Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe had been on my list for quite some time. I actually planned to visit this park back in June, but with a death in the family we pushed Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe aside.
I finally had the chance to go, and let me tell you if you enjoy the outdoors and parks, this UNESCO World Heritage Park was made with you in mind!
My husband was on 'beer duty' on this particular weekend. Back in February, we traveled to Kloster Kreuzberg (see archives for FEB 2015) and we volunteered to head up again to stock for a going away party this coming weekend. I figured if we were going to head to Kreuzberg for beer, why not go down the road a bit further to see Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe?
It was a planned trip, though. Knowing that Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe is about a 4 hour drive from my house, I decided it'd be best to stay the night in Kassel (the city that the park is located in).
Well, the beer trip went okay. Kloster Kreuzberg sits on top of a mountain right at the Bavaria/Hesse border. It was a different world up there! Freezing while we walked among clouds. The 'fog' you see in photos isn't fog. They are clouds! 220€ later, we had a trunk full of beer and were on our way.
After checking into our 1970s American-porn swag styled hotel in Kassel, we jumped in the car and headed for the massive park that can be seen from anywhere in the city.
The park is situated along side a mountain, and at the very top of said mountain the Herkules (that's how it's spelled in German) statue overlooks the city of Kassel.
Not really knowing where to park, we just followed the blue P signs and parked. I didn't even realize that the route we took lead up to the top of the mountain rather than the base of it. As soon as we stepped out of our vehicle, it began to rain. Now, I don't mind rain, but walking around in a park while soaking wet isn't my thing. We decided to feel it out anyway, and began walking to the massive hilltop building dubbed "Herkules Monument" and "Oktogon".
The large building where Herkules stands is under restoration and was unavailable for tours. It was completely tore up. Oh well. Story of our summer!
The only difference is that this restoration project was not mentioned on their official website unlike the restoration in Venice, Barcelona or anywhere else we have visited with restoration projects.
Rain and restoration= major bummers.
While walking to the front of the Herkules monument, I said to my husband "I better get a sweet rainbow picture since the weather sucks and this building is a bust".
Once we reached the viewing area where the entire city can be seen down below, I perched myself and began snapping pictures of the park below us. The husband nudged me and said "Tara, look up. There's your rainbow!"
I looked over in the direction he was pointing, and sure enough, a large rainbow was hanging above the city of Kassel and we were in the perfect viewing spot! I snapped a gazillion pictures, of course.
Wish granted, and the timing couldn't have more ironic.
Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe has several points of interest throughout it's complex:
Many fountains, a castle, a palace, gardens, and lots of tiny lakes and ponds.
It's a LARGE park, spanning at 590 acres! In 2013, the park was officially deemed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and while visiting it's easy to see why.
I won't get into it's history, but this park has one really neato feature unlike any other park I have visited. When the fountains are running, every water feature comes alive when water is pumped through 12 kilometers of land; beginning at the Herkules monument and working it's way down through the park. The entire process begins at 2pm and reaches it's final display at 5:45pm!
It's not a quick show, but if one is quick on their feet, they can follow the water at each stage of it's decent.
The waterfalls and cascades throughout are man-made features, but pretty, nonetheless.
NOTE: Water features only operate Sundays, Wednesdays, and on German public holidays.
The illuminated cascade fountain at the Herkules monument takes place at nightfall on the first Saturday of every month (weather permitting during spring, summer, and early fall).
We visited on Saturday knowing the fountains wouldn't be operating. We were planning on visiting the city of Kassel on the day we arrived and then Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe on Sunday, but since the predicted weather looked even worse for the following day, we just went to the park on Saturday instead. After all, it was the reason we came to Kassel.
After descending down a gazillion steps, we headed off to the right, and encountered a fairy garden waterfall known as Steinhofer Wasserfall. It's a neat area, and way more scenic when the water is running (I know because I've googled). Even though the water wasn't generously flowing, I was able to find a few tiny trails of water falling.
