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ParkNordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Amphitheater und Forstgarten (Kleve)

Come for the water terraces and stay to discover the Forstgarten’s wonderfully different trees.

About

Come for the water terraces and stay to discover the Forstgarten’s wonderfully different trees. Beside Tiergartenstraße, the Amphitheater climbs the hillside while the garden spreads out across the road. Start with a look along the canal towards the terraces: it gives you the shape of the place before you begin exploring its details.

The Amphitheater is a designed landscape with curved levels, pools and the figure of Pallas Athene. The small Ceres temple and higher obelisk draw your eye uphill. Even from below, you can enjoy the way the water, sculpture and distant view line up. Crossing the road changes the pace. In the Forstgarten, follow the paths between mature trees, pause at the pond and leave time for the playground in the Blumenhof.

This is a particularly good place to make trees the focus of a family visit. Some have unusual leaves, others memorable trunks or branches. Pick a few to look at properly rather than trying to name everything. The nearby orchard adds another kind of growing collection, with old and regional fruit varieties. You can combine these quieter stops with a view of the modern Eiserner Mann, the tall figure opposite the Amphitheater, or a separately planned visit to Museum Kurhaus Kleve. Explore the grounds like a pro—download the Snappit app to instantly identify animals and plants.

Johann Moritz von Nassau-Siegen shaped Kleve’s surrounding landscape in the seventeenth century, linking wooded heights, open country and monuments through long views. The Amphitheater belongs to that ambitious design. The Forstgarten followed from 1782 as the Neue Plantage, with a collection of foreign woody plants. In the 1820s, Maximilian Friedrich Weyhe gave it a more flowing, English-landscape character. Later restoration recovered important features while keeping the different historic layers visible. The result is a place where a formal hillside garden and a tree-filled landscape park can be enjoyed in the same walk.

What to do here

Try a three-picture challenge: one photograph looking along the water, one of an entire tree and one close view of its bark or leaves. Compare your pictures over a snack. Which tree could you recognise again without its label? Keep to the paths and leave leaves, cones and bark where they are.

For a short visit, start at the Forstgarten entrance at Joseph-Beuys-Allee and Tiergartenstraße, explore towards the pond, then return along the same paths. Add a separate look at the Amphitheater across Tiergartenstraße, using a safe crossing and returning to your starting side. You can see the composition from the lower levels without climbing to the obelisk. For a longer outing, the official 4.47 km Forstgarten-Route continues beyond the garden to Wasserburg Rindern and returns to its starting car park. Save the official route directions before setting out.

Seasonal info

Flowers, leaf colour and fruit ripening change with the weather, so there is no single guaranteed peak week. The gardens also host outdoor cultural events; check the current programme if you prefer a quiet visit. Water features may be switched off for maintenance or seasonal reasons. After rain, watch for slippery steps and wet leaves, and choose another day in strong winds or thunderstorms.

Accessibility

The lower garden and the hillside Amphitheater offer different kinds of outing. The terraces include sloping paths and steps, with a further uphill approach towards the obelisk. The longer official circuit mixes asphalt, fine gravel and other surfaces and crosses roads. Neither the short suggestion nor every part of the circuit is confirmed as a continuous wheelchair route. Check the route you need with Kleve Tourist Information, especially after wet weather. Museum Kurhaus has lifts and accessible toilets during its opening arrangements; this does not establish accessibility throughout the gardens.

Don't miss

1

Amphitheater

Curved water terraces, Pallas Athene and the Ceres temple frame a carefully arranged hillside view.

2

Forstgarten trees

Take a closer look at tulip trees, dawn redwoods and the shapes of a historic planted collection.

3

Blumenhof

A playground and open-air music setting give families a reason to pause between garden stops.

4

Orchard and canal

Compare fruit varieties, then find a view along the water towards the Amphitheater.

Walks and routes

Forstgarten and Amphitheater, with returns to the entrance

Begin at the Forstgarten entrance where Joseph-Beuys-Allee meets Tiergartenstraße. Take the public garden paths towards the pond, choosing a few trees to examine. Retrace those paths to the entrance. For the Amphitheater, cross Tiergartenstraße at a suitable crossing, look from the lower terraces and return by the same crossing to your starting entrance.

Assess the lower garden first if you use a pushchair or mobility aid. Leave the uphill extension out unless its surfaces and gradients suit your group; no uninterrupted step-free route is promised.

Official Forstgarten-Route via Wasserburg Rindern

Start at the Tiergartenstraße/Wasserburgallee car park. Cross into the Forstgarten, pass the playground and bandstand, and continue to Altes Landhaus. Follow the canal towards the draisine railway, then the path beside the zoo to Stiller Winkel. Continue via Eichenallee to Wasserburg Rindern and circle its lake, following the official directions.

