Goethe in the Garden Realm
Themed day for the 250th anniversary of Goethe's first visit to Anhalt-Dessau
2026
About Goethe Day
Goethe Day — edition 2026
The themed day "Goethe in the Garden Realm" takes place on August 28, 2026—Goethe's 277th birthday. The organizers are the Kulturstiftung Dessau-Wörlitz and the Anhaltische Goethe-Gesellschaft. Throughout the day, there will be readings, guided tours, and the special exhibition at the Historischer Gasthof zum Eichenkranz. The special exhibition "Goethe in the Garden Realm" has been open daily since July 2026.
Highlights Goethe Day 2026
Programme Goethe Day 2026
Friday, August 28, 2026 — Wörlitz
- 10:00 AM — Opening of the special exhibition "Goethe in the Garden Realm" at the Historischer Gasthof zum Eichenkranz
- 11:00 AM — Guided tour of Wörlitz Park: "In Goethe's Footsteps"
- 1:00 PM — Reading from Goethe's letters to Knebel and Carl August (Eichenkranz)
- 2:30 PM — Gondola ride with literary accompaniment to Goethe's favorite spots
- 4:00 PM — Lecture by the Anhaltische Goethe-Gesellschaft on the 250th anniversary of the first visit
- 5:30 PM — Concert with works by Friedrich Wilhelm Rust in Wörlitz Church
- 7:00 PM — Literary evening program at the Eichenkranz
Note: The exact program with readers and lecturers will be published by the Kulturstiftung Dessau-Wörlitz in June 2026.
Prices Goethe Day 2026
Practical information — Goethe Day
Getting There
Wörlitz is located about 18 km east of Dessau-Roßlau. By car via the B107 or A9 (exit Coswig). From Dessau main station, take bus 304 or the Dessau-Wörlitz Railway. Parking is available at Wörlitz station and at the palace.
Program Times
Special exhibition Eichenkranz: daily 10:00 AM–6:00 PM (July–August). Themed day August 28: special readings and guided tours, program to be announced in advance.
Admission
Special exhibition Eichenkranz separate. Themed day program partly free, guided tours and gondola rides require tickets.
Combine
Combine the day with an extended walk through Wörlitz Park and a gondola ride—the park is one of the most beautiful landscape gardens in Europe.
Goethe and the Garden Realm
On May 14, 1776, Johann Wolfgang Goethe traveled to Wörlitz for the first time—and returned enthusiastic. "The English try to imitate what has long been perfected here with their parks," he judged. Indeed, the Garden Realm of Prince Leopold III Friedrich Franz of Anhalt-Dessau was a European pioneering achievement: the continent's first consistently designed landscape park, a manifesto of the Enlightenment in the form of park avenues, garden pavilions, artificial volcanoes, and palace complexes. Goethe visited Wörlitz a total of seven times, and his admiration shaped later Weimar.
Themed Day in the Garden Realm Summer 2026
On the 250th anniversary of this first visit, the Garden Realm Summer 2026 dedicates an entire themed day to the relationship between Goethe and the UNESCO World Heritage Site Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm. On August 28—Goethe's birthday—there will be readings, tours, and exhibitions in Wörlitz and Dessau. The Kulturstiftung Dessau-Wörlitz, together with the Anhaltische Goethe-Gesellschaft, is the organizer.
Special Exhibition at the Eichenkranz
The centerpiece is the special exhibition "Goethe in the Garden Realm" at the Historischer Gasthof zum Eichenkranz in Wörlitz, which opens as early as July and runs until the end of August. Letters, prints, and contemporary documents are shown here—combined with readings and a lecture series. On the themed day itself, guided tours through Wörlitz Park, gondola rides to places visited by Goethe, and a literary evening program will complement the day's offerings.
World Heritage Region Anhalt-Dessau-Wittenberg
The Wittenberg district, where Wörlitz is administratively located, is a cultural-historical treasure trove of Saxony-Anhalt. UNESCO World Heritage in triple form (Garden Realm, Bauhaus Dessau, Luther Memorials), the Goethe era, early Romanticism around Friedrich von Schlegel and Friedrich Wilhelm Rust—hardly any other region in Germany combines so much intellectual history in such a small area. Anyone in the state of Saxony-Anhalt on this day should mark August 28.
Where it takes place Goethe Day
Goethe Day at a glance
History of Goethe Day
Edition 2025 Aug 2025Festivals similar to Goethe Day
Festivals near Dessau-Roßlau
Festival-goer reviews
No comments yet. Be the first!. be the first!
No rating yet
Were you there?
Share your experience with the community.
Spotted an error or missing information?
Help us keep this listing up to date. Each suggestion is reviewed by our team before being published.
Festival-goer photos
No photos yet. Share yours!
Max. 5 photos, 5 MB per photo (JPG, PNG, WebP)