Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe
Enjoy the complete harmony of nature and art!
It is rare that nature and art can be found in such a complete harmony as in Park Wilhelmshöhe. Europe’s largest hillside park ranks among the major creations of landscape design. The park in the Italian Baroque style was designed under Landgrave Karl of Hesse-Kassel (1670-1730). Even today, the Herkules monument and ornamental water displays still bear witness to the Landgrave’s display of the Baroque glory. In the second half of the 18th century, the park was redesigned as an English landscape garden. Schloss Wilhelmshöhe in the Cassicist style (Wilhelmshöhe Palace) Löwenburg in the Romantic (Lion’s Castle) were built during this period. Until 1866, the palace and its park area were used as a summer retreat by the ruling family of Hesse-Kassel and afterwards by Prussian kings and German emperors.
Apart from its magnificent castles, Park Wilhelmshöhe is also famous for its water displays which attract thousands of visitors every year. The water displays do not run on pumps or other machinery, but are truly the result of natural pressure and the force of gravity. At the end of the show, a 53 m high fountain rises as a fantastic finale.
The hillside park is also quite an experience for nature lovers: thanks to the favourable climate, over 800 different plant species can be found here, including plants from North America and Asia. On the Roseninsel (Rose Island), you will find 1,500 different species of the rose family, whereas in the Gewächshaus (greenhouse), built in 1822, you can admire the sight of local and exotic plants.
Schloss Wilhelmshöhe (Wilhelmshöhe Palace) houses the collection of antiques, with its famous marble statue of Apollo as well as the “Old Masters” painting collection (“Alte Meister”), which is regarded as one of the best in Germany. Next to a representative selection of Old German and Dutch paintings, the collection focuses on the Flemish and Dutch Baroque
(among others, Rembrandt, Rubens, and Hals).
Opening hours
Schloss Wilhelmshöhe & Löwenburg: (Wilhelmshöhe Palace & Lion’s Castle) Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Herkules monument: March 15 – November 15, daily 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Wasserspiele (Water Displays): Mid-May – October 3,
Wednesdays, Sundays and public holidays: 2.30 – 5.30 p.m.
Großes Gewächshaus (Big Greenhouse): December – May 1, Tuesday - Sunday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
information
Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe
Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel (mhk):
tel: +49 (0)5613168-00
fax: +49 (0)561316801-11
info@museum-kassel.de
www.museum-kassel.de
© kassel tourist GmbH