Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe is a landscape park in

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...

, 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", began in 1689 at the behest of the Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel and took about 150 years. The park is open to the public today. Since 2013, it has been a UNESCO

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

because of its monumental Baroque architecture and its unique fountains and water features.

Geography

Location

Bergpark wilhelmshoehe talblick ds 05 2006

, a ''Stadtteil'' of Kassel in northern Hesse, is situated west of the city centre at the foot of the Habichtswald hill range. It is also known for

Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe station Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe is a railway station in the city of Kassel, in the Germany, German state of Hesse. It is the city's most important railway station, as it is connected to the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line, with InterCityExpress servi ...

on the

Hanover–Würzburg high-speed railway The Hanover–Würzburg high-speed railway is a double-track, electrified high-speed railway between Hanover and Würzburg in Germany, in length. The line, built between 1973 and 1991, was the longest contiguous new project constructed by Deuts ...

line.

Description

The park comprises an area of about , stretching from Kassel up to the Karlsberg mountain at . At the summit of the park stands the Hercules monument, a 40-meter high pyramid with a 8.5-meter bronze statue of

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 Gr ...

. Behind the monument, a series of reservoirs gather water, which passes through a complex series of channels, valves, aqueducts, and water-wheels as it flows from the monument down through the park. The water tumbles through a Baroque water theatre, grotto, fountains, two hydraulic organs, and several waterfalls (including a Great Cascade that is 350 meters long) before arriving at the pond, with the Great Fountain. At about 50 meters (160 ft) high, the Great Fountain was the largest fountain in Europe at the time of its creation in 1767. Below the pond and Great Fountain, the water runs in to ponds and pools at the

Wilhelmshöhe Palace The Wilhelmshöhe Palace (German: ) 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 resid ...

, built for the Elector of Hesse

William I William I may refer to: Kings * William the Conqueror (–1087), also known as William I, King of England * William I of Sicily (died 1166) * William I of Scotland (died 1214), known as William the Lion * William I of the Netherlands and Luxembour ...

in the late 18th century.

Hercules

The Kassel Hercules is a copper statue depicting the ancient Greek demigod

Heracles Heracles ( ; ), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a Divinity, divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of ZeusApollodorus1.9.16/ref> and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive descent through ...

(Gr. Ηρακλής, German Herkules). It is a copy of the third century

Farnese Hercules The ''Farnese Hercules'' () is an ancient statue of Hercules made in the early third century AD and signed by Glykon, who is otherwise unknown; he was an Athenian but he may have worked in Rome. Like many other Ancient Roman sculptures it is a ...

statue, created by Johann Jacob Anthoni, a goldsmith from

Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...

. Beneath the stature of Hercules are basins and figures such as centaurs and fauns who hold horns. When this water display is turned on, the pressure change produces a sound through the horns.

History

Originally laid out in the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style of the

giardino all'italiana Giardino is Italian for ''garden''. It may refer to: * Giardino (album), 2011 album by Finnish krautrock band Circle A circle is a shape consisting of all point (geometry), points in a plane (mathematics), plane that are at a given distanc ...

and the

French formal garden The French formal garden, also called the , is a style of "Landscape architecture, landscape" garden based on symmetry and the principle of imposing order on nature. Its epitome is generally considered to be the Gardens of Versailles designed ...

, with

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 running downhill in cascades to Schloss Wilhelmshöhe, it was later re-arranged into an

English landscape garden The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (, , , , ), is a style of "landscape" garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal ...

. In 1143,

Canons Regular The Canons Regular of St. Augustine are Catholic priests who live in community under a rule ( and κανών, ''kanon'', in Greek) and are generally organised into Religious order (Catholic), religious orders, differing from both Secular clergy, ...

from

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

established the Weißenstein monastery at the site of present-day Schloss Wilhelmshöhe, which was dissolved in the course of the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

. Landgrave Philip I of Hesse used the remaining buildings as a hunting lodge, largely rebuilt by his descendant

Maurice of Hesse-Kassel Maurice of Hesse-Kassel (; 25 May 1572 – 15 March 1632), also called Maurice the Learned or Moritz, was the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) in the Holy Roman Empire from 1592 to 1627. Life Maurice was born in Kassel as the son of ...

from 1606 to 1610.

