Where people meet to share happy moments. Enjoy socialising.

egapark in Erfurt

“I’ll be on top first”, calls Leni and disappears into the climbing structure. Her brother Paul follows in the direction of the water play area Thuringia's largest playground is like a world of its own with slides, wooden walkways and ongoing activities.
While the children scamper around, their parents sit perched on a bench sipping coffee. Always with a clear view – but still enjoying a moment of peace. The large flowerbed behind them is resplendent in vibrant colours. Flowers form patterns, lines and ornaments – a living carpet that changes with the seasons. Paul runs up all of a sudden. "Wait, we need a photo of that."
The egapark stretches out all around. It is a garden from the 1960s, which now combines playground, themed gardens and expansive meadows in a natural way. Just a few steps further on, we enter the historic walls of Cyriaksburg Fortress. Colourful installations alternate with digital exhibits in the German Horticultural Museum. Paul is enthralled by a projection that shows how plants can even grow in outer space. Leni grasps a borrowed tablet to learn how sustainable cultivation works – and discovers that cucumbers used to have thorns and were originally indigenous to India.
The daylight dazzles them for a moment when they go out again. The park lies at their feet – wide and open. There are hammocks on the meadow between the beds. Leni falls into one of them, with Paul nudging her gently. 
What remains: a day full of activities, fresh thoughts, a break in the countryside – and a family photo against an ocean of flowers.

 

EGAPARK-Erfurt.de BOOK Here

 

Japanese Garden in Bad Langensalza

 

Pink blossoms drift lazily onto the gravel path. The daughter ties a wish list to a branch, while the mother waits on the bench with a small bowl of tea. Curved paths lie enclosed beneath a flowery roof. Leaves float on the waters of the pond. Everything seems light.
The place: Bad Langensalza, Thuringia’s garden town. Nestled between the Rose Garden and the Spa Gardens lies the Japanese Garden – one of the largest of its kind in Germany. During the hanami in spring, the cherry trees bathe it in a sea of pink. Tea ceremonies and small rituals give the celebrations their own rhythm: mindful instead of loud or over the top. The daughter sits down next to her mother. They both gaze once more into the sea of flowers.
What remains: the beauty of a shared moment.

 

More about the Japanese Garden in Bad Langensalza

 

Altenstein Castle Park

 

“First we’ll need the compass”, says the granddaughter, busily opening the explorer rucksack. Grandfather leans down to her. Their mission begins among the old trees: to help Bruno the dragon find his sister. They walk together down shady paths, past rock formations and artistically designed flowerbeds. They stop from time to time – using binoculars to count towers, discovering small animals along the way or listening to the wind rustling the treetops. Altenstein Castle Park sits perched above Bad Liebenstein. Views of the landscape are revealed time and again between groups of old trees, wide sightlines and small architectural details. Untouched nature and landscape design are intertwined here – calmly, almost casually, and yet impressively. The park transforms into a playing field for the granddaughter. And a place for the grandfather to rediscover. In the end, the adventure map is completed and the last station reached. The granddaughter beams. 
What remains: a shared adventure with sweeping views into the distance.

 

More about Castle and Park Altenstein HIER BUCHEN

 

Leinfelde-Worbis State Horticultural Show

 

Daniel kneels in the grass and carefully presses the seed into the soil. "Not too deep”, says Mike, glancing back down at the instructions. The workshop on planting flower strips teaches them how to turn a barren expanse into a habitat for insects.
Held from 23 April to 11 October 2026, the Leinefelde-Worbis State Horticultural Show will transform former industrial areas into green spaces. Meadows, themed gardens and interactive places are now emerging to replace the once dominant concrete. Urban spaces and landscapes are intertwined here, not juxtaposed. Daniel pockets the remaining seed. "We'll try it out at home." A morning in the countryside turns into plans for the garden at home.
What remains: an idea that continues to grow.

Website State Horticultural Show Book here

 

Biedermeier Garden at Kirms Krackow House in Weimar

 

A slice of homemade cake, two forks, a narrow gravel path right next to the table. The two students are sitting in Café Lieblingsgarten at the Kirms Krackow House – in the heart of the Biedermeier Garden. Between the boxwood beds and espaliered fruit, the city all of a sudden seems far away.
The Kirms Krackow House is now a museum – and also home to one of Weimar's most exquisite historical gardens. The Biedermeier Garden is small, symmetrical and enclosed by walls. Visitors step out of the museum directly into the greenery, walk for a moment and stop. Auricula, phlox and hollyhocks are blooming along the paths. Franz Kirms, former financial director of the Weimar court theatre and a passionate “florist”, commissioned the garden in the 18th century – as a retreat and meeting place. People gathered here to chat, make music and play cards. Legend has it that Schiller dropped by to discuss his fees, while Hans Christian Andersen sojourned in the house during his travels.
Today, architecture students discuss designs here – grasping cake forks. Later they move to the inner courtyard. “Bauhaus is looking for a woman”, is on the programme. “Is Bauhaus more than just a DIY chain?”, asks the cabaret artist. Laughter. The show is about Walter Gropius, about women at the Bauhaus, about New Objectivity and cultivated silliness. Form follows fun. Even high culture reveals its lighter side in the summer evening air between historic walls. 
What remains: a summer evening that quite naturally blends the past with the present.

Website Kirms Krackow House 

 

 Royal Greiz Park and Summer Palace

 

“Shall we meet at the Summer Palace?”, someone posts in the group. Whitsun is agreed as the date. 
The four friends are standing in the Royal Greiz Park just four weeks later. The path meanders through groups of old trees, and the grass is still warm from the sun. The Summer Palace rises up between the wide meadows – bright, Classicist, with the inscription in the gable: Maison de belle retraite. House of beautiful refuge. The Thuringian Castle Days are taking place this weekend. Castles and parks throughout Thuringia are opening their doors – an occasion to consciously set off and take time to discover something new. Inside the palace, the friends come across caricatures with surprisingly modern humour in the Satiricum. “So that's never changed”, says one of them with a grin. They laugh – and step back out into the greenery. Later they sit down on a bench in the park, the palace behind them, the waters of the Weiße Elster river glistening between the trees.
What remains: the joy of meeting up again – and sharing some happy moments.

Website Royal Summer Palace in Greiz

 

Dornburg Castles

 

The first lights come on even before the sun has completely disappeared. An elderly couple steps through the gate and into the gardens. Music is in the air – not loud, more like a promise. High above the Saale, not far from Jena, the Dornburg castles stand side by side: Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo, all together in a small space. Terraced gardens stretch down the slope, with views opening up far into the valley. Even Goethe appreciated this place for its special location. The gardens transform for the Night of the Palaces. Paths are bathed in gentle light, while façades glow warmly and intimate concerts are heard between hedges and walls. Sometimes a string quartet on a meadow, then a reading in the courtyard or soft jazz sounds beneath old trees.
The couple stops at one of the terraces. Below them lies the Saale valley in the evening light. They toast with a glass of Saale wine, savour small snacks and let their thoughts drift – to music, conversation and the slowly darkening sky.
Guests gather along the terraces later on. The final fireworks display rises from the Saale valley. Colours are briefly reflected in the windows of the castles before quiet descends once more.
What remains: a beautifully illuminated summer evening – and the vivid memories of daytime encounters.

Website Dornburg Castles