Castles & Palaces
Eutin Castle and Park – a festival backdrop
Eutin Castle and its charming gardens are located in a stunning spot at the heart of the Holstein Switzerland lakelands. Following extensive renovation work, the enchanting castle has been given a second lease of life.
A medieval fortress slowly evolved into this baroque castle with four wings, two turrets and a gate tower over a period spanning centuries. The red brick facade is reminiscent of that original stronghold, but the inside oozes elegance in its original chambers, salons and halls, the castle chapel, valuable objects and paintings. There are a number of exhibition rooms that provide visitors with an insight into life at a royal court over the centuries.
Wide avenues, beautiful trees and a small sun temple are all part of the castle park layout, which naturally incorporates Lake Eutin as part of the landscape too. In line with the Enlightenment, Duke Peter Frederick Louis transformed the garden into an English landscape garden with a hermitage designed as a grotto at the end of the 18th century. The park also provides the setting for the annual Eutin Festival, which sees major operas and operettas performed on an open-air stage every summer.