Landschaftspark Spiegelsberge

The historic Spiegelsberge Landscape Park in the south of Halberstadt is considered one of the earliest landscape gardens in Germany and was created around 1761 by Cathedral Dean Ernst Ludwig Christoph Spiegel zum Diesenberg. He was close to the cultural circle around the poet Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim and was regarded as particularly enlightened, which in turn is reflected in the buildings and allusions in the garden staffages. Baron von Spiegel, often described as a free spirit, made the English-style park available to the public in 1771 for his own pleasure and enjoyment. He was inspired by Wörlitz Park near Dessau when designing the park, which is now part of the Saxony-Anhalt Garden Dreams network.

The Spiegelsberg ridge

The Spiegelsberge mountains rise 180.3 metres above sea level to the south of the town above the valley of the Goldbach stream, which flows past to the west, and merge with the Klusberge mountains to the south-east. The Halberstadt Klus settlement lies to the south-east.

The history of the barons of Spiegel and the park

After Spiegel's death in 1785, his estate passed to his son, who, however, did not find much favour with the garden design. However, his grandson Werner Friedrich Julius Stephan Spiegel carried out a thorough renovation of the Spiegel Hills in 1830. In 1904, ownership of the park was transferred to the city through a sale, whereupon extensive restoration work was carried out on the now overgrown park in the 1950s and 1960s, in which the German Foundation for Monument Protection participated.

Fortunately, the Spiegelsberge park survived the Second World War, in which 82% of the district town on the Harz was destroyed by aerial bombing three days before the American invasion. The main reason for this was Halberstadt's location for the production of the German Ju 88 bomber.

The landscape park today

Today, even after more than 250 years, it still impresses young and old alike with its outstanding park architecture, including dense forests, colourful meadows, eerie grottos and winding paths. Key buildings in the park have been preserved to this day, including the Belvedere observation tower, the mausoleum of Baron von Spiegel zu Diesenberg, the Hermitage and the hunting lodge with its superlative giant wine barrel. This has a capacity of an incredible 144,000 litres and even made it into the Guinness Book of Records in 2008. The terrace of the hunting lodge, built in 1782, is particularly impressive - from here you can enjoy a unique panoramic view of the Halberstadt skyline.

On a circular walk through the landscape park, you can experience the unspoilt park nature with its diverse flora and fauna in combination with the unique landscape architecture up close. From the free car park at the foot of the Spiegelsberge (Kirschallee), the 2.6-kilometre hike leads past the Mausoleum, the Bismarck Tower Halberstadt, the Hermitage and the Spiegelsberge Hunting Lodge. If you would like to find out more about the animal world, you can also take a trip to the zoo in the south of the park. Group tours of the park are also available by appointment.