Neuhardenberg House and Park

The first Baroque park on this site was created under Albrecht Friedrich von Brandenburg-Sonneburg. Friedrich Wilhelm von Prittwitz (1764-1843) then redesigned and extended the remains in the style of a landscape garden – so a landscaped park already existed here when Lenné was commissioned to redesign it in 1821. It is considered an established fact that the Chancellor's son-in-law, Hermann Fürst von Pückler-Muskau, and Humphrey Repton's son John Edey – who belonged to the prince’s entourage – also participated closely in the planning process. It was not possible to implement the design until after the death of the Chancellor, however, which was undertaken by his son Christian Heinrich August von Hardenberg-Reventlow (1775-1840).
The von Hardenberg family later remained very attached to the art of garden design: Potsdam garden director Georg Potente laid out a rose garden on the east side of the palace from 1923 to 1925, for example. After 1945 the park suffered a considerable lack of care. Restoration measures were begun as early as 1976, culminating in the restoration of the entire ensemble.

In front of the palace, the historical meadow structure was re-established with the creation of a double avenue of lime trees. From the obelisk in front of the palace there is an excellent view of the entire ensemble. The Kavaliershaus to the west together with the adjacent Remise, serves as a hotel, where new buildings have been added. The distillery is located in the adjacent street and has an inviting restaurant. The garden side is connected to the Orangery with the restaurant Kleine Orangerie, which serves Mediterranean herbal cuisine, and there is also a modern hall for events. Behind this building is a herb and flower garden – reminiscent of a former market garden on the same site.

To the east of the palace is where visitors access to the expansive park, its central sight line the south suggesting an infinite sense of openness. In the area close to the palace, the moat widens into two asymmetrical ponds whose narrow connection provides space for a bridge. On the southern bank of the western pond, the central focus is a marble monument to Frederick II. Starting from the monument, the restored network of circular paths offers a range of unanticipated perspectives. To the south-east, the view over the long meadow remains clear at all times thanks to the clever positioning of individual groups of trees. In the vicinity of the palace, provisions have now been made for the future based on careful replanting individual trees.

In 2004 Neuhardenberg Palace Park was named “Germany's most beautiful park”.

Year of construction: 1759
How to get there: Car: B1 to Jahnsfelde, then L36 to Neuhardenberg; train: RB26 to Seelow-Gusow, then by bus to Neuhardenberg