Salzburg Dwarf Garden, How to see this fanciful secret garden!
Nestled within the very heart of Salzburg Austria, the Mirabell Gardens (Salzburger Mirabellgarten) stand as a testament to the city’s rich cultural heritage and baroque elegance. Inside Mirabell Garden you’ll find a secret hidden garden with fanciful creatures who have been enchanting visitors for centuries!
The Zwergerlgarten, or Dwarf Garden, is home to a slew of dwarf statues and I’m kind of obsessed! It’s one of my favorite places in Salzburg! This fantastic garden is a unique blend of art, folklore, and history and if you appreciate those things then this fun attraction is a must-see!
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About the Salzburg Dwarf Garden at Mirabell
Salzburg Dwarf Garden dates to the 17th century making it the oldest dwarf garden in Central Europe (älteste zwergengarten europas.)
Italian sculptor Ottavio Mosto was commissioned to create a series of dwarf statues, or “Zwerge,” from white Untersberg marble. The statues themselves were modeled on copper engravings by French draftsmen and artist Jacques Callot. The result, Salzburger Zwerge (dwarfs), disfigured creatures from your childhood fairytale dreams (or nightmares?) depicted with grotesque or exaggerated facial features, hunched backs, or other disfigurements.
It is said that real people inspired the sculptures, including members of Salzburg society and other court figures. (My Rick Steves book says that there were 12 dwarves serving at the court of the Prince Archbishops of Salzburg during this time period.)
The Dwarf Garden is a small parterre or self-contained complex within Mirabell Garden. It was originally called “Pigatl Garden in Salzburg” and later “Pagodn Garden” before being renamed to Zwergerlgarten, or Dwarf Garden in English.
It once contained 28 dwarfs which were eventually auctioned off and scattered to the wind. (more on that later.) Years later a decision was made to rebuild Zwergerlgarten. To date (2024) only 17 have been recovered. (source-Tourismus Salzburg gmbh)
Today the garden and groups of figures have been relocated from their original location to a small Bastian Garden which is shadowed by surrounding chestnut trees. While this creates a pleasant atmosphere in the park the trees are damaging to the precious marble sculptures. The shade from the trees encourages the growth of damaging moss and falling branches pose a risk of damage.
Preservation efforts: because the figures are an irreplaceable part of the Mirabell Gardens, the goal is to move the dwarf garden to its original location nearby.
How to find the Garden and information about the dwarfs
First, make your way to the Pegasus Fountain located on the west side of the palace.
Now walk between the two bookend lion statues. (I am also a tiny bit obsessed with these statues!)
After you pass between the lions, here is where you’ll find the first two dwarves, happily greeting visitors to the park.
These dwarves are playing a game called Pallone (they are called Pallonespieler)
- Statue #18: Dwarf with Spiked Sleeve (Zwerg mit Stachelarmel)
- Statue #19: Dwarf with the Ball (Zerg mit ball)
Now Make your way along the wooden walkway.
After a short distance the pathway opens to a large circle lined with dwarf statues.
The dwarves in the circle represent the 12 months of the year: (here’s to hoping I have the photos labeled correctly!)
- Statue #1: January: The dwarf with the chicken, representative of the busy work at the beginning of the new year.
- Statue #2: February: The dancing dwarf (Tanzende Zwerg) (missing, located in Traunstein) represents a carnival dancer.
- Statue #3: March: The dwarf with the spade, the month of March marks the beginning of gardening.
- Statue #4: April: The dwarf with the garden vase, potted plants stored for winter are transplanted outside once more.
- Statue #5: May: The dwarf with the radish bag, radishes were often harvested as the first fruits of the garden.
- Statue #6: June: The Dwarf with the Digging Hoe (the Dreaming Gardener) leaning on his garden hoe used for garden work.
- Statue #7: July: The dwarf with the scythe (which is missing,) it’s time for the first cutting of the meadows.
- Statue #8: August: The dwarf with the bunch of onions. This friendly looking dwarf (freundlich blickende zwergin) offers a bunch of onions.
- Statue #9: September: The dwarf with the fruit apron, fruit harvest begins!
- Statue #10: October: The Hunter Dwarf (missing)
- Statue #11: November: The dwarf with the (Martini) goose (missing, located in Traunstein.)
- Statue #12: December: The dwarf with the dumpling pot, it’s time to rest from the long year’s toil and eat dumplings!
The following are found in park, outside of the circle: (don’t forget, you already saw #18 and #19 on your way into the garden)
- Statue #13: Dwarf with glasses
- Statue #14: Dwarf with Castanets
- Statue #15: Dwarf with peglet
- Statue #16: Dwarf with straw bag hat (is this one of the dueling dwarves? (duellierenden zwergen?)
- Statue #17: the final stone statue on the list, Dwarf with turban
(source: Wikipedia)
Salzburg Dwarf Garden Visitor Information
| location / address | Mirabellgarten, Mirabellplatz 4, 5020 Salzburg, Austria |
| opening times | Open to the public daily year-round, 24 hours |
| entry fee Mirabell Gardens Dwarf Park | Mirabell Gardens, including the Dwarf Park Salzburg are free of charge |
| accessibility | The old Bastion Garden is not suitable for the disabled nor is it barrier-free. (There are a few steps that lead from the Pegasus Fountain to the wooden walkway which leads into the garden. Besides the steps, the remainder of the Dwarf Garden is flat and either paved or wooden walkway) |
| pets | Yes, bring your leashed pets and be sure to pick up after them. |
| playground | There is a small playground for children located just to the southeast of Zwergerlgarten Salzburg. |
| time required for this activity | You can easily see the entire park in under 15 minutes. There are benches if you choose to linger and be sure to make time to explore the rest of the gardens. |
How to get to Mirabell Palace and Gardens
The palace and baroque gardens are situated on the north-south axis of Salzburg’s old town, with the Hohensalzburg Fortress looming in the background.
You can get to the palace by:
Walk:
It’s a short walk (10-15 minutes) from the Old Town (sites like Mozart’s Birthplace, Salzburg Cathedral, The SalzburgDom etc)
Drive:
You can either take a taxi or drive. Mirabell Palace Parking: The nearest car park to Mirabell Palace and Gardens is the Mirabell-Congress-Garage parking garage located at: Faberstrasse 6-8 (subject to charges from Monday to Friday until 7 p.m. and Saturdays until 4 p.m.)
Bus:
The bus stop closest to the palace is “Mirabellplatz”, which can be found in front of Mirabell Palace. It can be reached with bus lines 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 14, 22 and 25. (use Rome2Rio to seamlessly plan your public transportation)
Train:
It takes about 15 minutes to walk to the gardens from the train station. Alternatively, you can take a taxi or bus. (check Rome2Rio for detailed instructions)
about Mirabell Palace and Gardens
Mirabell Palace
The Mirabell Palace itself is a masterpiece of baroque architecture, with its famous Angel Staircase and grand Marble Hall, which is often used for special events. Salzburg is the City of Mozart. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born here.
Mozart, his sister, and father, Leopold Mozart performed for the Archbishop at Mirabell Palace. Still today the Mozart family is an important part of Salzburg society. The concert hall at Mirabell hosts nightly Mozart Concerts, featuring music from the city’s favorite son.
Attend a Classical Music Concert at Mirabell
Why book on Get Your Guide? Free cancellation, reserve now, pay later!!! WIN WIN!
- Salzburg: Mozart Concert at Mirabell Palace
- Salzburg: Dinner and Classical Concert at Mirabell Palace
Mirabell Garden
Mirabell Gardens are laid out in a grand parterre style, typical of the baroque period. The gardens are divided into several sections, like the Rose Garden, and hedge maze.
The Grand Fountain stands proudly in the middle, surrounded by many impressive statues, two of which were created by Bernhard Michael Mandl, the same artist behind the Horse Tamer (horse trough) located at the base of the hill that Festung Hohensalzburg (Hohensalzburg Castle) sits atop.
The Mirabell Gardens are also home to the Pegasus Fountain (pegasusbrunnen) by Caspar Gras (Kaspar Gras.) The fountain and Pegasus statue were featured in “The Sound of Music.” film where Maria and including the famous “Do-Re-Mi” sequence, where Maria and the Von Trapp children sing and dance around the Pegasus Fountain.
Year-round visitors flock to this location. In summer, the hedge theater, one of the oldest hedge theatres in Europe, is the location of folk-heritage events, performances, and festivals. During the winter months, the garden takes on a different character, with the Mirabell Gardens statues covered in a dusting of snow. Spring brings vibrant flowers that last through fall, which then brings fallen leaves and crisp air
Popular events include:
- Promenade and Illuminated Fountain Concerts
- Traditional afternoons at the Hedge Theatre
The History of the Dwarf Garden (for you history buffs)
Mirabell Palace (Schloss Mirabell) was originally built by Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich in the early 17th century as a gift to his mistress. The palace and gardens were later expanded and redesigned by Prince Archbishop Franz Anton Harrach, who was responsible for adding the Dwarf Garden.
In 1690 Prince Archbishop Johann Ernst Graf von Thun had the famous Mirabell Gardens remodeled based on designs by the famed architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, who was responsible for much of Salzburg’s baroque architecture. The gardens were again redesigned around 1730 by Franz Anton Danreiter.)
The dwarf garden once had a large fountain in the middle, which was surrounded by four small fountains. The baroque design of the Dwarf Garden was destroyed before 1800 to make way for an English landscape garden.
The garden’s dwarves were removed in the early 19th century (1811) and auctioned off. They were then lost for the next 100 years. On October 20, 1919, the Salzburg City Councilors decided to rebuild the unique garden.
Today, the garden is in the city’s possession, and the Salzburg City Council (Salzburger Gemeinderat) who are committed to maintaining and preserving local amenities and historical sites for future generations. The preservation of the wonderfully unique Dwarf Garden for future generations remains a priority.
Urban Legend?
There’s a bit of an urban legend going around the internet about the Crown prince Ludwig of Bavaria out of concern for his wife and unborn child removing the statues from the garden. However, I have not been able to find any concrete evidence of such.
Hotel Recommendations nearby
Looking for nearby places to stay in the city center? These are my best recommendations!
- Altstadt Hotel Stadtkrug: historic 700-year-old building
- IMLAUER Hotel Pitter: opened in 1864, panoramic views of the city, including the castle!
- Hotel Wolf: adorable hotel which dates from 1429!
- Hotel Stein: (adults only) the building dates to medieval times, sits on the Salzach River with views of the castle
- Hotel am Mirabellplatz: 17th-century building (former residence of the Archbishop) looks out over Mirabell Palace
- Hotel Sacher Salzburg: historic hotel beautiful quintessentially Austrian, on the banks of the Salzach River with views of the castle