1696–1806

The Bergpark came into being as a Baroque park under Landgrave Charles I of Hesse-Kassel. In 1701, the Italian architect started the construction of the Hercules monument and the giant cascades. In 1785, Wilhelm (William) IX, Landgrave of Hesse started a large extension of the park, and the following year his architect, Simon Louis du Ry, designed the Neoclassical palace Schloss Wilhelmshöhe. Meanwhile, the ideals of the landscaping changed from the French

to the

English garden The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (, , , , ), is a style of "landscape" garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal ...

. In the course of the extension and modifications, , apart from contributing to the design of the palace, created constructions still characterizing the park today: artificial ruins like the (Lion's Castle) and the

Roman aqueduct The Romans constructed aqueducts throughout their Republic and later Empire, to bring water from outside sources into cities and towns. Aqueduct water supplied public baths, latrines, fountains, and private households; it also supported min ...

, as well as extensions of the water garden like the Lac, the fountain pond, and the ''Teufelsbrücke'' (Devil's Bridge) with the ''Höllenteich'' (Hell's Pond). In 1793, Karl Steinhöfer added the Steinhöfer Waterfall to the water garden.

1806–1866

Kassel became the capital of the newly created

Kingdom of Westphalia The Kingdom of Westphalia was a client state of First French Empire, France in present-day Germany that existed from 1807 to 1813. While formally independent, it was ruled by Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte. It was named after Westphalia, ...

, a

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

state of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, ruled by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's brother

Jérôme Bonaparte Jérôme Bonaparte (born Girolamo Buonaparte; 15 November 1784 – 24 June 1860) was the youngest brother of Napoleon, Napoleon I and reigned as Jerome Napoleon I (formally Hieronymus Napoleon in German), Kingdom of Westphalia, King of Westphal ...

. He kept court at the palace of Wilhelmshöhe (which was renamed ''Napoleonshöhe'') until 1813, after Napoleon's defeat and the restoration of the electorate. The king's Head Chamberlain and governor of ''Napoleonshöhe'' was Count Heinrich

von Blumenthal The Blumenthal family is a Lutheran and Roman Catholic German noble family, originally from Brandenburg-Prussia. Other (unrelated) families of this name exist in Switzerland and formerly in Russia, and many unrelated families (quite a few of them ...

. In 1826,

William II, Elector of Hesse William II (; 28July 177720November 1847) was the penultimate Elector of Hesse.After 1806, the title of ''Elector'' was meaningless, since no more Holy Roman Emperors could be elected, because the Empire had been dissolved. Nevertheless, the ru ...

ordered the last large construction of the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, the ''grosser Wasserfall'' (Great Waterfall).

1866–1918

Having sided with Austria in the

Austro-Prussian War The Austro-Prussian War (German: ''Preußisch-Österreichischer Krieg''), also known by many other names,Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Second War of Unification, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), ''Deutsc ...

for supremacy in Germany, the principality was annexed by the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

in 1866. The Prussian administration united Nassau,

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, and Hesse-Kassel into the new Prussian province of

Hesse-Nassau The Province of Hesse-Nassau () was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1868 to 1918, then a province of the Free State of Prussia until 1944. Hesse-Nassau was created as a consequence of the Austro-Prussian War of ...

. Kassel ceased to be a princely residence, the dynasty of the creators of the park ended. In 1870, after the

Battle of Sedan The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Napoleon III, Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and ...

, French Emperor

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

was sent as a prisoner to Schloss Wilhelmshöhe before going into exile in Britain. From 1899, German Emperor

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...

