Sanspareil rock garden and Zwernitz castle in Bavaria

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Sanspareil Stone Garden is a stunning 18th century landscape garden located just outside Bayreuth in Bavaria, Germany. It includes a ruined theatre, an oriental building and the medieval castle of Zwernitz.

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Sanspareil rock garden and Zwernitz Castle

Sanspareil Stone Garden was built in the English style between 1744 and 1748. The oriental house and castle, which is just next door, can also be seen inside during the summer months. We visited here with our motorhome last summer.

Sanspareil is located in the municipality of Wonsees, not far from Bayreuth in the German federal state of Bavaria.

Sanspareil stone garden - "It's unrivalled".

The construction of the Sanspareil Stone Garden was initiated by Margrave Frederick III of Brandenburg-Bayreuth and completed by his wife Margravine Wilhelmine. When one of Frederick's first guests saw the park with its remarkable stone formations, he is said to have exclaimed "C'est sans pareil!", i.e. "This is unprecedented!". And so the park is now called ...

We can agree that the park, or rock garden, offers a delightful and imaginative environment. There are lots of exciting rock formations to look at, or climb around... Although many of the houses and statues that once stood here are now gone, there are still plenty of arches, caves and stairs.

In the garden you will find, among other things:

• Parterre - a geometric area with pyramid trees
• The umbrella - a cliff with a wide overhang
• Diana's cave - a cave, where there were once sculptures of the goddess Diana with a bow and arrow and three nymphs with hunting dogs.
• Volcano Cave and Bear Hole - the park's largest cave, where you can also find the smaller cave Björnhålet.
• Belvedere - a cliff where there was once an octagonal pavilion.
• Calypso's cave - a cave at the foot of the Belvedere rock, where there were once statues of Calypso and others

When we were here, in the middle of the summer, the area was also very green.

The ruined theatre in Sanspareil stone garden

One of the most special places in the Sanspareil rock garden is the so-called ruined theatre. This is one of the buildings that has survived almost intact since its construction in the 18th century.

It is not known whether the theatre was originally used for performances, but it is likely that it was, as there is room for an orchestra and an audience. If nothing else, musical pieces have been performed here during the summer months, from 1985 onwards.

Oriental building in Sanspareil

There is also an oriental building in the Sanspareil stone garden. This was built by the architect Joseph Saint-Pierre between 1746 and 1747, based on the ideas of Margravine Wilhelmina.

During the summer months, the interior of the oriental building is shown during guided tours in German. The ticket is also valid for entry to Zwernitz Castle or, if you buy a combination ticket, for all the major sights around Bayreuth connected to Margravine Wilhelmine.

As well as looking at furnishings and wallpaper, you can check out the small courtyard.

Borgen Zwernitz

While visiting Sanspareil Stone Garden, you can also check out Zwernitz Castle. The castle was originally built in the 12th century, but was destroyed and rebuilt. Most of what you see of the castle today dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries.

There is not much to see inside the castle, but you can check out some rooms and some old weapons, and you can also go up the tower.

Where can you stay or park your motorhome?

There is a lot to see in and around Bayreuth, so one suggestion is to start from there. If you're travelling by motorhome, there's a parking space in a relatively central car park in Bayreuth called P Grünewaldstrasse. The site has electricity and the possibility of emptying the chemical toilet, against payment in coins.

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

There is much to see and do in the neighbourhood of Sanspareil Stone Garden. We highly recommend visit Bayreuth and the amazing Hermitage Castle Park. Don't miss the beautiful city Bamberg, which is very close by. Or why not visit the beautiful Würzburg? Even more tips on places to visit in Germany can be found below.

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Have you visited the Sanspareil rock garden?

Have you visited Sanspareil rock garden? Or maybe Bayreuth, or some other interesting place nearby? Let us know!

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