Parks and Gardens in Thuringia

Thuringia is home to more than 2,000 parks and gardens, where you can walk, relax and simply enjoy your surroundings – whether it’s the sculptured grounds of a royal palace or spa, a country park or a modern urban oasis. The region’s towns and cities offer beautiful green spaces where you can unwind after seeing the sights. Strolling under pergolas or along a river, visiting a botanical garden or exploring a country estate – there are so many wonderful ways to replenish your energy and delight your senses!

Exploring the city with Thuringia.MyCulture.
A horticultural tour of Erfurt
Erfurt, the Thuringian state capital, is famous for its centuries-old horticultural tradition, first established in the 1800s by Christian Reichart, the Thuringian who raised plant cultivation in Germany to a professional level. Later there were ...
Leisure and recreation in and around Jena
Welcome to paradise
Lots of green spaces, easy to get around, a vibrant student scene. Plus culture and restaurants in abundance and a surrounding region that’s perfect for cycling and walking. And all set within a mediterranean landscape, dotted with castles and ...
The whole world in one garden
Rennsteig Botanical Garden
If you’re expecting nothing but dandelions and daisies, you’re in for a big surprise! For 50 years, mountain plants from almost every mountainous region of the world have been flourishing at the Rennsteig Botanical Gardens on the outskirts of ...
Rose hedges, white asparagus and an outdoor testing ground
Goethe’s passion for gardens
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s love of nature has provided us with a wealth of poems and notes today. What he describes was literally on his doorstep, as he often found inspiration in his gardens and the Park an der Ilm. During the five decades ...
Gardens and beer – the perfect combination
Discovering happiness in Weissensee
“Two beers and a murder!” I exclaim as we pass a sign that says ‘Weissensee’. “What?” Clara, who is driving our car, brakes sharply. “Well, you know, Weissensee!” I blurt out excitedly.
Weimar’s green spaces
Garden design on the river Ilm
“Paths are silent guides,” says Andreas Pahl, quoting the great landscape gardener Prince Pückler and points to a romantic, moss-covered stone structure flanked by a curved bridge – a picture-perfect ruin. The spruce trees nearby were by no means ...
Greiz Summer Palace and Royal Greiz Park
Glorious Greiz
A world in itself, Royal Greiz Park features lovely views, a clock made of flowers and some unusual butterflies.
Woad on the Merchants’ Bridge
Erfurt and the colour blue
As you pass Rosanna Minelli’s shop on the Merchants’ Bridge, you can spot the long, green plants to which Erfurt owes it rise to prominence in the Middle Ages. Turning these plants into blue dye was hard and rather unpleasant work. The plants had ...
In full bloom
Bad Langensalza, the ‘rose town’
With its palm trees, olive trees and eleven parks and themed gardens, Bad Langensalza truly is a verdant town.
Exploring Thuringia’s green spaces
From the baroque to Japan
Thuringia’s parks and gardens could not be more varied, ranging from Far East bonsai culture to the scent of over 450 types of rose and a 160-hectare royal country park. On this voyage of discovery I look at ornamental flower beds, marvel at ...
Around Friedenstein Palace
Great art in Gotha
Gotha shows its best side around Friedenstein Palace, where the Ducal Orangery, the English Garden and the Wasserkunst cascades can be explored during a stroll in the sunshine.
An interview with Dr Reinhard Laube, Director of the Duchess Anna Amalia Library in Weimar
A sensitive heart
The Anna Amalia Library is part of the Classical Weimar World Heritage site. We spoke to library director Reinhard Laube about Goethe’s love of garden design.
Where watercress is revered
Erfurt’s wonder plant
Surrounded by a sea of green, a man fights to maintain his balance. As calming as the colour might be, harvesting watercress from narrow wooden planks is hard work. For Ralf Fischer, harvest time is a balancing act and, depending on the season, ...
On the road with the gardeners of the Klassik Stiftung
Illusive idyll
Duke Carl August and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once realized their landscaping ideas in Weimar's parks and gardens. 250 years later, the living museums are threatened by climate change. On the road with the gardeners of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar.

You might also be interested in: