Quick Info:
- What is Hellbrunn Palace & the Water Games? A pleasure palace and a unique water play facility in Salzburg.
- Where is it located? Fürstenweg 37, 5020 Salzburg
- What is there to see? Well-maintained gardens, water games, and the palace museum.
- What is the admission fee? Adults €13.50, Children (4-18 years) €6. Find all prices here. Salzburg Card holders receive free entry.
- When is it open? Open daily from April to October. Find all the hours here.
- How much time should I plan? At least 2-3 hours.
Getting There and Parking
There is a large parking area right in front of the palace. Parkplatz 2 is actually closer than Parkplatz 1. The maximum daily fee is €4.
You can also reach the pleasure palace publicly</strong. Take bus line 25 from Salzburg’s main train station or from the city center (bus stop “Rathaus”).
Tickets for Hellbrunn
We arrived to park just after 9:00 in the morning and were among the first visitors to the palace. We purchased a ticket in the shop. One ticket covers the Palace Exhibition “SchauLust,” featuring an audio guide in various languages, the Water Games with an audio guide, and a visit to the Folklore Museum at the Monatsschlössl.
The Water Games take place every full hour, with the first one starting at 10:00. This leaves you ample time to explore the palace first.
What is a Pleasure Palace, Anyway?
Hunting lodges are for hunting, residences for living and governing. Pleasure palaces, on the other hand, are for celebrations, entertainment, and relaxation. They are representative holiday retreats with parks and water play.
Pleasure palaces were very popular in the 17th century. Schloss Hellbrunn, built in 1615 by Archbishop Markus Sittikus, is one of these pleasure palaces. Here, he could entertain his guests and escape from the daily grind.
Hellbrunn Palace
The permanent exhibition, “SchauLust – The Surprising World of Markus Sittikus,” may strike you as somewhat quirky, but the rooms and decor are truly worth seeing.
The exhibition features a multimedia presentation of the 1618 carnival, the music room with an impressive musical score loop from Monteverdi’s opera “L’Orfeo,” an interactive revolving sofa, a replica of a historical 1613 globe, a model of Hellbrunn Palace, the room of transience, and even a life-sized unicorn.
Markus Sittikus von Hohenems was a fascinating personality who significantly influenced Salzburg in political, cultural, and spiritual aspects. He had the magnificent Schloss Hellbrunn constructed between 1612 and 1615.
The Water Games of Hellbrunn
The water games of Schloss Hellbrunn form a unique ensemble of water automatons, grottoes, and fountains. They were built by Archbishop Markus Sittikus in the 17th century to entertain and astonish his guests. The water games are visited by approximately 1.5 million visitors from around the world every year and have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The water games are more
than just a wet and wild amusement. They are a masterpiece of engineering and a unique cultural treasure. The water games are operated by a complex system of channels and pipes and are equipped with a variety of mechanical figures.
There’s much to discover at the water games. Visitors can admire water-spouting deer, talking figures, and even a music fountain. The water games are a sensory experience and promise a few wet surprises. It’s a great adventure for visitors of all ages!
Explanation of the Water Games
The water games of Schloss Hellbrunn consist of 21 water attractions, including:
- Water automatons: These figures are moved by water power and perform various actions, such as playing music, speaking, or squirting water.
- Grottoes: These artificial caves are equipped with water features and sculptures.
- Fountains: These fountains are adorned with water features and figures.
The Tour
Visiting the water games is possible only as part of a guided tour. When you purchase your ticket, you are assigned a specific time.
Our tour started at 10:00. Just about 5 minutes later, we encountered the first highlight. Behind the pond is a stone table with ten massive chairs, with a long slot down the center. This brought joy to the guests who sat here to cool their wine glasses. However, there’s also a hole in the middle of the stone chairs that could suddenly spray those sitting there from below, without getting themselves wet. In the past, it was considered impolite to leave the table without asking. Those who tried to escape in a panic found themselves faced with a water barrier created by 87 hidden lead pipes in the ground.
Of course, we didn’t sit there during the tour; this “fountain” was merely demonstrated for us.
From this point, you continue the tour on your own with the audio guide.
You’ll learn interesting facts throughout the tour. But be careful where you step!
Water jets periodically shoot out from the ground, walls, or statues. The water games are quite harmless and are great for families with children.
One of the most impressive attractions for us was the Vogelsang Grotto. Its name comes from the artificially generated bird songs. Water is not only used here for squirting and moving objects, but also to create the illusion of bird singing and music. Quoting the audio guide: “Behind this area is an extremely complex water-powered mechanism. In an adjacent room, a water wheel powers a bellows that blows air into the wind chests of an organ. Valves open and close in a peculiar sound roller. These various air impulses flow to twelve pipes hidden in the Vogelsang Grotto. Each of these pipes is in a container filled with a specific amount of water. The combination of air impulses, pipes, and water levels creates different bird songs, including owls, quails, cuckoos, and nightingales.”
At Station 15, you’ll encounter the impressive large mechanical theater dating back to the 19th century. Here, over 160 figures are presented in various groups, vividly depicting life in a baroque small town. Thanks to water power, the entire town comes to life. A charming water wheel sets wooden wheels in motion, which in turn bring 141 copper figures to life.
Please note that it’s not advisable to linger here too long, as a water splash awaits you at the end of the presentation at this location.
After visiting 21 stations and spending approximately an hour, you’ll reach the end of the water games. You can exit into the palace garden, which is free to access. The palace garden offers plenty of space for relaxation and provides a peaceful atmosphere.
The Gardens
After the water games, we wanted to stroll around the garden. The palace garden is an excellent example of baroque garden design. The paths are artistically laid out, and the flowerbeds are adorned with colorful flowers and geometric patterns.
The palace garden features a variety of flower beds that bloom in different colors depending on the season. Roses, tulips, dahlias, and many other flowers create a colorful backdrop. Visitors can make use of the spacious lawns in the palace garden to enjoy a picnic or simply relax on a blanket. This is a popular activity to experience the peaceful atmosphere of the garden.
The garden features well-maintained walking paths and numerous seating areas that allow visitors to peacefully enjoy the beauty of the surroundings.
Centuries-old trees, including majestic linden and
beech trees, provide shade and contribute to the garden’s harmonious atmosphere. The shaded avenues are perfect for leisurely walks.
You can also conveniently stroll from the palace garden to the Hellbrunn Zoo, which is about a 10-minute walk away. You’ll reach the entrance near the ibexes.