Altensteiner Park, Historic landscape park in Bad Liebenstein, Germany

Altensteiner Park covers about 160 hectares on a slope dropping steeply to the Schweina valley, with rock outcrops and old trees. A road divides it into two halves; over 20 km of paths lead from the entrances at the Altensteiner Höhle, the Katzenkopf car park and the Kisseler Straße. The 15-hectare core around Schloss Altenstein is fenced against wild boar.

The grounds were created in the late 1700s when a duke decided to develop the landscape following English garden principles. This vision transformed the original forest by adding designed pathways and constructed elements.

The park's name recalls the Altenstein castle at its centre, and its paths are tied to royal visitors: Queen Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, after whom a great folk festival was held here on 13 August 1846, and Johannes Brahms, who stayed at Altenstein several times in 1894–1895 at the invitation of Duke Georg II and his wife. The Ritterkapelle, built around 1800 near a rock needle, is read as evidence of the duke's membership in the Freemason order.

Visitors should wear sturdy footwear since many pathways traverse hills and rocky terrain. Multiple entry points surround the grounds, so it helps to decide in advance which areas you want to explore.

A notable feature is the system of waterfalls that flow from natural rock crevices and are woven into the park's design. These water features appear as though they belong to the original landscape, though they were deliberately created.