-Feb-07 -

'It is impractical to consider re-routing the Autobahn...', ICOMOS stated in its evaluation of the Garden Kingdom's nomination. The modern roads were distracting too much from the original visual scenery. Maybe it's just me, or I just arrived from the wrong (west) side, but there's a whole lot more that spoils the views here. Dessau in particular is a very urban and industrial area.

I choose the Georgium for a more up-and-close visit. It's the second biggest park after Wörlitz. As a result of ongoing urbanization it in fact has become a kind of city park. Most of my fellow visitors this Sunday morning were either walking their dogs or working on their (own) physical condition. The Georgium is quite representative of the Garden Kingdom as a whole: it has a small palace, a lot of neoclassical buildings and an animal garden for educational purposes.

Before commencing the long drive home, I turned into a small alley that still had the original views as the Prince of the Garden Kingdom probably meant it.

Solivagant

2.50 UK - 02-Apr-06 -

The area south of Berlin contains 3 WHS inscribed parks/gardens – at Potsdam, at Bad Muskau (see my review) and at Worlitz (between Dessau and Wittenberg). Taken together, they no doubt provide an interesting “potted history” (!) of European garden thought and design in (mainly)the 18th century but I guess you are going to have to be pretty interested in “Gardens” to visit all 3!

The latter in particular covers an enormous area – it is in fact a collection of gardens and palaces spread over some 25 kms (Hence the title “Garden Kingdom”) and requires real interest and dedication as well as lots of time to appreciate fully. It is however more than just a “garden” - It has been said that it “provides a visual lesson on the Age of Enlightenment …. The credit of Dessau's garden kingdom goes to Prince Leopold III Friedrich Franz von Anhalt Dessau, more an enlightened thinker than a gardener. In the 18th century, the prince was inspired by the progressive theories on nature and humanism, and by industrial and agricultural developments in England. He then converted his cerebral musings into a gorgeous garden. Using the principle of "usefulness and beauty" as his guide, he planted fruit trees for shade and produce, erected a flood watchtower inspired by the Pantheon, and laid down pleasant paths that link tiny villages, creating an enjoyable commute home".

Unfortunately when we were there it was a day of SOLID rain – a long way from ideal conditions for walking the enormous distances, let alone appreciating the finer points of garden design or “enlightened thought”! In early June we had the gardens largely to ourselves in the rain but still found it a worthwhile visit and one we would aim to repeat if/when we return on a better day. It contains a very wide range of garden design styles and plants but with the emphasis on "nature" and landscape - a plantsperson would be well advised to consider their main interests and schedule a visit at the appropriate time of year

Luckily the previous night we had stayed in the nearby town of Oranienbaum – yet another part of “Garden Kingdom” but still included in the WHS, and had managed to see it under better weather conditions! Its design was put in place as early as 1683 by a member of that much travelled Dutch family Princess Henriette Catharina of Nassau-Orange and her architect, Cornelis Ryckwaert. Later it was incorporated by Prince Franz into his larger structure and he added an Anglo-Chinese Garden complete with Pagoda (photo).

(Trivia question – how many European WHS contain "Chinese" Pagodas?)

Ian Cade

1.50 UK - 01-May-05 -

We only had a brief visit to the Georgium park in Dessau, which is just across the road from the Bauhaus Mastershouses. We had a brief walk through the park in the icy cold weather, and popped into the Georgium itself (now the Gemäldegalerie) to look at the gift shop, mostly just to warm up though. We also strolled up to the Mausoleum whose grounds are now being used as a small zoo.

It was a pleasant walk and the carpet of leaves on the floor was nice. It was also enjoyable catching glimpses of some small folly; faux Roman remains or a temple, in the middle distance. On the whole though it didn’t feel like a remarkable place to visit.

The whole Dessau-Wörlitzer Gartenreich is a large area and probably really worth exploring however there are no public transport links in winter so we didn’t get chance to give the site the time it needed. However having a World Heritage site on the opposite side of the road from another was always going to make the walk back to the train station in Dessau more enjoyable.

I have a very esoteric criteria for knowing when I have visited a site or not, I mostly go on my intent and whether I have knowingly ventured into its boundaries, and I feel that I can count this one as a visit although we certainly didn’t do the site justice, but unless we were back visiting the Bauhaus again in summer I don’t think I will be exploring much further.