Tour #14: The Prince Pueckler Carriage Journey

The Prince:

Prince Pückler, multi-talented adventurer,in any aspect a romantic born and bred, never wasting any thoughts at social conventions or materialistic safety, a scandalridden, but melancholic daredevil, a passionate landscape gardener, a much sought after travel writer, loved and hated by his contemporaries. We find him in Great Britain, looking (in vain) for a wealthy wife, to solve his permanent financial problems,  in the lead of mounted troops in the North African High Atlas, at the side of the passionately beloved Machbuba, which he had bought at the slave market in Egypt, and secretly brought to his home Muskau – another provocation.
 

Hermann Ludwig Heinrich Graf von Pückler:
geb. 30.10.1785, gefürstet: 1822, gest. 4.2.1871
(aus: Heinz Ohff „Der Grüne Fürst“)

The Parks:

In the parks, created by him, first in Muskau, later in Branitz he tried to shape the „Ideal Landscape“ by the means of English park- and landscape gardening techniques. These parks, restored after years of neglect, are absolutely unique in landscape gardening.
The adminstrations of both parks have generously made it possible to guests of the mail-coach as well as of the self drivers, to visit and see these parks by carriage in a way, it is thought they would have been originally enjoyed.
This carriage journey along the „Carriage Way“ is part of the Prince Pückler Route – a project of the Internationale Bauausstellung Fürst Pückler Land.
By the way: you will be surprised by the comfort and how easy this original coach out of 1860 rides!

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Itinerary

Day 1
Individual arrival at Bad Muskau (Muskau Spa), hotel „Am Schlossbrunnen“
This family operated hotel is located near the banks of the Neisse river and at the Northern end of the Muskau park in a very quiet surroundings.
One may stroll through the little town, maybe via the border bridge into Poland for shopping.

Day 2
In the morning at 10 am the mail coach stops in front of your hotel and takes you through the town of Muskau to the castle park. A ride through the park, on (prior) request via the „double bridge“ into Polish part of the park, back to the orangery, a refreshment in the castle café, a visit in the visitor’s center with all its interesting books and maps about the prince, his castles, his parks.
Then the coach rolls along the high banks of the Neisse river, on quiet tracks, passing goat farms, to the hamlet of Jerischke.
Here make a short stop at the schools field centre: an interesting exhibition about the  unique geology of „Muskauer Faltenbogen“ has sufficient information, to understand easier the coming scenery. It is possible, too, to obtain a small snack.
The mail-coach continues via the small village of Preschen to the out skirts of Gross-Koelzig, bends off to Jocksdorf, well known by its monkey enclosure with its snack station.
In a wide bend via Klein-Koelzig the coach touches again the out skirts of Gross-Koelzig and approaches finally the town of Doebern.
It is worth to dismount the coach at the glass works to watch the production of crystal, to buy maybe some souvenirs in the factory outlet and to take a snack in the glass works tavern.
Afterwards the coach goes to the pension „Kristall-Bowling“ where we will spend the night.

Day 3
In the morning at 9 am the mail coach picks you up in front of the pension; we drive through the „Muskauer Faltenbogen“, see the relicts of the mines, its  tubs, the entrances into the shafts, and, again, the subsidence, caused by the glaciers.
Soon we will arrive in the town of Bohsdorf and pass the „Laden“ (=shop), the home of the novelist Erwin Strittmatter, who, first as a baker, later as a local reporter, and soon as a writer has described so well the life of the little people of his homeland. A visit of the „Laden“ brings us back into the atmosphere of a time between the two World Wars.
Continuing our tour we come into the small village of Hornow, where we sould not resist the temptation to visit the famous confectioner with his home- and handmade sweets. A very nice young Belgian couple had established a confectionors here in the middle of no-where, now famous for its products far beyond the limits of the area.
In a show workshop you may watch the production of these sweet temptations and, of course, you may take them away, too.
The further stage brings us to Klein-Loitz. From here we may make a little detour to the farm museum of Bloischdorf.
Behind Wadelsdorf the road leads a long way through the forests, later we arrive at Bagenz where we stop for lunch.
Via Neuhausen, Koppatz and Kahren we arrive at the outer park of Branitz. The so-called „English Avenue“ (Englische Allee) brings us to the „Park Forgery“ and further-on into the Branitz park itself. This park is famous for the two pyramides, the land pyramide and the water pyramide, both probably influenced by the long journeys of the Prince Pueckler to Egypt and the neighbouring Maghreb.
A visit of the castles is possible as well.
For the mail-coach passengers a transfer to the hotels nearby is provided. 

Day 4
Either individual return home or alternatively a second night in the hotel. During the day an outing into the Spreewald is possible, of course with a day long tour on punted boats through the countless canals. The transfer from and back to the hotel as well as the boat outing is inclusive.
 

Day 5
By mail-coach we ride back to Doebern.

Day 6
The mail-coach takes us from Doebern to Muskau. Overnight there again in the hotel „Am Schlossbrunnen“.

Day 7
Individual return

 

Services comprised:

 

1.      Mail-coach Journey:

 

2.      Self drivers with their own carriage and horses:

 

3.      Self drivers with our turnouts and groom:

 Picture Gallery