The best waterfall hikes and walks around Grünwalder Forst

The smaller of the two palace park lakes, the Pagodenburger See, was completed in 1813. It is named after the Pagodenburg, which lies in the northern part of the lake on an island formed by a ring-shaped canal. The area of the lake, including the island of about one hectare, is 2.9 hectares.

The octagonal floor plan of the Pagodenburg on a small island in the lake named after it was designed by Elector Max Emanuel. Master builder Joseph Effner completed the design and supervised the construction of the pleasure palace from 1716 to 1719. In 1767 it was rebuilt in the Rococo style. The name comes from the decoration of the interiors with Asian motifs. Consequently, the rooms are called "Chinese Salon" or "Chinese Cabinet".

Joseph Effner planned the Great Cascade, which was built in 1717. The water falls from a two-part water staircase, the first step of which is semicircular towards the west, and the second, lower step is shaped towards the east. The cascade continues the symmetry through the central channel. Originally, flanking architecture was planned, but it was never executed. Instead, four sculptures of Greek gods were relocated here from the Großer Parterre at the end of the 18th century.

For centuries, the Badenburg at the southeastern end of the Great Lake was the first major building in Europe exclusively dedicated to the purpose of enjoying a comfortable bath. Joseph Effner planned the pleasure palace and built it from 1718 to 1722. In addition to the large bathing hall, which extends over two floors, it also contains a ballroom and an electoral apartment with a bedroom, writing room, and dressing room. The bathing pool, over fifty square meters in size and holding 80,000 liters of water, was unparalleled in its time, not only as a work of art but also in technical terms.

Greek mythology served as the inspiration for the pictorial program of the Nymphenburg Garden, created in the 18th century: The sculptures represent the sixteen main deities of Olympus. However, their placement was changed with the redesign into an English landscape park. Today, only twelve statues remain in the garden parterre; four were moved to the Great Cascade. Male and female deities alternate.

Statues at the Great Cascade Between the upper and lower cascade basins, on either side of the falling water, are two reclining figures with urns by Giuseppe Volpini, symbolizing the Isar and Danube rivers (1715–1717). The cascade ensemble was initially complemented by two further statues by Giuseppe Volpini: Hercules with a lion (1718/19) and Minerva with an owl, spear, and shield (1722–23). These were originally located on the garden façade of Schleißheim Palace. Later, the statues of Flora (1725) and Aeolus (1725), created by Charles Dubut, were added. Around 1737, Guillaume de Grof created the statue of Neptune with a seahorse. Decades later, three more statues were added: Amphitrite with a Dolphin (1775) by Charles de Groff, and Mars with Sword and Shield (commissioned by Ignaz Günther) and Minerva with Sword and Shield (without an owl!), both by Roman Anton Boos. In 1999, the statues of Hercules with Lion by Franz Leschinger and Minerva with Owl by Geith Bildhauer und Steinmetz GmbH, Dresden, were replaced by copies; the originals are now located in the Orangery. Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlosspark_Nymphenburg#Pagodenburg

Lake Pagodenburg, also known as the Little Lake, lies in the northern part of Nymphenburg Palace Park. It was completed in 1813. Its design is dominated by the Pagodenburg, which sits on an island between the two outflows from the lake. These outflows merge to form the Hartmannshofer Bächl, which then flows north through the so-called Pagodenburg Valley and empties into the Kugelweiher pond. The lake's inflow is underground, originating from the Nymphenburg Canal and originally disguised as a rock grotto. A dam separates the lake to the south from the higher-lying canal. Source: https://www.muenchenwiki.de/wiki/Pagodenburger_See

The Great Cascade The water flowing through the park is channeled in from the west via the Pasing-Nymphenburg Canal. A significant portion of this water cascades over the Great Cascade from the upper to the lower basin. The cascade marks the end of the vista along the central canal, although it is barely visible from the garden-side palace steps due to the considerable distance. The Great Cascade was built by Joseph Effner in 1717. He based his design on a concept by François Roëttier. The water falls in the center from a two-tiered water staircase, the first tier being semicircular, facing west, and the second, lower tier facing east. The cascade continues the symmetry through the central canal. The front of the cascade was clad in pink marble in 1770. Originally, flanking structures were planned, but these were never built. Instead, sculptures were installed at the end of the 18th century. Part of the remaining water from the Pasing-Nymphenburg Canal is diverted into the southern canal before reaching the cascade, maintaining the water level. The rest falls through a former lock into a lateral bypass channel, which contributes to the flow of the central canal. Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlosspark_Nymphenburg#Die_Gro%C3%9Fe_Kaskade