Projects of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar are funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Free State of Thuringia, represented by the State Chancellery of Thuringia, Department of Culture and the Arts.
The Belvedere Castle Park largely owes its present appearance to Duke Carl Friedrich who had the grounds converted into an English landscaped garden. With its sweeping views over the picturesque countryside, even the famous garden landscaper Lord Hermann von Pückler-Muskau only had words of praise: the layout of the entire complex was “excellently done”.
Belvedere Castle had originally been surrounded by a Baroque garden of stringent regularity resembling the large courts of that time at Versailles and Vienna. The castle builder Duke Ernst August and his guests would stroll along the radial promenades which extended away from the castle along geometrically arranged flower beds and trimmed hedges. His successor Anna Amalia yearned for a more natural atmosphere and more spaciousness. The Baroque rigidity of the park gradually yielded to a post-classical, romantic character with numerous ornamental niches and park structures such as fountains, sculptures, the rose arch trellis and an artificial ruin, the Great Grotto. The Russian Garden west of the castle is quite special; it was created at the behest of Carl Friedrich for his wife Maria Pavlovna as an exact replica of the garden she left behind in St. Petersburg.
Grand Duke Carl Alexander, who became ruler in 1853, diligently preserved and cultivated the castle, park and orangery. From 1974 to 1978 the park underwent extensively restoration, followed by the Russian Garden from 1978 to 1982.
You can explore Belvedere Castle Park on your own with the latest update of our Weimar+ app containing new radio plays and audio features. A radio-play surprise awaits you at every location in the park – from cultural highlights dating to the park’s infancy to late-breaking news stories on socio-political topics like climate change. Not only does it introduce you to those historical figures who played an integral role in the park’s design, e.g. Anna Amalia, Duke Carl August and Maria Pavlovna, it also sheds light on the myriad challenges of cultivating a historical garden landmark and its individual park elements today. Discover a total of 20 fascinating locations inside the park during your visit. The app’s interactive map will help you quickly orientate yourself in the park.
We recommend downloading the app onto your device before your visit. Free WiFi is available at all our museums and historical sites, but on the park grounds, WiFi access is only available at the gardener’s cottage.
Belvedere Castle and Park as a garden work of art, from June 5th | Belvedere Castle and Park, west pavilion
The Belvedere Castle Park can be experienced via an interactive park model. The model, which is accessible free of charge, enables intuitive and unusual exploration of the park and provides information about its creation. Places, people and historical events are specifically linked to one another in video animations. Park walkers get a first glimpse of the picturesque park.
The Belvedere Castle Park provides only partial accessibility to people with limited mobility. In the following park plan you will find information about the barrier-free paths.
For further information on handicapped accessibility in the museums, parks and gardens of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar, click here.
Projects of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar are funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Free State of Thuringia, represented by the State Chancellery of Thuringia, Department of Culture and the Arts.