Altenstein Palace Park

Turning rock formations into a piece of art

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Around 1800, the hilly ground surrounding Altenstein Palace was mostly bare, with just the occasional tree. The bizarre rocks of the Zechstein Reef rose prominently from the surrounding landscape, reminding of alpine sceneries or Chinese landscape pictures. Count Georg I of Sachsen Meiningen realized that “we have the most magnificent natural scenery at our fingertips and it is up to us to use it”.

In the course of the 19th century, several prominent garden architects contributed to turning the rock formations into an ample landscape park: Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau, Carl Eduard Petzold and Peter Joseph Lenné. The transformed rock formations are impressive landmarks that still shape the scenery today.