The Gartenreich Dessau-Wörlitz spreads palaces, parks, riverside meadows and architectural experiments across a broad area of Saxony-Anhalt. Its importance lies in the idea behind the scenery. Under Prince Leopold III Friedrich Franz of Anhalt-Dessau, art, education, agriculture and landscape reform were brought together as an Enlightenment project. UNESCO inscribed the Garden Kingdom in 2000 under criteria (ii) and (iv).
Development accelerated in the second half of the eighteenth century, informed by the prince’s travels and by new ideas from Britain and Italy. Wörlitz became the best-known expression of the programme. The park’s five sections are tied together by paths, canals, planting and long sight lines, while farms and horticulture demonstrate the intention to combine beauty with practical improvement.
