World Heritage Identification Number: 1413
World Heritage since: 2013
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇩🇪 Germany
Continent: Europe
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
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A Journey Through Time: Exploring the Grandeur of Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe
The Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, nestled within the picturesque city of Kassel, Germany, stands as a testament to the grandeur of Baroque and Romantic architectural styles. This sprawling hillside park, spanning over 2.4 square kilometers, is not only the largest European hillside park but also the second largest park on a hill slope in the world. In 2013, UNESCO recognized the park's exceptional cultural and historical significance, inscribing it as a World Heritage Site.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
Descending a long hill dominated by a giant statue of Hercules, the monumental water displays of Wilhelmshöhe were begun by Landgrave Carl of Hesse-Kassel in 1689 around an east-west axis and were developed further into the 19th century. Reservoirs and channels behind the Hercules Monument supply water to a complex system of hydro-pneumatic devices that supply the site’s large Baroque water theatre, grotto, fountains and 350-metre long Grand Cascade. Beyond this, channels and waterways wind across the axis, feeding a series of dramatic waterfalls and wild rapids, the geyser-like Grand Fountain which leaps 50m high, the lake and secluded ponds that enliven the Romantic garden created in the 18th century by Carl’s great-grandson, Elector Wilhelm I. The great size of the park and its waterworks along with the towering Hercules statue constitute an expression of the ideals of absolutist Monarchy while the ensemble is a remarkable testimony to the aesthetics of the Baroque and Romantic periods.
Encyclopedia Record: Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe
Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe is a landscape park in Kassel, Germany. The area of the park is 2.4 square kilometres, 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 because of its monumental Baroque architecture and its unique fountains and water features.Additional Site Details
Area: 558.7 hectares
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
Coordinates: 51.3158333333 , 9.3930555556
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© W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
