Gartenreich Dessau-Worlitz, Worlitz

Gartenreich Dessau-Worlitz, a 142 sq km (55 sq mi) garden of "orderly wilderness" influenced by Enlightenment ideals of order and rationality, was built after two buddies' late-18th-century road trip. Duke Leopold III of Anhalt-Dessau and his friend, architect Friedrich Wilhelm von Erdmannsdorff, had just returned from a tour of Italy, the Netherlands, England, France, and Switzerland, and they were inspired by the naturalistic landscape gardens at Stourhead Gardens and Ermenonville. That inspiration led them to build this garden. Today, you can walk, bike, and even ride horses through the park's green meadows, shady woods, and around placid lakes and rivers. Gondolas and ferries sit on the water, inviting you for a peaceful tour. Several small palaces and chateaus stand among the greenery, open to visitors and complete with their original 18th-century furnishings and Rococo paintings. Make Gartenreich Dessau-Worlitz part of your personalized Worlitz itinerary using our Worlitz itinerary builder.