Come to Ettersburg for a castle garden that opens into a long, uphill meadow and a carefully framed view back to the palace. On the northern side of the Ettersberg, near Weimar, this is a satisfying place to slow down: flower beds and pergolas close to the buildings, spreading trees in the landscape park, then woodland around the Pücklerschlag. Begin beside the New Castle and look across the valley before deciding how far uphill you feel like walking.
The two formal gardens, or parterres, give you plenty to notice at close range. Look at the small sculpted figures, the patterned bed edges and the pergolas, then compare their ordered shapes with the looser outlines of the trees beyond. Lavender, thyme and standard roses form part of the planting. The garden restoration completed for the 2021 Bundesgartenschau drew on the nineteenth-century layout, so the details belong to a continuing garden tradition rather than a single untouched moment in the past.
The larger landscape is the work of Eduard Petzold, encouraged by Carl Alexander, with Hermann von Pückler-Muskau contributing to the celebrated meadow vista in 1845. Petzold also created the six-hectare landscape park west of the castle and the Forsthauswiese to the east. On the Pücklerschlag, separate groups of trees make the edge of the woodland advance and retreat. Turn around as you climb: the castle changes its place in the picture, and the distant countryside opens behind it. That changing view is the main reason to make the uphill effort.
There is a much more difficult history beyond the garden. The Zeitschneise continues through the woods to Buchenwald Memorial, connecting the former courtly landscape with the site of the concentration camp. Decide in advance whether you want a garden outing or a visit that also makes time for remembrance. With younger children, the park and a return from the Jagdstern offer a complete outing on their own. Eager to name that creature? Identify any animal you find during your visit using the Snappit app.
The hunting lodge was built in the early eighteenth century. From 1776 to 1780, Anna Amalia held her summer court here, gathering a literary and musical circle. Carl Alexander’s nineteenth-century interest in English landscape gardening brought Petzold to Ettersburg, and the Pücklerschlag took shape in 1845. Castle and park became part of the UNESCO Classical Weimar World Heritage property in 1998. The restored garden terraces reopened in 2021, while the castle continues as a hotel, meeting place and cultural venue.
