A first baroque park was already laid out under Albrecht Friedrich von Brandenburg-Sonneburg. Friedrich Wilhelm von Prittwitz (1764-1843) then redesigned and expanded the remains in the style of a landscape garden. Thus, a landscape garden already existed when Lenné was commissioned to redesign the park in 1821. It is considered certain that the chancellor's son-in-law, Hermann Fürst von Pückler-Muskau, and in his wake Humphrey Repton's son John Edey, also participated intensively in the discussion process about the park. However, the park design could only be realized after the chancellor's death by his son Christian Heinrich August von Hardenberg-Reventlow (1775-1840).
The von Hardenberg family remained very fond of gardening later on: for example, the Potsdam garden director Georg Potente laid out a rose garden on the east side of the palace from 1923 to 1925. After 1945, the park initially suffered from considerable maintenance deficits. Restoration measures were started as early as 1976 and have reached a climax with the restoration of the entire ensemble.
In front of the palace, the historic parkland structure has been re-established by replanting the double avenue of linden trees. From the obelisk in front of the castle the whole complex can be easily overlooked. The western cavalier's house, together with the adjoining coach house, serves as a hotel, with new buildings complementing the ensemble. Adjacent to this in the street line is the distillery with an inviting restaurant. The garden-side connection is formed by the orangery with the restaurant Kleine Orangerie, which offers Mediterranean herbal cuisine, supplemented by a modern hall for events. Behind this building is a herb and flower garden, reminiscent of a former market garden on the same site.
Passing the castle to the east, one enters the wide park, which suggests infinite openness with its central axis of view to the south. In the area near the castle, the moat widens to form two asymmetrical ponds, whose narrow connection gives space to a bridge. On the south bank of the western pond, the marble monument to Frederick II forms a central focal point. Starting from the monument, the restored network of circular paths opens up many surprising vistas. To the southeast, the view over the long meadow area always remains open due to the clever positioning of individual islands of copses. In the meantime, provisions have been made for the future by carefully replanting individual trees near the castle.
In 2004, Neuhardenberg Palace Park was named "Germany's most beautiful park".
Year of construction: 1759
How to get there: By car: B1 to Jahnsfelde, then L36 to Neuhardenberg; by train: RB26 to Seelow-Gusow, continue by bus to Neuhardenberg
