WÖRLITZ GARDEN KINGDOM

Twenty kilometers from Dessau, the so-called "Garden Kingdom" of Dessau-Wörlitz has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. It was the first garden in Europe to be laid out in English style, with a perfect symbiosis of historic buildings and green spaces. Covering a total area of 140 square kilometers, the gardens feature around a hundred different buildings, including a small neoclassical château built between 1769 and 1773. The gardens owe their creation to Leopold III, Duke of Anhalt Dessau (1740-1817), a follower of the Enlightenment. He expressed his political precepts in the design of these parks. Another major construction, the Palais Georgium, now houses the Anhalt Art Gallery. A Hamilton villa, a "Gothic house", a Venus temple, a synagogue and a labyrinth complete this myriad of points of interest, as do a string of islands, including a "stone island" or "Rousseau Island" dedicated to the philosopher whom the prince admired, canals, bridges and small ferries. You can also go boating... A sort of ancestor of amusement parks, in short, this profusion of planned landscapes is a surprising world apart in the middle of a region that has nothing idyllic about it these days. If you feel the need to take a break from industrial regions and big cities, head for the oasis of Wörlitz, in this kingdom of original gardens.