Park Wilhelmshöhe – Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe
The largest of its kind in Europe, Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2013. In 1701, the Italian architect Giovanni Francesco Guerniero built a large part of the waterworks, which in 1717 was crowned by the mighty Hercules.
As you walk through the park, you will discover the many beauties of garden art, architecture and culture that inspired Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm during their lifetime. Hercules, the image of the ancient legendary hero and symbol of Kassel, towers high above Kassel, from where you can admire the entire city. At the foot of Hercules, we will see water features with cascades, waterfalls, an aqueduct and a large fountain that have fascinated guests for 300 years.
Museum Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel
Wilhelmshöhe Palace houses several museums and collections: In the central section, the famous Old Masters Picture Gallery, the Collection of Classical Antiquities and the Prints and Drawings Department. The Palace Museum is located in the Weissenstein Wing. And the chapel in the church wing is popular for weddings. Imperial residence – royal prison. Wilhelmshöhe Palace was built in several stages from 1786 under Landgrave Wilhelm IX.
Fridericianum – Art museum
Since the first documenta festival was held in amongst the ruins of Kassel and the Fridericianum in 1955, the building has come to be seen as synonymous with the art exhibition that takes place every five years.
And yet even when documenta is not on, the museum is a renowned art gallery with plenty to offer its visitors. The programme and focus can vary depending on the artistic director but international contemporary art is always the order of the day in one form or another. The museum engages with major artistic movements and approaches in its displays and gets to grips with questions that are relevant to our modern-day society. Opening times: Tuesday to Sunday and public holidays: 11 am–6 pm.
Natural History Museum – Ottoneum
The Natural History Museum, located in the beautiful, historic Ottoneum is one of the attractions liked by visitors. Attractive special exhibitions are combined with an interactive presentation of outstanding evidence of regional earth and natural history.
The exhibition shows the continuous change of climate and the development of regional nature over the last 400 million years. Large habitat displays bring these periods to life in an exciting way.
Sea floods, deserts, dense primeval forests and Ice Age landscapes have left many traces in northern Hesse. In this way, live reconstructions of selected fossils from local sites are shown. In this way, we meet once native dinosaurs, sharks, manatees, cave bears, hyenas and mammoths. Today’s landscapes are presented in detailed dioramas with hundreds of specimens, from deer, to raccoons and hamsters, to frogs and insects.
Löwenburg Castle
Löwenberg Castle is a magnificent and famous attraction, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. High above Gerolstein there are the ruins of a medieval castle on a hill. The ruins of Löwenburg Castle lie above Wilhelmshöhe Palace, in the middle of the UNESCO-listed Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe. Built between 1793 and 1801 as the “ancestral castle” of Landgrave William IX of Hesse-Kassel, later Elector William I.
Löwenburg was a pleasure palace whose princely living quarters and rich furnishings with historical furniture, paintings, tapestries, glasses, bronzes, as well as a wonderful collection of weapons and medieval stained glass windows reflect the great collecting passion of its builder. The immediate surroundings of the castle were also included in the staging, creating a garden resembling an ancient castle, a vineyard, a tournament square and a zoo.
Karlsaue Park and Orangery
The city’s main attraction is the magnificent Karlsaue Park, which stretches over 150 hectares along the Fulda River, with numerous lakes, canals, fountains and well-kept natural spaces. The majestic yellow building – Orangery, built in 1710, serves as an astronomical office and organizes exhibitions during the documenta international art festival. The park has numerous walking paths, bicycle routes, public toilets and parking lots at the main entrances. The park’s island of Siebenbergen has a botanical garden with rare oak species and seasonal flower exhibitions.
Kurhessen Therme
The Kurhessen Therme is a thermal bath in Bad Wilhelmshöhe, a district of the city Kassel. Designed in style of Far Eastern atmosphere, the spa and relaxation bath is owned by the Wicker Group.
Hot and slightly salty water comes up from nearly 700 metres deep to fill the pools for floating around in. There’s a large pool with a 100-metre long slide, saunas, steam baths, fitness rooms and a restaurant.
