Pillnitz Palace

Augustus the Strong rebuilt Pillnitz from 1720 in a style mixing baroque with Chinese and Japanese elements as then understood in Europe, with curved roofs and painted decoration; the Water Palace faces the Elbe with a broad flight of steps down to the river, where the court arrived by gondola. A camellia planted in the garden in 1801, brought from Japan by way of Kew, has grown to about eight and a half metres and is thought to be the oldest camellia in Europe north of the Alps; a mobile glasshouse on rails is moved over it each winter and removed in spring, when it carries tens of thousands of red flowers.

What you actually see

• The camellia - a Japanese plant of 1801, moved under glass each winter.
• The Water Palace - river steps where the court arrived by gondola.
• The chinoiserie - curved roofs and painted decoration on the wings.
• The park - baroque, English and Chinese garden sections along the Elbe.

When to go

Late February to April for the camellia flowering, which lasts several weeks. April to October for the park generally; the palace museums close Mondays.

Honest expectations

The camellia flowers for a limited window and is enclosed the rest of the year. Palace museums close in winter. The paddle steamer from Dresden is seasonal.

Nearby

Dresden lies downstream; Moritzburg is northwest.