A detailed wheelchair audit is unavailable. Check surfaces and crossings before committing to the whole circuit.

Official Forstgarten-Route via Wasserburg Rindern

Things to try

A garden view from both sides

Take one picture towards the Amphitheater from the canal side, then another back towards the canal from a safe public terrace. Compare which lines lead your eye through the pictures. Keep the road crossing separate from the photography.

An orchard pause

Look at how the fruit trees are arranged and compare any variety labels you find. The orchard is an addition to the historic garden, with regional and older fruit varieties. Enjoy it from the paths without bending branches or trampling the vegetation.

Museum Kurhaus Kleve

The neighbouring museum is the useful indoor option. Check current opening times, admission and exhibitions before switching plans. Its lift access and west-end accessible entrance can help visitors who would find the hillside paths difficult. Café Moritz follows its own, narrower schedule.

Wildlife and habitats

Four-lobed leaves with an indented tip make a useful close-up. In early summer, look up for greenish flowers with orange markings.

This conifer sheds its foliage. Compare a leafy-season photograph with its bare winter outline; use the label to distinguish it from other conifers.

Look for autumn colour changing across the crown. Photograph the whole tree as well as a leaf that you can see from the path.

Look for thick reddish-brown bark and a substantial trunk. Step back for a sense of scale, keeping out of planted ground.

The older tree leaflet describes surviving pines in an avenue. Compare their crowns with nearby broadleaved trees without leaving the path.

The tree leaflet places old chestnuts beside the large pond. Use the path for a whole-tree photograph rather than approaching the water’s edge.

These are cultivated trees in a historic collection. Tulip tree and dawn redwood appear in the July 2026 garden brochure; the other suggestions come from an older municipal tree leaflet. Use labels and the trees you find on the day, allowing for changes to individual specimens.

Stories and discoveries

An outdoor copy, an indoor original

The seventeenth-century original of Pallas Athene is kept in Museum Kurhaus; the figure outside continues to mark the Amphitheater’s upper pool. It is a useful link between a garden visit and the museum.

Getting there and practical advice

Play and comfort stops

The Blumenhof has a playground. Museum Kurhaus offers accessible toilets, but check its opening and visitor arrangements rather than assuming the gardens have a permanently available toilet. Bring your own water for the walk.

A clear meeting point

Use the Forstgarten entrance at Joseph-Beuys-Allee/Tiergartenstraße for the short plan, or the Tiergartenstraße/Wasserburgallee car park for the official circuit. For a museum meeting, use Tiergartenstraße 41. These are distinct starting points, so agree on one before your group arrives.

Sources and useful links

Wildlife you might spot

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Good to know before you go

Arrive by bus

Bus 58 serves the Forstgarten stop beside Museum Kurhaus. Check the current connection from Kleve station; the museum also gives about 20 minutes for the station walk.

Choose the right parking

Use the signed Forstgarten or Wasserburgallee car parks. The area at the museum’s main entrance is reserved for staff and deliveries; accessible museum parking is at its west end.

Cross with care

Tiergartenstraße separates the hillside garden from the Forstgarten. Keep children close and cross at a suitable pedestrian crossing rather than walking straight along a view line.

Pack for a slow visit

Bring water, a small snack and shoes with grip. A few tree stops and a playground break can fill the outing without a long hike.

Use the tree leaflet flexibly

The municipal tree guide is older, so individual trees and labels may have changed. Let it suggest what to look for rather than turning the visit into a compulsory checklist.

Plan refreshments separately

Café Moritz has more limited opening days than the museum. Check before relying on it for a stop, and ask about toilet access if you are only visiting the gardens.

Protect the collection

Leave bark and branches intact, avoid flowerbeds and keep clear of pond edges. Photograph any wildlife from the path without feeding or approaching it.

Check before travelling

Look at Kleve’s current garden and event information and follow any barriers on arrival. A printed route does not override temporary works or closures.

Frequently asked questions

The Amphitheater and Forstgarten are freely accessible. Museum entry and organised activities have their own arrangements. Visit in daylight for the paths, road crossings and tree details.
No. It continues through the surrounding area to Wasserburg Rindern, then returns to the car park at Tiergartenstraße and Wasserburgallee. Choose the shorter garden visit if you want to stay close to the main sights.
In light rain, a short lower-garden visit may still work if the paths feel firm. For a mainly indoor alternative, check Museum Kurhaus Kleve, normally open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00, with holiday exceptions. Avoid relying on trees for shelter during a thunderstorm.

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Exploring Amphitheater und Forstgarten (Kleve)?

Identify the wildlife you spot, learn as you go, and keep a collection of the adventure.

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