Kulturstiftung Dessau-Wörlitz

Who they are

The Kulturstiftung Dessau-Wörlitz is a public foundation of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, with federal government support, responsible for looking after the Gartenreich Dessau-Wörlitz, the "garden kingdom" that Prince Leopold III Frederick Francis of Anhalt-Dessau created in the late 18th century between Dessau and Wörlitz, on the banks of the Elbe. The ensemble is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to the regional government, the foundation was re-established in 1994, and has its administrative seat in Großkühnau Palace, in Dessau-Roßlau.

It manages the palaces and gardens of the ensemble: Wörlitz, with its palace and park, the Gothic House, the Luisium, Oranienbaum, Mosigkau, the Georgium, the Sieglitzer Berg and Großkühnau. As well as opening them to the public, it organises guided tours, routes and educational activities.

What it offers visitors

In the palaces, the interior is usually visited on a guided tour, and the parks can be walked freely. The foundation also suggests routes through the Gartenreich and has an app with information for your walk.

The best known are the gondolas on Lake Wörlitz. They leave from the station beside the palace and make a trip of about 45 minutes on the lake, the small Wallloch and the Wolf Canal, passing the Gothic House. They run daily from Easter to October: at Easter, in April and in October, from 11:00 to 15:00, on the hour, and from May to September, from 10:00 to 17:00. They cost €12 per adult, €10 reduced rate and €3 for children and schoolchildren; dogs pay €2. There is an adapted gondola that takes up to three wheelchairs from May to September, booked by email; when the water level is low it may not be available. They are cancelled in strong wind, storms or extreme heat, in which case the booking is no longer binding; on concert days on the lake the station closes earlier, and on 29 September 2026 it will close at 12:00 for the staff's annual meeting. The reduced rate applies to groups of 15 people or more, students up to 25, apprentices, the unemployed and people with a severe disability, who bring a companion free. There are also ferries on the lakes, with their own timetable.

Tickets, booking and information

Tickets for the palaces and gondolas are sold online, in the foundation's shop, and at the ticket offices, where the day's remaining places are left. For the whole ensemble there is a Gartenreich information office, in the kitchen building of Wörlitz park: from November to mid-March it is open Monday to Friday from 9:30 to 16:00, and from late March to October, also at weekends, with longer hours on Fridays and Saturdays. It can be reached on 034905 31009 and at [email protected].

Tips

The Gartenreich is large: Wörlitz and Oranienbaum are close to each other, but the Luisium, Mosigkau and the Georgium are in Dessau, a few kilometres away. The parks have rules of their own, for example on drones, published on the website. The website is in German and English.