Greiz Princely Park

The Greiz Princely Park in eastern Thuringia is one of the most charming landscape gardens in central Germany. After the construction of the Summer Palace in 1769 by commission of Heinrich XI. Reuß Elder Line, the gradual transformation of the existing baroque pleasure garden into a landscape park began with the creation of the Pinetum, a collection of rare conifers.

The garden artist Carl Eduard Petzold contributed to the visual appearance of the park in its present form. On the basis of his plans, the later park director Rudolph Reinecken revised the layout from 1873 onwards. The park area was extended to the north in the floodplain. The rush pond, as a park lake, was provided with planted islands, bays and headlands, and its banks were planted with conifers and deciduous trees. Scenically arranged tree plantings with contrasting foliage colors in the extensive park create specific views, such as the view axis to the White Cross in the forest above the complex. While the park transitions to the north into extensively cultivated meadows in accordance with the horticultural concept, a flower garden with a flower basket and a pleasure ground characterize the immediate surroundings of the Summer Palace.

The plantings of the Greiz Princely Park offer an extraordinary variety of woody plants, which make the complex a unique botanical gem in addition to its outstanding garden-historical significance.
Summer Palace and park were classified as a “cultural monument of national importance” in 2009.