Fasanerie Palace

A few kilometres south of Fulda, a long, pale Baroque façade is reflected in a pond, crowned by a tower with a curved cupola. Fasanerie Palace was the summer residence of the prince-abbots of Fulda and later of the Landgraves of Hesse. Its museum confidently calls it “Hesse's most beautiful Baroque palace”. Inside you will find princely living quarters, a porcelain collection of European standing and art from the House of Hesse; outside lies an extensive walled park.

History: from country house to residence

Around 1710, under Prince-Abbot Adalbert von Schleifras, a modest country house was built, probably to designs by Johann Dientzenhofer, architect of Fulda Cathedral. From 1730 Prince-Abbot Adolph von Dalberg had it enlarged, and it was first named Schloss Adolphseck after him. By 1757 Prince-Bishop Amand von Buseck had expanded it lavishly to plans by court architect Andrea Gallasini.

After secularisation in 1803 the palace changed hands several times and passed to the Electorate of Hesse in 1816, serving as a summer residence until the mid-19th century. In 1878 Landgrave Frederick William of Hesse-Kassel received it as a private residence; his wife, Princess Maria Anna of Prussia, lived here until 1918. The palace was badly damaged in the Second World War. The first show rooms opened in 1951 and today's museum in 1972. Major restoration has been under way since 2010, returning the façade to its original off-white instead of the ochre applied in the 1970s.

What to see

• The state rooms: The classic palace tour shows how princes and landgraves lived here: furniture, paintings, precious wallpapers and fabrics.
• The porcelain collection: Court dinner services of the 18th and 19th centuries and figures from Meissen, Berlin, Copenhagen and Sèvres. A Berlin service made for the Kassel court survives in 1,800 pieces, and on one Sèvres service each of the 258 pieces shows a different plant.
• The antiquities collection: Regarded as Germany's most important private collection of its kind. Highlights include a marble portrait of the emperor Caligula and the Kekrops krater, an Attic vase around 2,400 years old.
• The courtyards: From the main courtyard with the banqueting hall you reach the almost square inner courtyard and the oldest part, the small palace between two towers. To the east lie farm courtyards with a stud that still operates today.
• The park: The basic layout of the Baroque garden survives, and the Japanese Tea House dates from that period. The large landscape park is surrounded by a natural stone wall up to 6 m high, and the botanist Carl Linnaeus is said to have contributed to its design.

Visiting and timing

You see the state rooms on the palace tour of about 50 minutes (in German). You explore the porcelain collection on your own with a media guide, while the antiquities collection is open only to pre-booked groups. Children have their own tours: on Fridays at 14:45 a tour with the palace ghost, on Saturdays a fairy-tale tour, and on Sundays and holidays at 14:30 a family tour. With the park and café, allow two to three hours.

Tickets and opening hours (as of October 2026)

• 2026 museum season: 28 March to 1 November, Tuesday to Sunday and public holidays 10:00–17:00
• Palace tour: €10.50, reduced €9, school pupils €4.50
• Porcelain collection with media guide: €10.50, reduced €9, pupils €4.50
• Children's tours: €8 per child
• Combining: each additional offer on the same day is €2 cheaper, €1.50 reduced

Tickets are also sold online. The museum is closed in winter.

Getting there and tips

Fasanerie Palace lies in the municipality of Eichenzell, a few kilometres south of central Fulda. A visit combines well with Fulda Cathedral, also designed by Johann Dientzenhofer. In summer the palace hosts concerts, theatre and a princely garden festival, and the café-restaurant with beer garden is a good place for a break after the tour. The best photo is from the pond in front of the main façade, when the palace is reflected in the water.