Just 20 kilometers from Dresden city center lies one of the most beautiful gardens in Saxony: the Großsedlitz Baroque Garden. With its wide staircases, exotic plants, numerous water features and more than 60 Baroque sandstone sculptures, the grounds invite visitors to stroll and linger.

The Imperial Count August Christoph von Wackerbarth bought the burnt-down Sedlitz manor in 1719 and planned a representative country estate here. Johann Christoph Knöffel was commissioned with the redesign. Skilfully using the hilly terrain, several garden terraces were created by building retaining walls, sandstone balustrades and stairs. From them, views of the Elbe valley with the Pillnitz vineyards and the foothills of the Osterzgebirge mountains open up. Instead of the manor house, a country castle – the Friedrichsburg – was built at first. It formed the end point of a newly laid out linden avenue leading from Dresden to Großsedlitz. In 1723 August the Strong bought the estate. He had great plans, even wanted to build a palace, but his plans for reconstruction and expansion were only partially realized. Nevertheless, the estate was one of the most important festive venues of the Saxon court during the Baroque period. A special role was played by the annual festival of the Polish Order of the White Eagle.
Later, the garden, located away from the Dresden residence, served as a summer residence for the Wettins. Equipped with sandstone figures, imaginative water features, numerous orange trees and historic groves, the Großsedlitz Park retains its courtly character to this day and represents – albeit unfinished – a Baroque garden work of art of European rank.