Branitz Palace

Branitz Palace in Cottbus is the centerpiece of Branitz Park, the landscape garden that Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau created from 1845 and one of the finest in Germany. The palace has salons from around 1860, and the prince is buried in the park in the Lake Pyramid. If you enjoy garden history, art and quiet walks, it is a rewarding stop in Lusatia, in Brandenburg near the Polish border.

Getting there

Cottbus is in southeastern Brandenburg. Deutsche Bahn trains serve Cottbus from Berlin and Dresden; from the station you change to bus line 10, the "Pücklerlinie", to the stop "Branitz Schloss". By car, use the foundation's car park at Kastanienallee 29, which charges EUR 2.50 per started hour (payment by card or app only).

History in brief

The Pückler family acquired the village of Branitz in 1696, and the palace was built in 1770 and 1771. After Hermann von Pückler-Muskau sold his earlier estate at Muskau for financial reasons, he moved to Branitz in 1845 and began an English-style landscape park. He died in the palace on February 4, 1871 and was buried in the Lake Pyramid. The palace and park are run by a foundation of the State of Brandenburg, and efforts are underway to add them to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

What to see

• Palace salons from around 1860, including the Green Salon and the Pückler-Callenberg library of about 4,500 volumes
• Oriental rooms, reopened in 2022
• Works by Carl Blechen in the princes' rooms
• The Lake Pyramid, Pückler's final resting place
• The park itself, with roughly 30 buildings in its inner and outer parts

Tickets and opening hours (as of October 2026)

From April to October 2026 the palace is open Wednesday to Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and closed on Tuesdays. In November and December 2026 it opens only on Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A combined ticket for palace and visitor center costs EUR 11 (reduced EUR 8) and includes a palace audio guide. The visitor center alone is EUR 4. Visitors under 18 enter free. The park is open all year.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, for garden lovers and anyone interested in 19th-century aristocratic taste. Allow about an hour for the palace and a few hours for the park. The palace itself has steps and is not accessible to wheelchair users, but the park is, and you can borrow a wheelchair at the palace for EUR 2.

Practical tips

Currency is the euro. The foundation lists guided tours and gondola rides, so check the website. For dogs, see the park rules on the official site.