Schloss Fantaisie
Margravial palace near Bayreuth with Germany's first museum of garden art and a park combining Rococo, Sentimental and Historicist styles.
About the museum
The palace in Donndorf near Bayreuth goes back to Margrave Friedrich of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, who began building it for his daughter Elisabeth Friederike Sophie in 1761. She completed the complex and named it “Fantaisie” in 1763. The Spindler Cabinet with its elaborate wood marquetry dates from this period.
After 1793, Duchess Friederike Dorothee Sophie of Württemberg had the garden extended in the style of the Age of Sensibility (Empfindsamkeit). Between 1839 and 1881, Duke Alexander of Württemberg once again significantly altered the palace and park in the spirit of Historicism, so that three eras of garden design can still be read in the park today.
After extensive renovation by the Bavarian Palace Administration, Germany's first museum of garden art moved into the palace in the summer of 2000. In around 20 rooms, it explains stylistic periods, design principles, garden plants, tools and the uses of gardens from the 17th to the 19th century, with a focus on southern Germany and Franconia.
What makes it special is the interplay between place and subject: from many windows, visitors look directly onto the parts of the garden explained in the museum. The palace park is freely accessible all year round.
Highlights
- Germany's first museum of garden art (since 2000)
- Spindler Cabinet with Rococo marquetry from 1765
- White Hall with preserved stucco decoration
- Palace park with garden areas from the Rococo, Sentimental and Historicist periods
- Sightlines from the museum rooms into the park
Permanent exhibitions
- Gartenkunst-Museum – Around 20 rooms on the periods, design elements, plants and uses of historic gardens from the 17th to the 19th century, with a focus on southern Germany and Franconia.
- Founded
- 2000
- Operated by
- Bayerische Verwaltung der staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €4.50 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €4Seniors 65 and over, university students, people with severe disabilities, groups of 15 or more, volunteer service participants |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Children and teens under 18 free; under 14 only when accompanied by an adult |
| Seniors | €4Reduced from age 65 with ID |
| Visitors with disabilities | €4companion free · Reduced; companion free if noted on the ID |
| Students & apprentices | €4University students reduced; school students over 18 and art history students free |
| Groups (15+ people) | €4 per personReduced rate for 15 or more paying visitors |
| Families | –No separate family rate; children under 18 free |
| Combined ticket “Die Welt der Wilhelmine” (Bayreuth palaces) | €21Reduced €19 |
| Bavarian Palace Administration multi-day ticket (14 days) | €40Family/partner €80 |
| Bavarian Palace Administration annual pass | €55Family/partner €100; more than 40 palaces and castles |
The general fee regulations of the Bavarian Palace Administration apply. Free admission to the park.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: not available
- Sign language tours: not available
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: not available
Access via a ramp (11% gradient), museum step-free, elevator to the upper floor (door 90 cm). Accessible restroom on the first floor, free museum stools. Two accessible parking spaces at the Hotel Fantaisie (approx. 250 m from the palace), two more at the Nordost parking lot (approx. 850 m). No induction loop. Lower park with very steep paths and stairs.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
Free discovery sheets (ages 7 and up) and discovery booklet (ages 10 and up) at the ticket desk, museum and park scavenger hunt for 7- to 11-year-olds (for a fee), as well as the free smartphone scavenger hunt "Dem Schatz der Markgrafen auf der Spur" (On the Trail of the Margraves' Treasure). Occasional family tours and family days.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Eckersdorf (Kr BT), Schloss Fantaisie
Bus 375 from ZOH Bayreuth (central bus station) to the stop “Eckersdorf (Kr BT), Schloss Fantaisie”
By car
Parking available
Car parking at the palace and at a signposted visitor parking lot; no bus parking spaces, but tour buses can drop guests off at the bus stop on the B 22 near the museum.
- Accessible parking
About 9 km from Bayreuth, via the B 22 toward Hollfeld to Eckersdorf (district of Donndorf).
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | no |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | no |
| Good to know | No regular guided tours; tours of the museum and/or park can be booked on request. |