As soon as you walk away, and continue the path ahead, you are greeted with views of Löwenburg: A beautiful castle with an interesting history.
This castles sits in ruins, and with great reason.
Wasn't necessarily bombed. No, wasn't plagued with fire, nor was it abandoned.
It was built this way!
Yes, allied forces did attack the city of Kassel during WWII, and parts of the Lowenburg castle we destroyed as a result of it, BUT the castle was already "ruined" to begin with.
Eventually the castle was put back to it's original state, as you would see it now, but the war didn't have much to do with it's middle aged appearance.
When it was commissioned,Wilhelm IX (Landgrave of Kassel) wanted it to have an Middle Ages, English Knight's castle appearance, and so it does. This castle was actually completed in 1801. If you're a bit morbid like myself, I should note that Wilhelm IX is also buried at this castle in the castle chapel.
So, it's not that old as far as castles go! It just looks that way. When up close, you can definitely see that it has a bit of a movie prop (or inauthentic) appearance, yet it's still nice to look at.
It was time for a bathroom break, so we followed the path from Lowenburg down to Schloss Wilhelmshohe; stopping at a Große Fontäne for a few pictures, but quickly on our way.
After a much needed WC visit, we walked around the backside of the 'once palace, now museum' Schloss Wilhelmshöhe, and went in the direction of the Green House building.
In German, the green house is known as Großes Gewächshaus. We didn't go inside, but from the outside, it was lovely.
At this point, we had made it halfway around the park. All of the major sites within it are kind of in a circle, IF you follow the outer paths and don't cut through the middle. There were just a few more features to visit. First stop: The Aqueduct.
The sky had changed so much throughout the day, so I wasn't surprised when it darkened at the aqueduct. It made this site in the park feel pretty eerie. It was kind of creepy! I was also scared that we'd have to seek shelter from rain again, but luckily the sky was all show.
Past the Aqueduct, Teufelsbrücke (The Devil's Bridge) sits around the corner. This is, again, probably more spectacular during the watergames, but I found it pretty anyway. Everything around this bergpark feels like a fairy tale.
Speaking of fairy tales, if you are a Brothers Grimm fan, the city of Kassel is a neato place to visit. The brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, lived, worked, and studied in Kassel for many years. Kassel is where they official made their marks! There are quite a few tributes to the brothers throughout the city, and as of September 4th of this year, a brand new museum (replacing the boring, outdated museum) has opened in Kassel to honor the brothers and their works.
However, they weren't born in Kassel and didn't die in Kassel, either.
The brothers were born in Hanau and lived there until they were five/six years old, and if you want to see their graves, you're going to have to head to Berlin.
But, if you wish to see some of their original literature works in the place in which they were wrote, Kassel is the place to be!
Contrary to popular belief, this bergpark doesn't have connections to the brothers. The only connection is the city of Kassel. I see soooo many people on Pinterest caption pictures of the castle at Bergpark Wilhelmshohe as where the Grimm Brothers lived. Sorry, no. The king who commissioned the castle in ruins actually lived there for a bit, and then his mistress. The Brothers Grimm did not.
I know, I am a buzzkill.
After the fairy tale bridge with an evil name, we proceeded in the direction of the huge cascade below Herkules. We had covered nearly all of this bergpark!
We did miss a few smaller sites, in fear of crap weather, but it was time to call it a day. Back up the wicked steps to Herkules we went.
Bergpark Wilhelshohe didn't let down. Yes, the weather could have been better, and we didn't visit on a day when the water features were running, but I still enjoyed it. I would like to return after restoration is complete of the Herkules Monument, and definitely when the water is flowing, but if I never do, I am still glad I went!
I finally had the chance to go, and let me tell you if you enjoy the outdoors and parks, this UNESCO World Heritage Park was made with you in mind!
