Bad Muskau

Bad Muskau is a spa town in northeastern Saxony, Germany, on the border with Poland. It is known for its palace and extensive landscape gardens that are a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Understand
Bad Muskau is located on the western bank of the river Neisse, in the northeastern-most corner of the German state of Saxony, right on the border triangle with the state of Brandenburg and with Poland. In the 19th century, it was the residence of the Counts of Pückler-Muskau, most notably Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau (1785–1871), the most famous scion of this family, a colourful adventurer, author, womaniser, patron of the arts, and—most importantly—landscape gardener.

The Polish town Łęknica (German Lugknitz) used to be a borough of Bad Muskau, until they were separated after the Second World War by the Neisse border river. While the spa and palace are in the German part, two thirds of the parks are on the Eastern, i.e. Polish, bank. For decades, the two parts were separated and the bridges were blocked or even destroyed. Thanks to European integration, they form a whole again, and you may stroll through both parts without passing a border checkpoint. Nevertheless, you should bring your passport (ID card suffices for EU citizens) as there may be infrequent spot checks.



Get in
The closest airports are Dresden (115 km away) and Berlin Brandenburg Airport (140 km).

Regular rail service to Bad Muskau was seized. The nearest station that is still served is in Weißwasser (9 km from Bad Muskau) from where you have to continue by bus, or ask your hotel to pick you up (some of them offer this service). By train and bus it takes 2 hr 45 min from Dresden (change in Görlitz and Weißwasser), 2 hr 50 min from Berlin (change in Cottbus and Döbern). From either Görlitz or Cottbus it is a 1 hr 10 min ride.

ZVON combi-tickets are valid both in local trains and busses. With an international EURO-NEISSE-Ticket, you may even cross the border to the neighbouring parts of Poland.

Only during the summer months, there is a heritage small-gauge railway from Weißwasser to Bad Muskau. It is however used for amusement rather than as an actual means of transportation.

The most comfortable way to get in is by car. From the Berlin area, take autobahn A 15 to exit no. 6 Roggosen, then follow the road to Döbern and finally the B 115 to Bad Muskau. From Dresden, take A 4 to exit no. 90 Bautzen-Ost, then follow B 156 road to Bad Muskau. The 160-km drive from Berlin takes about two hours, the 120 km from Dresden about 1½ hours. Both Cottbus and Görlitz are 40 km (40 minutes) from Bad Muskau.

Finally, Bad Muskau is located right on the Oder-Neisse Cycle Route, a well-paved and signposted bike trail along the German-Polish border rivers. It is a 66-km ride from Görlitz, 61 km from Guben.

Get around
As the parks are quite vast, a good means to get around is by bike. If you do not arrive on two wheels anyway, you may rent one on site.



See
The following sights are within the grounds:
 * historical palm and cactus house
 * Cavalier house, nowadays used as peat bath
 * Moorish-style Orangerie
 * Cavalier house, nowadays used as peat bath
 * Moorish-style Orangerie

Two thirds of the park are on the Polish side of the border. Both parts are linked by bridges that may be crossed without border controls (but you have to carry your passport or ID card).

Do

 * Bad Muskau's "Garden Realm" may be discovered by bike or on foot, by boat or carriage.
 * From April to October there are public guided tours of the park (1½-2 hours) each Saturday, Sunday and public holiday at 14:00. Meeting point is at the tourist centre in the New Castle, costs €4 per person. There is another tour all year, each Saturday at 14:00, starting from the Kulturhotel and mainly targeting spa and hotel guests (same price).
 * The tourist centre arranges tours by horse carriage with local carters.
 * Neiße-Tours offers zodiac tours on the Neisse river from the old weir to Żarki Wielkie with return transport.
 * Bad Muskau owes its status as a state-approved health resort to the Moorbad (peat bath). It offers administrations with healing natural peat pulp, thermal brine or medicinal chalk, massages, physiotherapy and manual therapy.

Eat
Neapolitan ice cream (i.e. iced parfait blocks of three different flavours, usually vanilla, chocolate and strawberry) is known as Fürst-Pückler-Eis ("Prince Pückler ice-cream") in Germany and has therefore a special relation to Muskau's erstwhile lord. It is offered in many places. The Kulturhotel even offers a degustation of different "Fürst Pückler" ice-cream variations (on request).



Sleep
There is a number of smaller accommodations (B&Bs, private rooms for rent, holiday flats), see this directory. Single rooms starting at €14, double from €28 excluding breakfast; holiday flats from €30. Every guest has to pay a visitor's tax of €1.25 per person and night.


 * Bed and breakfast


 * Holiday flats


 * Hotels

Go next

 * Łęknica, Polish twin town
 * Görlitz, 40 km to the south (or 66 km via Oder-Neisse Cycle Route)
 * Cottbus, 40 km to the northwest
 * Guben, 55 km to the north (or 61 km via Oder-Neisse Cycle Route)