The Duke's Swing

The Duke's Swing - Let's get around!

Optical illusions were especially popular in the baroque period. At the time they used unusual means to make building design and garden design more interesting with optical illusions of the senses. In the residential palace it can be seen how rooms are made to look bigger and higher with opposing mirrors. In garden design symmetries, segmentations and ingenious perspectives were applied to make gardens appear to be bigger. There were also some sophisticated pieces of machinery to amuse and entertain the court. Several examples from archives are still known to us today.

The Herzogschaukel (the Duke's Swing) in the Fairy Tale Garden was developed in 1972 from just such a plan. Our oversized swing is located in an old half-timbered building and has room for up to 40 visitors. As soon as the doors close, a spectacle begins that can become an unnerving experience for sensitive stomachs.

Of course we don't want to give away the secret of the Duke's Swing ... but take care! If you easily get dizzy – you have been forewarned! As, thanks to some refined optical illusions, this crazy swing game becomes a really exciting experience. Many people are glad when they can leave the swing again. In spite of that, the Duke's Swing is very popular with our visitors. Even the Duke had had plenty of fun with it.