Schwetzingen Palace
A summer palace whose garden holds a mosque, a Roman ruin and a stag that appears to have no end.
Saved in this browser only - no account, nothing sent anywhere. See your map
The Palatine electors used Schwetzingen as a summer residence, and from 1753 laid out a garden that combines a formal French circle near the palace with an English landscape park beyond, filled with buildings: a bath house, a Temple of Apollo, an artificial Roman water castle built as a ruin from the start, and a mosque with minarets built between 1779 and 1791 as a garden folly rather than for worship, the largest such building in a European garden. The End of the World is a trick perspective, a painted view seen through a frame that appears to open onto an infinite landscape.
What you actually see
- The garden mosque - the largest such folly in any European garden.
- The End of the World - a painted perspective faking an endless view.
- The false ruin - a Roman water castle built already ruined.
- The two garden styles - a French circle giving way to an English park.
When to go
April to October for the gardens; asparagus season in spring is a local event and the town is known for it. The palace interior is by guided tour only.
Honest expectations
The palace interior is guided-only with set times. The gardens are large and take hours. Winter closes several garden buildings.
Nearby
Heidelberg lies east; Mannheim is north.
What to pack for Schwetzingen Palace
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
