Pillnitz Castle

Pillnitz Castle and Park lie right outside the gates of Dresden. The unique park on the Elbe is considered a perfect example of Chinese Baroque in Europe. August the Strong gave Pillnitz Castle and Park to his lover, Countess Cosel, in 1707. However, when she fell out of favor, August expropriated it and had a mountain and water palace built according to the designs of the Baroque architect Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann.

The Pillnitz summer palace with its striking pagoda roofs is best reached by steamboat along the Elbe. Even the original inhabitants often preferred the waterway to the land route and enjoyed taking a ride on the imaginatively designed gondolas. The English, Dutch and Chinese gardens, which are part of the extensive park, invite you to take a stroll. The orangery and the palm house, which have been refurbished, invite you to explore exotic rarities. From February to April, the famous 250-year-old Japanese camellia blooms. This admirable ornamental tree is so valuable that it is even allowed to live in its own house in the winter. In Pillnitz Castle itself, a museum of applied arts opens its doors every spring, and a permanent exhibition in the castle museum tells the details of the eventful history of this former Saxon royal residence.

If you’d like to spend a romantic weekend for two here, we recommend staying at the Zámecký Hotel