Dahlia Garden

In the Dahlia Garden on the Lichtentaler Allee, tulips bloom in spring and, from August on, around 1,800 dahlias in magnificent colours. The garden is a good example of civic engagement. To tend it during peak bloom, around 20 volunteers meet twice a week in addition to the professional gardeners. The Verein der Freunde des Dahliengartens organises events and collects the donations without which the garden could not exist. This works through seasonal sponsorships for individual beds, which private individuals and companies can take on. In 2026, a sponsorship costs 400 euros for one bed and 700 euros for two beds.^[1]

Dahlias

The following image gallery shows a selection of dahlias from 2019:

Events

The garden’s season begins with the tulip bloom in spring. The dahlia season opens with a gathering of the sponsors in August. At the height of the dahlia bloom in mid-September, the Dahlia Garden Soirée takes place, where the Dahlia of the Year is also chosen. When the dahlia bloom finally comes to an end, a closing event is held in mid-October at which dahlia bouquets are sold. You can pre-order the dahlia tubers by email in October — in 2026 the order period runs from 1 to 21 October at the latest, and pickup takes place on 23 October from 1:30 pm in the Dahlia Garden. A tuber costs 4 euros.^[2] Properly overwintering the 400 tubers itself would be too laborious for the city, explained parks department head Markus Brunsing. It also means new cultivars can be considered in the new year.^[3]

History

In 1967, garden director Walter Rieger created the first dahlia garden in the Lichtentaler Allee. Over 3,000 dahlias were planted in 92 beds at the time. These dahlias were provided by the Deutsche Dahlien- und Gladiolengesellschaft. On 13 August 1967, the society’s president opened the first dahlia show together with mayor Fritz Wurz and Walter Rieger. His successor Bernd Weigel also kept up this tradition, but had to forgo planting the garden in 2003 and 2004 for financial reasons. Citizens of Baden-Baden led by Edelgard and Dr Hermann Späth then collected donations to revive the Dahlia Garden. The campaign led to the founding of the Verein der Freunde des Dahliengartens, which from then on secured the Dahlia Garden’s existence through donations and membership fees.

Garden Architecture

With the Bénazet Pavilion, a piece of Baden-Baden history stands in the Dahlia Garden. The pavilion, built in the Swiss chalet style, once stood in the garden of the famous casino lessee Edouard Bénazet. Several monuments to famous figures are also set up in the area of the Dahlia Garden.

Getting there

There are no parking options on the Lichtentaler Allee. If you want to drive to the Dahlia Garden, you are most likely to find a parking space at Klosterplatz and walk 500 m from there into the Lichtentaler Allee. If you arrive by public transport, take line 201, 204 or 245 and get off at the Aubrücke stop.

Sources

• Website of the Dahlia Garden (with planting plan and many photos)
• Article “Besonderer Anziehungspunkt in der Lichtentaler Allee” by Karl Reinbothe in the Badisches Tagblatt, 13 August 2012

1. ↑ Dahlia Garden sponsorships on the friends’ association website (retrieved 23 June 2026) (Archived)
2. ↑ Dahlia Garden tuber sale on the friends’ association website (retrieved 23 June 2026) (Archived)
3. ↑ Article Knollen finden reißenden Absatz in the Badisches Tagblatt, 18 October 2014