Remodelling of Reinbek castle and garden

Renaissance of the castle grounds

Konzept

Even in the winning competition entry, it was crucial for the design that not only the castle park was seen as an essential part of the task, but also the location of the entire castle grounds with the outbuildings in the valley of the river Bille in the area between the railway embankment and the Geesthang. The road planning was altered, a building was removed, and another was freed from appendages – all of which allowed the course of the Bille and the waterfall to be directly experienced.

Today, four sections of the park are clearly discernible: In the north is the entrance area, with its supplemented historical allée of linden trees and the service buildings, which were bracketed by a surrounding cottage garden, as well as an unobtrusive parking area. The so-called English countryside part of the landscape in the south was given a clear visual connection to the millpond through pronounced topographic interventions. In the east is a fine reminder of the much larger Renaissance garden that presumably once existed, and which incorporates two natural monuments. To the north lies a new, topographically modelled part of the landscape with Bismarckallee, a rivulet and a pond – inspired by the former fish ponds of the Cistercian monastery. Opposite the present-day railway line is the Arboretum.

The castle garden has meanwhile been declared a garden monument, and in 2019, after the loss of one of the natural monuments, the Renaissance area was given a historical overhaul in line with heritage conservation principles.