Dornburg · Saale Valley · Germany

Dornburger Schlösser

palacescenicGoethegoogle verified

easy

9/10

best: spring, summer, afternoon

peaceful, romantic, literary

A local would say...

Goethe retreated here in grief in 1828 — today the palaces still perch above the Saale River like a consolation offered by the landscape itself.

Three palaces perched on a plateau above the Saale River about 15km north of Jena, offering stunning views over the valley. The southernmost Renaissance Palace was where Goethe sought solitude after the death of his patron, Duke Carl August, with rooms restored to their 1828 state. A summer excursion classic.