, who went to school in Kassel, chose Wilhelmshöhe as his summer residence, which turned the castle and the park into a centre of European politics for the next two decades. After the armistice which ended World War I, the

Oberste Heeresleitung The ''Oberste Heeresleitung'' (, "Supreme Army Command", OHL) was the highest echelon of command of the army (''Heer'') of the German Empire. In the latter part of World War I, the Third OHL assumed dictatorial powers and became the ''de facto'' ...

led by

Paul von Hindenburg Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German military and political leader who led the Imperial German Army during the First World War and later became President of Germany (1919� ...

organized and led the withdrawal and demobilization of the German troops from here from November 1918 to February 1919. SchlossWilhelmshoehe

20th and 21st century

Schloss Wilhelmshöhe was damaged by Allied bombs in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. From 1968 to 1974, it was rebuilt as an art museum. It houses a

wallpaper Wallpaper is used in interior decoration to cover the interior walls of domestic and public buildings. It is usually sold in rolls and is applied onto a wall using wallpaper paste. Wallpapers can come plain as "lining paper" to help cover uneve ...

collection, a collection of

Graeco-Roman The Greco-Roman world , also Greco-Roman civilization, Greco-Roman culture or Greco-Latin culture (spelled Græco-Roman or Graeco-Roman in British English), as understood by modern scholars and writers, includes the geographical regions and co ...

antiques, and a gallery of Old Masters paintings. The collection focuses on the 16th and 17th century, containing masterpieces by German, Italian, French and Spanish painters. It comprises the second-largest collection of

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

s in Germany. Rembrandt's famous " Saskia" and "The Man with the Slouch Hat" by

Frans Hals Frans Hals the Elder (, ; ; – 26 August 1666) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He lived and worked in Haarlem, a city in which the local authority of the day frowned on religious painting in places of worship but citizens liked to decorate thei ...

are among them. In 1972, the Chancellor of

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

Willy Brandt Willy Brandt (; born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm; 18 December 1913 – 8 October 1992) was a German politician and statesman who was leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 1964 to 1987 and concurrently served as the Chancellor ...

and the Prime Minister of the

German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

Willi Stoph Wilhelm Stoph (9 July 1914 – 13 April 1999) was a German politician. He served as Council of Ministers of East Germany, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1964 to 1973, and again from ...

met in Schloss Wilhelmshöhe for negotiations between the two German states. No extensions were made to the Park in the 20th century. Extensive renovations to the Hercules monument and cascades have been ongoing in the 21st century, and are still in progress; much of the monument continues to be shrouded in scaffolding.

Today

Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe is administered by the

State State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

and affiliated with the

European Garden Heritage Network The European Garden Heritage Network is a nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) l ...

since 2009. On 23 June 2013 it was proclaimed as a

during the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

meeting in

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...

. It is part of the Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel.

Evaluation

Art historian

Georg Dehio Georg Gottfried Julius Dehio (22 November 1850 – 21 March 1932), was a Baltic German art historian. In 1900, Dehio started the "''Handbuch der deutschen Kunstgeschichte''" (Handbook of German Art History), published by Ernst Wasmuth Verlag, ...

(1850–1932), inspirator of the modern discipline of historic preservation, described the park as "possibly the most grandiose combination of landscape and architecture that the

dared anywhere" (''"vielleicht das Grandioseste, was irgendwo der Barock in Verbindung von Architektur und Landschaft gewagt hat."'').

