Prince George Garden Darmstadt
The small park in the heart of Darmstadt was and is a charming place for a little time out. While noblemen used to escape stiff courtly etiquette between flowerbeds and fruit trees, today it is an oasis of peace for all visitors amidst the hustle and bustle of the big city.
History
The geometric-formal order of the Prince George Garden reveals the horticultural influence of 18th-century France. Orangery garden, water basin, hedge theatre, bosquets and sundials are the elements that characterise it. In 1764, Landgrave Louis VIII (1691-1768) gifted the garden to his second-born favourite son Prince George William (1722-1782). It was created from two originally independent gardens: the garden of Landgrave Ernst Louis of Hesse-Darmstadt (1667-1739) with a small palace and the garden of Lieutenant General Rudolf von Pretlack (1668-1737), acquired by Louis for this purpose, with an ornamental, colourfully painted garden house. This amalgamation is still visible today in the unmistakable ground plan and the two main axes crossing at right angles. The ornamental and kitchen gardens were also connected in a special way: Flowers, fruit trees, herbs and vegetables alternate in the beds bordered by box hedges.
Fruit and vegetable sale
Sales of fruit, vegetables and plants from the former Grand Ducal Garden take place in season between May and October, Wednesdays and Fridays between 10 am 12:30 pm.
Since 1908, Prince George’s Palace has housed the Porcelain Museum with the Grand Ducal Hessian porcelain collection.
Foto: Michael Leukel, 2019Grand Ducal Hessian Porcelain Collection
The Grand Ducal Hessian Porcelain Collection was founded by Grand Duke Ernst Louis of Hesse and by Rhine. After his accession to power, he began to organise the princely art holdings and brought together the ceramic products, which had previously been located in various palaces and castles, in the palace in Darmstadt. In 1908, the museum was opened and the princely family‘s possessions, which had grown over centuries, were made accessible to the public.
Foto: T. Ohlwein, 2012
Meetings & Celebrations in the Prince George Garden
The tea house with its forecourt can be rented for standing receptions or wedding ceremonies.
The Prince George Garden is a wonderful place to linger in the middle of the city hustle and bustle.
Foto: Michael Leukel, 2019
