Branitz Park

Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau, having sold his earlier park at Muskau, began Branitz in 1846 at the age of sixty and worked on it until his death in 1871, moving vast quantities of earth to make hills and lakes in flat sandy ground. He built two pyramids of earth: one on land, planted with vines and shrubs, and one rising from a lake, the Tumulus, in which he was buried in 1871 and his wife Lucie beside him. Pückler funded his projects partly through his travel writing and was known for eccentricity; a soft ice cream dessert is named after him. The park covers about six hundred hectares.

What you actually see

• The lake pyramid - an earth pyramid in water holding the creator's grave.
• The land pyramid - a second planted earth pyramid in the park.
• The moved landscape - hills and lakes built by hand in flat sandy ground.
• The palace - a small residence with rooms on Pückler's travels.

When to go

April to October; the park is free and open year-round while the palace closes Mondays and in deep winter. Autumn colour on the mounds is good.

Honest expectations

The park is large and flat-footed walking. The palace museum is modest. The pyramids are earth mounds, lower than the name suggests.

Nearby

Cottbus lies northwest; the Spreewald is north.