The Hercules monument is a landmark in the German city of Kassel. It is located in the

Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe is a landscape park in Kassel, Germany. The area of the park is , making it the largest European hillside park, and second largest park on a hill slope in the world. Construction of the ''Bergpark'', or "mountain park", bega ...

(Wilhelmshöhe Mountainpark) in northern

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...

, Germany. ''

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the ...

'' is a copper statue depicting the ancient Greek demigod

Heracles Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptiv ...

(Gr. Ηρακλής, German Herkules). The statue is located at the top of a

pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...

, which stands on top of the octagon; the statue and the other parts of the monument were constructed at different times. Today "Hercules" refers to the whole monument, including the Octagon and Pyramid. The monument is the highest point in the Wilhelmshöhe Bergpark. The monument is located in Bad Wilhelmshöhe, on the Eastern ridge of the Habichtswald. It was built in an artificial dell of the Karlsberg ( above sea level) on the western-most and highest location () of the line of sight

Schloss Wilhelmshöhe Schloss Wilhelmshöhe is a Neoclassical palace located in , a part of Kassel, Germany. It was built for Landgrave Wilhelm (William) IX of Hesse in the late 18th century. Emperor Wilhelm II made extensive use of it as a summer residence and p ...

– Hercules. The Hercules monument and the surrounding Wilhelmshöhe Bergpark were inscribed as a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

in 2013, owing to their outstanding Baroque architecture and intricate

water features In landscape architecture and garden design, a water feature is one or more items from a range of fountains, jeux d'eau, pools, ponds, rills, artificial waterfalls, and streams. Before the 18th century they were usually powered by gravity, ...

Design

Water features

The

water feature In landscape architecture and garden design, a water feature is one or more items from a range of fountains, jeux d'eau, pools, ponds, rills, artificial waterfalls, and streams. Before the 18th century they were usually powered by gravity, ...

s were built on . The cascades are a long stone structure shaped as a staircase. The water starts from the Hercules monument and runs down the cascades, Steinhöfer's waterfall, the devil's bridge, finally tumbling down the aqueduct before finally arriving at the lake where a fountain of about ends the spectacle. About of water are needed. This system relies on natural pressure from reservoirs and underground pipes whose locks are opened manually During the summer (from May until October every Wednesday and Sunday afternoon), visitors can attend this event. Additionally, every first Saturday of the months of June, July, August and September this event takes place during the evening with lights of different colors illuminating the water, the fountain and the monument features.

Octagon and statue

The Hercules monument has a total height of : for by the Octagon; for the Pyramid and for the statue. The height difference between top of the statue and the bottom of the cascades is .

History

Construction of the Bergpark began in 1696. The Hercules statue was built from 1701 to 1717 and is based on the design of the Italian Giovanni Francesco Guerniero. The complex is the northernmost part of the park and is an important baroque aspect of the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe. 520 steps lead to the top. In late 2005, a restructuring of the entire monument, including the statue was initiated. Initially projected was to be completed in 2009. The restoration was later estimated to cost more than 24 million Euro and last through 2018.

Material

image:Herkules_mit_baugeruest.jpg, Restructuring at the Hercules monument in autumn 2006 image:Herkules-KS-bauarbeiten-verhuellt.jpg, January 2007 – Hercules still cloaked image:Hercules monument back view.jpg, Back view of the statue in September 2011 The complete structure (Octagon and Cascades) are made of

Tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock ...

sourced from quarries nearby. This soft material has the advantage of good workability, but weathers quickly, particularly by frost-related erosion. This rapid weathering process has been a structural issue for the statue.

References

External links

* ttp://www.clipfish.de/video/2694062/wasserspiele-in-kassel/ Video of the waterfeatures (Not available to view outside of Germany) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hercules Monument (Kassel) Baroque architecture in Germany Buildings and structures in Kassel Copper sculptures in Germany Heracles Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel Palaces in Hesse Sculptures of men in Germany Sculptures of mythology Statues in Germany Tourist attractions in Hesse World Heritage Sites in Germany