After the badly dilapidated Dachau Castle was converted into a summer palace by Duke Albrecht V in 1558, a Renaissance garden designed in geometrical order with walls and square flower and herb beds, was created from 1578, based on plans by the painter architect Friedrich Sustris.

It was the Elector Max Emanuel who proceeded to give the Palace Gardens of Dachau a baroque image in 1715. The Elector’s architect and master builder, Joseph Effner, replaced the flower and herb beds with two large broderie beds decorated with topiary box trees and flower borders.

At the same time, the Elector ordered the purchase of a small forest area to the west of the gardens, which he and his successors filled with all sorts of playing equipment, including a skittle alley, a swing, various wooden huts and more. The gardens were simplified at the start of the 19th century. The general manager and artistic director of court gardens, Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell had fruit trees planted within the garden walls from 1802. The playing garden in the copse gradually disappeared.

From the garden's attractive ridge location there is a panoramic view extending to the Alps.

In the bee garden you can learn all kinds of things about the useful little animals from information panels. In addition to conventional beehives, innovative spherical hives developed by beekeeper Andreas Heidinger also provide insights into the life of bees.