Forest solitude The Sieglitzer Berg

Commencing in 1777, Prince Franz had a forest park approximately 25 hectares in size laid out halfway between the Luisium in Dessau-Waldersee and the old fishing village of Vockerode.

The “heart” of this “ordered wilderness” is the “Solitude”: a small classicist buildings in the form of a Roman temple designed by Friedrich Wilhelm von Erdmannsdorff. Above the portico, which is emphasised by four Tuscan pillars, was the inscription “Der Besserung” (“Improvement”), which provides a clue as to the real function of this small woodland residence. Today, we know that Prince Franz suffered from rheumatism and had a therapeutic bath constructed for himself here, in the seclusion of the woods. The water for the warm baths that relieved the Prince’s discomfort came from the Küchengebäude (kitchen building) by means of a system of pipes.

The Sieglitzer Berg features garden architecture and memorials. Artistically designed gate structures mark the entrances to this secluded “Waldpark” (forest park), which is located directly on the popular R 1 European cycling trail.

Until the Second World War, the Sieglitzer Berg was popular with the people of Dessau as a day excursion destination. Post-1945, the condition of the Solitude building gradually deteriorated, leading to its demolition in 1979. In 2011, the new Solitude was handed over to the public as a gift from the Dessau Rotary Club and the Kulturstiftung Dessau-Wörlitz. Today, the “Sieglitzer,” with its park benches on the cycling trail, provides a welcome rest station between Dessau and Wörlitz.