Grosssedlitz Garden near Dresden, Germany
The Baroque gardens at Grosssedlitz are among the most notable in Germany, but this green symbol of absolutistic creative drive is worth a visit for other reasons too. It is also of special significance because a prominent Saxon ruler left his imprint on the park's design. In 1719, the Imperial Count von Wackerbarth, having constructed his residence for retirement here, sold it – not entirely of his own volition – to Augustus the Strong. The new owner had the gardens completely rebuilt, after plans of his own design. It should have been nothing less than a Saxon Versailles here, but in the end Grosssedlitz was never completed – an acute shortage of funds at the court of Dresden, where otherwise they had so happily spent money, put an end to the creative fantasy. Nevertheless, the 12 hectares which were finished are so full of splendour that it is hardly possible to imagine how the park might have been had all the planned 96 hectares been completed. The spacious terraced grounds are today a work of artistic garden architecture with two orangeries, fountains and around 60 sculptures. A walk around the garden always opens new perspectives, which still today are evidence of the expertise of planning. The visitor can, especially in the summer months when exotic plants and orange trees fill the park with their scent and color, experience the imagination of the highborn creator of Grosssedlitz.
Size: 3788px × 2536px
Location: Grosssedlitz Garden near Dresden, Germany
Photo credit: © Dimitry Bobroff / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: architecture, artistic, augustus, baroque, count, dresden, fountains, garden, germany, gross-sedlitz, grosssedlitz, imperial, lake, lawn, pond, saxon, stairs, statue, statues, strong, von, wackerbarth, walkway, water
