Gardens of the World - Germany

While Germany may not be front-of-mind when it comes to beautiful gardens, you may be very surprised to discover that it should be on your bucket list of the worlds most beautiful gardens. Most of the exquisite German Gardens draw their heritage from the baroque, rococo and romantic periods.

Gardens worth visiting can be found on the grounds of palaces and in urban parks. Here is our list of some of the other beautiful gardens, well worth visiting.

Mainau Island
Mainau Island is a small island in Lake Constance, it is 1.1km long and only 610m wide, and well worth the visit.

This little piece of paradise boasts so many gardens amongst them are the Dahlia Garden, Herbaceous Garden, Palm House, an Italian Rose Garden, a Roof Garden, the Baroque Palace Garden, an Arboretum, a Historic Citrus Collection and the Lakeside Clock Garden to name only a few. Visit the website for more info.

Herrenhausen, Hanover
A true gem in the feather of Hanover’s cap, the Gardens of the Herrenhausen Palace are spectacular. The Great Garden boasts 120 acres arranged in geometrical patterns which include lawns, walkways, fountains, waterways, hedges and statues.

The garden was commissioned by Sophia of Hanover in 1683 and became the job of Frenchman Martin Charbonnier to enlarge the existing garden to its immense size and glory.

Summer festivals are an amazing experience and a great way to enjoy the gardens, with open air concerts, firework displays, acrobats, mimes, musicians and so much more.

Take a 360֯ tour of the Herrenhausen Gardens here.

Botanical Gardens, Munich
This botanical Garden is a haven for many bird and insect species with special attention given to wild bees and endangered flora.

Iris’s, Peonies, Rhododendrons, Ferns and Roses each have a special place in these botanical gardens. A large lake forms part of a wetland’s installation and in the Alpine House you can observe catch a glimpse of the Disa Lilly. For more information visit the website.

Sanssouci Park, Potsdam
The gardens that surround the Sanssouci Palace, the summer home of Frederick the Great, are breath-taking. The centre piece for this spectacular garden is a grand fountain, the crown jewel of the almost 300-hectare park. It boasts an exquisite rose garden and its own terraced grape vines. With over 250 years in the making, with works by many prominent architects, sculptors and landscapers, there are over 1000 sculptures to be seen. These gardens are a true mix of art and the art of landscaping.

Read more on the official website.

The Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz
This UNESCO World Heritage site is one of the earliest landscaped parks in Europe. The idea of Prince Leopold Fredrich Franz, to create a park for the people. It was built from 1764 to 1800 and the work commenced after a trip to England which inspired the prince to design the park. Influences from other trips abroad also aided in the Wörlitz Garden design. The purpose of the garden was to impart understanding and appreciation of other cultures to his people to for all to enjoy the gardens, buildings and architecture that he found on his travels.

Click here to see more information about The Garden Kingdom of Dessau- Wörlitz

https://youtu.be/8zBy7_iPSgI
Source: UNESCO TV / © NHK Nippon Hoso Kyokai URL: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/534/

The above are but a small taste of the inspirational gardens that Germany has on offer. Below is a list for you to peruse should you wish to do so -

• Azalea and Rhododendron Park, Kromlau
• Botanika, Bremen
• Kurpark Bad Homburg
• Planten un Blomen in Hamburg
• Palmengarten in Frankfurt

Many German Gardens took their inspiration from other countries and added some of their own baroque designs. Some gardens have not changed nor evolved since they were conceptualised. Other gardens have been modernised to include elements on changes in the world and how people’s ideas of gardening have changed.

Presently there is substantial movement globally towards adding more wild flowers to gardens so as to attract bees, thereby sustaining their habitats so as to create sufficient supply of food for them and in turn, for us.