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Staatspark Fürstenlager
Staatspark Fürstenlager
around the clock
The Fürstenlager in Bensheim-Auerbach is a place of active deceleration. Built at the end of the 18th century as the summer residence of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt, today's monument ensemble welcomes its visitors with soothing silence. Nestled in the middle of a gentle valley basin, the ‘village’ with its historic spa springs blends perfectly into the topography of the Odenwald – surrounded by steep vineyards, meadows and forests.
What began in 1739 with the discovery of three mineral springs developed into a unique retreat under Landgrave Ludwig X and his wife Luise from 1783 onwards. Far away from the constraints of court life, a village-like complex was created that has remained virtually unchanged to this day.
The extensive park follows the principles of the English landscape garden: court gardener Carl Ludwig Geiger created an ‘ornamental farm’ in which garden art and agriculture flow seamlessly into one another. Follow the poplar avenues to the vantage points on the hills and enjoy the sweeping view over the Bergstraße to the Rhine valley.