Today I visited the area around a castle near my home. We saw the castle from outside and went to its gardens. The Gardens had its origin in the 17th century, when the marriage of Leopold's great-grandfather Prince John George II of Anhalt-Dessau to the Dutch princess Henriette Catharina, in 1659 brought a team of engineers and architects from the Low Countries to lay out the town, the palace and a Baroque garden in the former settlement of Nischwitz, which was renamed Oranienbaum in 1673. The Dutch influence remained prevalent in the Principality of Anhalt-Dessau for many decades. Oranienbaum Palace was finished in 1683 as the summer residence of Henriette Catharina, where she retired after the death of her husband in 1693. From 1780 on Duke Leopold III had the palace and the park rebuilt in a Chinese style with several arch bridges, a tea house and a pagoda. In 1811, the orangery was built, with 175 m (574 ft) in length one of the largest in Europe, which still serves to protect a wide collection of citrus plants. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, opened a new gallery this year.
And there are lots of palm trees in the park.
We found a nice wagon where we could relax a little bit.
Then also found a lovely nostalgic bridge. It looks really special!
Look, the Chinese pagoda is so beautiful when the sun is shining.
We also visited the Chinese tea house. Can you see us?
Sean