Literature

* Giovanni Francesco Guerniero, ''Delineatio Montis'', Cassel 1706 * Paul Heidelbach, ''Die Geschichte der Wilhelmshöhe.'' Klinkhardt & Biermann, Leipzig, 1909 * Horst Becker und Michael Karkosch, ''Park Wilhelmshöhe, Parkpflegewerk'', Bad Homburg und Regensburg 2007, . * Verwaltung der Staatlichen Schlösser und Gärten Hessen, ComputerWorks AG und Michael Karkosch, ''Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe, Gartendenkmalpflegerische Zielplanung mit VectorWorks Landschaft'', Lörrach 2007. * Bernd Modrow und Claudia Gröschel, ''Fürstliches Vergnügen, 400 Jahre Gartenkultur in Hessen'', Verlag Schnell und Steiner, Bad Homburg und Regensburg 2002, . * Michael Karkosch, ''Zeitreise in die Jahrhundertwende, Der Kaiserpark Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel'', in: SehensWerte, Heft 4, Besuchermagazin der Verwaltung der Staatlichen Schlösser und Gärten Hessen, Bad Homburg 2008, S. 28f. * Dunja Richter, ''Der Duft der großen weiten Welt, Wilhelminische Pflanzenhausarchitektur in Kassel'', in: SehensWerte, Heft 4, Besuchermagazin der Verwaltung der Staatlichen Schlösser und Gärten Hessen, Bad Homburg 2008, S. 30. * Michael Karkosch, ''Zurückgelassen in der Heimat, Erdmann – Lieblingsteckel Seiner Majestät'', in: SehensWerte, Heft 4, Besuchermagazin der Verwaltung der Staatlichen Schlösser und Gärten Hessen, Bad Homburg 2008, S. 35. * Siegfried Hoß, ''Kaiserliche Farbenpracht – neu entfacht!'', in: SehensWerte, Heft 4, Besuchermagazin der Verwaltung der Staatlichen Schlösser und Gärten Hessen, Bad Homburg 2008, S. 42. * Marianne Bolbach, ''Geschichte und soziale Bedeutung des Bergparks Wilhelmshöhe'', Kassel 1988. * Paul Heidelbach, ''Die Geschichte der Wilhelmshöhe'', Leipzig 1909, Nachdruck, hrsg. v. Dieter Carl, Vellmar 2005. * Alfred Hoffmann und Herrmann Mielke. ''Kassel – Schlosspark Wilhelmshöhe – Bäume und Sträucher'', hrsg. v. d. Verwaltung der Staatlichen Schlösser und Gärten Hessen, Bad Homburg 1994 (3. überarbeitete Aufl.). * Jutta Korsmeier, ''Wasserkünste im Schlosspark Wilhelmshöhe'', hrsg. v. d. Verwaltung der Staatlichen Schlösser und Gärten Hessen, Bad Homburg und Regensburg 2000, . * Helmut Sander, ''Das Herkules-Bauwerk in Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe'', Kassel 1981.

Gallery

File:Kassel asv2022-02 img50 Wilhelmshöhe Gewächshaus.jpg, The orangery File:Schlosspark Wilhelmshöhe 001.jpg, Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, as seen from downtown Kassel File:WasserspieleKasselNachts kasselgalerie de.jpg, Water arts, lit at nighttime File:1106 Herkules Kassel.jpg, Hercules statue atop the octagon, as seen during renovation in 2011 File:Hercules statue side view Jul 2013.jpg, Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, side view of the Hercules statue File:1104 Herkules Kassel.jpg, Closeup of Hercules statue File:Schlosspark Wilhelmshöhe Teufelsbrücke 02.jpg, The Teufelsbrücke (Devil's Bridge) File:1208 Bergpark 028.jpg, Artificial waterfall File:Löwenburg Kassel 2012.jpg, The ''Löwenburg'' (Lion's Castle) File:Renovation and Restoration of the Hercules Monument with Hercules Statue sign Jul 2013.jpg, Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, sign describing the renovation still in progress in 2013 File:Kulturerbe herkules fontäne.ogg, "Wasserkunst" experienced by tourists, 2016 File:Wilhelmshoehe - Herkules mit Kaskaden.jpg, Water running down the cascades, a coloured picture before 1903

References

External links

Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe : UNESCO Official WebsiteWebsite of ''Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel''

* ttp://www.stadtpanoramen.de/kassel/index.html Stadtpanoramen.de – Panoramas of Bergpark & Schloss Wilhelmshöhe and the Hercules monument & cascadesbr>Youtube – Illuminated water arts in Kassel at night Youtube – Water arts in Kassel
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bergpark Wilhelmshohe Buildings and structures in Kassel Landmarks in Germany Parks in Germany Royal residences in Hesse Protected areas of Hesse Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel World Heritage Sites in Germany Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel