Hessener Schloss- und Gartennacht

A castle worth visiting

Schloss Hessen is located in the district of the same name in the town of Osterwieck in the Harz district – a village with barely 800 inhabitants, yet home to one of the most beautiful Renaissance and Baroque castles in Saxony-Anhalt. Built in the 16th century by Duke Heinrich Julius of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel as a summer residence, later famous as a pleasure garden and copperplate cabinet, today it is elaborately renovated and brought to life by the Förderverein Schloß Hessen e.V.

One night, many stages

The Schloss- und Gartennacht is the association's flagship event: Once a year – traditionally in June, exceptionally postponed to September in the 2025 edition – the castle garden transforms into a walkable stage landscape. Concerts (classical, jazz, popular), dance performances, short theater scenes, communal singing, and performances by traditional costume and court groups alternate at various stations. Historical figures – Duke Heinrich Julius and Duchess Elisabeth, ladies-in-waiting, pages – wander through the park in baroque costumes, open the evening, and address the audience directly.

A special atmosphere in the Harz foothills

What distinguishes the Schloss- und Gartennacht from other castle festivals is the unusual atmosphere of the location: Hessen is not a tourist destination, the castle is not accustomed to mass audiences, and precisely for this reason, the evening feels unusually intimate. The lighting, the scent of summer flowers in the park, the music drifting from various directions through the hedges – all this combines to create a small, charming summer night festival composition.

Voluntary work in the Harz district

The Förderverein Schloß Hessen e.V., which maintains the castle and organizes the Schloss- und Gartennacht, is a prime example of voluntary cultural engagement in Saxony-Anhalt: Here, an important cultural heritage is not managed by a corporation or a state institution, but by citizens of the town of Osterwieck – annually, with an annually new motto, annually new program. Those who attend the event directly support this work.