Gartenreichsommer Dessau-Wörlitz
A Summer in the World Heritage Site — Concerts, Readings, Film Days
About Gartenreichsommer
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Four Castles, One Lake, One Festival Season
The Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2000, is continental Europe's first enlightened landscape design. Created at the end of the 18th century by Prince Leopold III. Friedrich Franz of Anhalt-Dessau and his architect Friedrich Wilhelm von Erdmannsdorff, the ensemble today encompasses the castles of Wörlitz, Mosigkau, Luisium, and Oranienbaum, along with parks, canals, bridges, and islands stretching between Dessau-Roßlau and the Elbe River. Every summer, this landscape becomes a continuously active cultural stage — Gartenreichsommer is one of the most concentrated and atmospheric festival series in all of Saxony-Anhalt.
The program architecture follows the spirit of the place. Concerts are not held in concert halls but in castle libraries, garden salons, on the lakeshore, and in gondolas that glide with the audience across the waterways. Readings are accompanied by the Anhaltisches Theater Dessau, classical music expert Florian Birk curates the castle concert series, and the Anhaltische Philharmonie Dessau contributes its soloists. For 2026, the organizers have deliberately scheduled over 100 dates — Gartenreichsommer is less a single festival than a summer season of countless micro-experiences.
From Fortepiano to Open-Air Cinema
The opening concert on May 9th in Wörlitz Castle sets the tone: Prof. Ragna Schirmer plays Clara Schumann on a historical fortepiano from 1818 — Viennese make, the instrument on which Schumann herself played during her lifetime. This is followed by eleven Lake Concerts between May and the end of August, where music and boat trips merge. The Castle Concerts take place in the smaller castles of Mosigkau, Luisium, and Oranienbaum. New in 2026 are the Sound Terraces — picnic concerts on the Stone Island featuring film music and jazz. The event concludes with the Wörlitz Film Days at the end of August, where historical films are shown in unusual locations within the park.
Gartenreich Dessau-Wörlitz and Saxony-Anhalt
The Garden Realm belongs to the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt and is one of the state's four cultural focal points, alongside the Bauhaus Dessau, the Lutherstadt Wittenberg, and the industrial heritage of Bitterfeld. Visitors to Gartenreichsommer get to know not only a festival but an entire region.
Gartenreichsommer — edition 2026
The 2026 season is jointly presented by the Dessau-Wörlitz Cultural Foundation and the Anhaltisches Theater Dessau. Thematically, classical concerts are combined with literary formats, new crossover series, and open-air experiences that showcase the UNESCO World Heritage Site in all its diversity. Anyone looking for an unusual encounter with music, literature, and film in the shade of ancient trees and neoclassical buildings will find one of the most concentrated cultural series in Saxony-Anhalt here.
Programme Gartenreichsommer 2026
Opening Concert — Saturday, May 9, 2026
- Wörlitz Castle: Prof. Ragna Schirmer plays Clara Schumann on a historical Viennese fortepiano from 1818
Lake Concerts (May 16 to August 29, 2026)
- 11 concerts on Lake Wörlitz — music combined with gondola rides, dinner on the lakeshore, starting at 6 p.m. each evening
Castle Concerts
- Mosigkau Castle: Chamber music with the Anhaltische Philharmonie Dessau
- Luisium Castle: Homage concert for the 250th birthday of E.T.A. Hoffmann
- Wörlitz Castle: Piano recitals and string quartets
- Oranienbaum Castle: Baroque music in the historic ballroom
Sound Terraces (new in 2026, from June)
- Picnic concerts on the Stone Island with film music, jazz, and crossover programs
Coffee Concerts (from May 25, 2026)
- Afternoon concerts with coffee and cake in the Garden Hall
Literary Readings at Luisium
- May 9, June 6, July 4, 2026 — Readings with actors from the Anhaltisches Theater
Special Events
- June 5 to October 18: Exhibition "Dialogue in Pastel" — Bauhaus and Garden Realm in Dialogue
- June 12-13: Cabaret Dream — Variety, acrobatics, comedy in the castle park
- August 9: Garden Realm Festival — free rides on the historic Wörlitz Railway
- August 22-28: Wörlitz Film Days — historical cinema in unusual locations within the park
Detailed program at anhaltisches-theater.de/gartenreichsommer.
Highlights Gartenreichsommer 2026
Prices Gartenreichsommer 2026
Practical information — Gartenreichsommer
Getting There
The main point of contact is Wörlitz Castle (06785 Oranienbaum-Wörlitz). Approximately 25 minutes by bus 304 or the Wörlitz Railway (operational in summer) from Dessau-Roßlau station. Cycling is recommended for the individual castles in the Garden Realm — well-developed cycle paths connect Wörlitz, Luisium, Mosigkau, and Oranienbaum.
Tickets
Advance sales via anhaltisches-theater.de and gartenreich.de. Prices vary by event. Season and combination tickets available. Lake concerts with gondola rides usually sell out early.
On Site
There are dining options in Wörlitz Park (Hotel Zum Stein, Gasthof Eichenkranz). Castle tours and events can be easily combined — the Dessau-Wörlitz Cultural Foundation offers day packages.
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Travel to this festival
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Where it takes place Gartenreichsommer
Gartenreich Dessau-Wörlitz (UNESCO-Welterbe)
Schloss Wörlitz, 06785 Dessau-Roßlau