The Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm located in Saxony-Anhalt south of the Elbe. It borders on that Central German chemistry triangle in the south, to that Lower Saale Valley in the west, to the Pre-flaming in the north across the Elbe and the Düben Heath in the east and is part of the Elbe valley. Historically, the area roughly corresponds to the Principality of Anhalt-Dessau.
places
The largest city is the district Dessau the administratively formed twin city Dessau-Rosslau. With the facilities of the Luisium, the Georgium and Kühnau as well as the Mosigkau Castle Park, Dessau has its share of the World Heritage Garden Kingdom; In addition, Dessau has the as another world cultural heritage bauhaus to offer.
Even the small towns
- Worlitz and
have parts of the garden realm with the respective palaces and parks.
Other goals
- Vockerode
- Capes
- Sieglitzer Berg
background
Once an independent territory in the Holy Roman Empire, the Principality of Anhalt-Dessau received an overprint in the 18th century that continues to have an impact today. The Prince of Enlightenment Leopold III. Friedrich Franz (1740-1817) had the country redesigned by creating roads, lines of sight, parks and buildings in prominent locations. The Wörlitzer Park in particular is a first-rate attraction today, but it is only a (particularly well-preserved) part of the overall project.
That from UNESCO under the same name Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm The area declared a World Heritage Site is an approximately 150 km2 strip along the left (southern) bank of the Elbe from the west of Dessau to Wörlitz. Here the area is a little broader.
Large parts of the area along the Elbe and the lower Mulde, which flows into the Elbe near Dessau, are as Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve protected.
language
getting there
by car
The A 9 crosses the region in a north-south direction. There are exits in Dessau-Süd to the B 184, in Dessau-Ost to the B 185 and in Vockerode.
by train
The closest long-distance traffic stops are Lutherstadt Wittenberg or Bitterfeld with ICE and IC trains from Berlin, Leipzig, Halle and also Munich, Erfurt, Frankfurt / M. and Hamburg.
Dessau is a regional hub with regional trains to and from Berlin, Magdeburg, Köthen / Aschersleben, Leipzig and Halle.
mobility
Administratively, three districts affect the region: The district of Wittenberg, formed from the former districts of Wittenberg, Jessen and Graefenhainichen, the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld (formerly districts of Bitterfeld, Köthen and parts of Anhalt-Zerbst, whose roots lie in the districts of Zerbst and Rosslau) and the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau. This leads to a mess of existing local transport concessions from various operators and has hitherto prevented overarching local transport concepts. There is no transport association. It is true that in some cases the same operators cover regional bus transport, but that does not mean that tickets are automatically recognized among each other. Sometimes it is possible, but sometimes not. And whether a collective agreement has always got around to every driver cannot be foreseen.
The traffic between the places is mainly covered by buses, which start in a star shape from the bus station in Dessau on the station forecourt. It is important for visitors to know that some bus connections in the outskirts of the day and on weekends are called "On-call buses", so only drive by appointment. In the hope that the headquarters are manned, the numbers for Dessau are 0800 - 8992500, for the Anhalt-Bitterfeld district 08000 - 366920, for the Wittenberg district 08000 - 366910 Aken over Osternienburg, Dessau to Oranienbaum succeeds, this will be counted as passed entrance examination for the degree course traffic sciences).
From the end of March to the beginning of October, the Dessau-Wörlitzer Railway runs from Dessau Central Station via Waldersee, Mildensee, Kapen, Oranienbaum to Wörlitz. Trains run every two hours (Timetable).
You don't have this problem with a bike. It also drives, in contrast to the buses. Taking a bicycle with you is free on regional trains in Saxony-Anhalt.
Tourist Attractions
Essential sights are the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Dessau-Wörlitzer Gartenreich in Wörlitz (Wörlitzer Anlagen), Oranienbaum, and Dessau (Georgium, Luisium, Kühnau and Mosigkau) as well as the complexes in between like the Sieglitzer Berg.
The Bauhaus and the Bauhaus Masters' Houses in Dessau are also UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
There is a visitor center for the biosphere reserve in Kapen, between Dessau and Oranienbaum.
activities
The vast floodplain landscapes with the white beaches of the Elbe, often just as designed as the parks of the Garden Realm - hardly a group of trees coincidentally stands at their location - are best explored by bike. The 70 km long Prince Franz Way opens up the meadow landscape to the cyclist.
A paddling tour on the Elbe also offers surprising views and a relaxed experience of nature.
kitchen
nightlife
With the Anhaltisches Theater, Dessau has a stage of supraregional importance. Theater is given in four sections - opera, concert, theater and ballet.
The nightlife is also otherwise concentrated in Dessau, with cinemas, pubs and dancing. Not much is to be expected in this regard in the surrounding towns.
security
climate
A clear continental influence begins, i.e. one has stable high pressure weather conditions more often than further west, which can bring greater cold in winter and greater heat in summer. The rain shadow of the Harz is still noticeable, the rainfall is well below the national average.
Both the Elbe and the Mulde can have noticeable weather limits for small climates. It is not uncommon for a rainy area or thunderstorm to settle on one side but not come over the river - on the other side there is bright sunshine. So if you see dark clouds on the horizon, you shouldn't panic right away, but first think about where the rivers are: There is a fair chance that you will get away if someone is in between.
literature
- Kaevan Gazdar: Rulers in paradise. Prince Franz and the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz. Construction Publishing House, Berlin 2006, ISBN 978-3-351-02633-2 .
- Roland Krawulsky: Dessau-Wörlitz. Guide to the Garden Realm, Dessau 2010, ISBN = 978-3-934388-04-8
- August Rode: Description of the Princely Anhalt-Dessau country house and English garden in Wörlitz. Edited by Christian Eger, illustrated by Claudia Berg, Halle 2008, ISBN 978-3-89812-576-5 .
- Thomas Weiss: The Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz - cultural landscape on the Elbe and Mulde, Hamburg 2004 (4th edition), ISBN 3-928119-89-3
- Erhard Hirsch: Dessau and the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm, Verlag Stekovics, 2nd edition, ISBN 3899231937 , only € 3.50