My husband was on 'beer duty' on this particular weekend. Back in February, we traveled to Kloster Kreuzberg (see archives for FEB 2015) and we volunteered to head up again to stock for a going away party this coming weekend. I figured if we were going to head to Kreuzberg for beer, why not go down the road a bit further to see Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe?
It was a planned trip, though. Knowing that Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe is about a 4 hour drive from my house, I decided it'd be best to stay the night in Kassel (the city that the park is located in).
Well, the beer trip went okay. Kloster Kreuzberg sits on top of a mountain right at the Bavaria/Hesse border. It was a different world up there! Freezing while we walked among clouds. The 'fog' you see in photos isn't fog. They are clouds! 220€ later, we had a trunk full of beer and were on our way.
 |
| What €220 worth the monastery beer looks like. *Yes, that's my kitchen counter. Photo taken after our trip. |
 |
| Creepy monastery clouds. |
After checking into our 1970s American-porn swag styled hotel in Kassel, we jumped in the car and headed for the massive park that can be seen from anywhere in the city.
 |
| Scary hotel elevator. |
 |
| Badass hotel chandelier. |
 |
| What fine dining with beer looks like. |
The park is situated along side a mountain, and at the very top of said mountain the Herkules (that's how it's spelled in German) statue overlooks the city of Kassel.
Not really knowing where to park, we just followed the blue P signs and parked. I didn't even realize that the route we took lead up to the top of the mountain rather than the base of it. As soon as we stepped out of our vehicle, it began to rain. Now, I don't mind rain, but walking around in a park while soaking wet isn't my thing. We decided to feel it out anyway, and began walking to the massive hilltop building dubbed "Herkules Monument" and "Oktogon".
The large building where Herkules stands is under restoration and was unavailable for tours. It was completely tore up. Oh well. Story of our summer!
The only difference is that this restoration project was not mentioned on their official website unlike the restoration in Venice, Barcelona or anywhere else we have visited with restoration projects.
Rain and restoration= major bummers.
While walking to the front of the Herkules monument, I said to my husband "I better get a sweet rainbow picture since the weather sucks and this building is a bust".
Once we reached the viewing area where the entire city can be seen down below, I perched myself and began snapping pictures of the park below us. The husband nudged me and said "Tara, look up. There's your rainbow!"
I looked over in the direction he was pointing, and sure enough, a large rainbow was hanging above the city of Kassel and we were in the perfect viewing spot! I snapped a gazillion pictures, of course.
Wish granted, and the timing couldn't have more ironic.
Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe has several points of interest throughout it's complex:
Many fountains, a castle, a palace, gardens, and lots of tiny lakes and ponds.
It's a LARGE park, spanning at 590 acres! In 2013, the park was officially deemed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and while visiting it's easy to see why.
I won't get into it's history, but this park has one really neato feature unlike any other park I have visited. When the fountains are running, every water feature comes alive when water is pumped through 12 kilometers of land; beginning at the Herkules monument and working it's way down through the park. The entire process begins at 2pm and reaches it's final display at 5:45pm!
It's not a quick show, but if one is quick on their feet, they can follow the water at each stage of it's decent.
The waterfalls and cascades throughout are man-made features, but pretty, nonetheless.
NOTE: Water features only operate Sundays, Wednesdays, and on German public holidays.
The illuminated cascade fountain at the Herkules monument takes place at nightfall on the first Saturday of every month (weather permitting during spring, summer, and early fall).
We visited on Saturday knowing the fountains wouldn't be operating. We were planning on visiting the city of Kassel on the day we arrived and then Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe on Sunday, but since the predicted weather looked even worse for the following day, we just went to the park on Saturday instead. After all, it was the reason we came to Kassel.
After descending down a gazillion steps, we headed off to the right, and encountered a fairy garden waterfall known as Steinhofer Wasserfall. It's a neat area, and way more scenic when the water is running (I know because I've googled). Even though the water wasn't generously flowing, I was able to find a few tiny trails of water falling.
 |
| Saw this Octo-tree along the path! Pretty neato. It's not a marked point in the park, just something I stumbled upon. |
 |
| Steinhofer Wasserfall |
As soon as you walk away, and continue the path ahead, you are greeted with views of Löwenburg: A beautiful castle with an interesting history.
