"Floral splendor & forest idyll": The Bad Lippspringe Garden Show Park remains true to the motto of the 2017 State Garden Show. Having emerged from the successful exhibition with around 600,000 guests, it now combines colorful garden design and artistic landscape architecture in Kaiser-Karls-Park with a staged forest backdrop. This offers not only sensual themed gardens, but also large play worlds between trees that are decades old - a unique interplay of nature and design.
As soon as visitors enter the 30-hectare site in the climatic health resort, they are greeted by the imposing fountain. With its artistic play of water and lights, it attracts everyone's attention. But the true splendor of color unfolds along the flower promenade: more than 70,000 flowers adorn the flowerbeds, carefully arranged by landscape gardeners. In spring in particular, columbines, gold lacquer, bellis, ranunculus and pansies enchant visitors in a wide variety of shades. Complemented by tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and ornamental perennials, a natural painting is created here that captivates onlookers.
Art in the park
Behind the flower promenade, another world of experience opens up: if you walk along the barefoot path at the end, you can feel different surfaces such as stone, sand or mulch with your feet. After the sensory experience, the path leads into the wooded regions of the park with the dune valley, where themed rest and relaxation areas invite you to pause for a moment. A special highlight is the garden of faith, where seven religions and world views come together. Not far away are the gardens of the twin towns of Newbridge and Templin as well as the fragrance and sound garden. The reading garden offers a quiet retreat for book lovers.
An impressive example of the combination of art and nature is the bog oak sculpture in the garden of the twin town of Newbridge. Created by artist Brian O'Loughlin from a 5000-year-old Irish bog oak, it symbolizes the deep connection between past and present. This artistic signature runs through the entire garden show park.
The two play worlds in the northern part of the park, dedicated to elves and trolls, are particularly imaginative. Here, young adventurers can climb over nets, rest in floating cocoons or conquer the six-metre-high troll castle before hurtling down a tube slide. The Grüffelo trail is a literary delight: Five oversized wooden figures from the well-known children's book line the path and invite you on a playful discovery tour. The Grüffelo himself is the friendly host.
Annual event highlights
In addition to the permanent attractions, seasonal events ensure a constantly changing visitor experience. Whether "Sand Worlds", Park Lights or the Pumpkin Festival - the Garden Show Park is transformed into a magical stage on special occasions. For example, impressive sand sculptures adorn the paths during the "Sand Worlds". In 2024, soccer stars and trophies inspired visitors to the European Championship, while in the previous year, models of regional landmarks such as Sparrenburg Castle, the Hermann Monument and Paderborn Cathedral were faithfully recreated in sand. The Corvey World Heritage Site in Höxter with its Carolingian westwork has also been artfully brought to life here.
A visit to the park can be ideally combined with a tour of Bad Lippspringe. This charming little town with a population of around 17,000 will delight you with its historical sights. The medieval ruins of Lippspringe Castle, the Arminius Park and the Arminius Spring are just some of the highlights. The fountain temple with its elegant white columns is particularly popular and is one of the most photographed motifs in the town.
