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Last updated on 05 March 10
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Schwetzinger Schlossgarten

  5.0/5 (2 ratings)

Gardenvisit Editorial

A courtly baroque garden, well-proportioned and well-kept. Elector Karl Theodor's summer palace stands between the garden and a graceful market town. A central axis runs from the market square through the palace, through the garden and out into the countryside. On the garden front, it passes through a great circular parterre, bounded by the red sandstone palace buildings and by trellised pergolas, all in the grandest manner. A cross axis runs through the circular parterre. The garden was designed by J L Petri in 1753. He was court gardener to the Elector of the Palatinate and followed the recommendations of the Théorie et Pratique du Jardinage. Made in the dying days of the baroque style, Schwetzingen has a geometrical inventiveness not seen in earlier baroque gardens. There is a romantic Stag Fountain, a fine bosquet beside the Apollo Theatre, a Bath House and an aviary. After 1776, Ludwig von Sckell made the outer areas of the garden into a landscape park. It wraps round the parterre garden in a characteristically German manner, giving an outward transition from regular to irregular. (See plan) Voltaire is said to written Candide during a stay at Schwetzingen. Some garden buildings of exceptional quality were added by Nicolas de Pigage in the late 18th century: a Temple of Apollo, a Bathhouse, a large Mosque, a ruined Roman Aquaduct and a Temple of Mercury.

Address - Schwetzingen Garten, Baden-Wurtemberg, South West, Germany
Opening times - All year. Daily.
Website - Visit the Schwetzinger Schlossgarten website

Designers and Influences

This garden has been designed and influenced by Friedrich Ludwig Sckell, von

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Reviews and Comments

Have you visited this garden?

  • about 2 years ago Marcile Fowler said

    I have visited the Schwetzingen schloss gardens several times and it is one of my favorites. By the way, there is an entrance fee, I believe it is around four Euros. The grove of large cherry trees is spectacular in the Spring (around the first week of April) and I am looking forward to seeing it again this year.
    If you are in the Heidelberg area, Schwetzingen is a nice place to spend a day. There are nice sidewalk cafes just across the street from the palace entrance. If you are there in April/May, try the spargel (white asparagus) that is grown in the area. Delicious!

    (5.0/5)
  • over 2 years ago Tessalina said

    Great place to visit any time of the year but spring and summer the gardens are particularly spectacular. In the winter the small lake at the end of the lane freezes over and people skate on the ice. In the summer all the fountains are turned on and there is a great multitude of colorful flowers and birds. The bathhouse is so pretty and lavish but it closes earlier than the rest of the park. The castle is open only in the warmer season and you get a nice tour.

    (5.0/5)

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