This castles sits in ruins, and with great reason.
Wasn't necessarily bombed. No, wasn't plagued with fire, nor was it abandoned.
It was built this way!
Yes, allied forces did attack the city of Kassel during WWII, and parts of the Lowenburg castle we destroyed as a result of it, BUT the castle was already "ruined" to begin with.
Eventually the castle was put back to it's original state, as you would see it now, but the war didn't have much to do with it's middle aged appearance.
When it was commissioned,Wilhelm IX (Landgrave of Kassel) wanted it to have an Middle Ages, English Knight's castle appearance, and so it does. This castle was actually completed in 1801. If you're a bit morbid like myself, I should note that Wilhelm IX is also buried at this castle in the castle chapel.
So, it's not that old as far as castles go! It just looks that way. When up close, you can definitely see that it has a bit of a movie prop (or inauthentic) appearance, yet it's still nice to look at.
It was time for a bathroom break, so we followed the path from Lowenburg down to Schloss Wilhelmshohe; stopping at a Große Fontäne for a few pictures, but quickly on our way.
After a much needed WC visit, we walked around the backside of the 'once palace, now museum' Schloss Wilhelmshöhe, and went in the direction of the Green House building.
In German, the green house is known as Großes Gewächshaus. We didn't go inside, but from the outside, it was lovely.
At this point, we had made it halfway around the park. All of the major sites within it are kind of in a circle, IF you follow the outer paths and don't cut through the middle. There were just a few more features to visit. First stop: The Aqueduct.
The sky had changed so much throughout the day, so I wasn't surprised when it darkened at the aqueduct. It made this site in the park feel pretty eerie. It was kind of creepy! I was also scared that we'd have to seek shelter from rain again, but luckily the sky was all show.
Past the Aqueduct, Teufelsbrücke (The Devil's Bridge) sits around the corner. This is, again, probably more spectacular during the watergames, but I found it pretty anyway. Everything around this bergpark feels like a fairy tale.
Speaking of fairy tales, if you are a Brothers Grimm fan, the city of Kassel is a neato place to visit. The brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, lived, worked, and studied in Kassel for many years. Kassel is where they official made their marks! There are quite a few tributes to the brothers throughout the city, and as of September 4th of this year, a brand new museum (replacing the boring, outdated museum) has opened in Kassel to honor the brothers and their works.
However, they weren't born in Kassel and didn't die in Kassel, either.
The brothers were born in Hanau and lived there until they were five/six years old, and if you want to see their graves, you're going to have to head to Berlin.
But, if you wish to see some of their original literature works in the place in which they were wrote, Kassel is the place to be!
Contrary to popular belief, this bergpark doesn't have connections to the brothers. The only connection is the city of Kassel. I see soooo many people on Pinterest caption pictures of the castle at Bergpark Wilhelmshohe as where the Grimm Brothers lived. Sorry, no. The king who commissioned the castle in ruins actually lived there for a bit, and then his mistress. The Brothers Grimm did not.
I know, I am a buzzkill.
After the fairy tale bridge with an evil name, we proceeded in the direction of the huge cascade below Herkules. We had covered nearly all of this bergpark!
We did miss a few smaller sites, in fear of crap weather, but it was time to call it a day. Back up the wicked steps to Herkules we went.
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| The view of Lowenburg from the Oktogon. |
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| Rainbow had disappeared by now, but a hint of sun rays can be found. |
Bergpark Wilhelshohe didn't let down. Yes, the weather could have been better, and we didn't visit on a day when the water features were running, but I still enjoyed it. I would like to return after restoration is complete of the Herkules Monument, and definitely when the water is flowing, but if I never do, I am still glad I went!
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