Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe

Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe is a landscape park in Kassel, Germany that spreads across wooded slopes and terraces, combining water displays, walking trails and Wilhelmshöhe Palace. The Hercules monument on the ridgeline crowns the grounds and marks the starting point of the water cascades that flow downhill.

The grounds took shape from 1689 under the Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel as a baroque ensemble with the Hercules statue and cascades. In the early 19th century the lower section was transformed into an English landscape garden.

The name honors Elector Wilhelm I, who redesigned the grounds in the early 19th century as an English-style garden. Today families stroll and picnic while joggers use the paths that wind between old trees.

Water displays run from May through October on Wednesdays, Sundays and holidays, letting visitors follow the flow from top to bottom through the grounds. Sturdy footwear helps on the steep sections of the terrain.

The water system creates a 50-meter (164-foot) fountain in the pond near the palace using only natural pressure without mechanical pumps. The entire installation uses the slope of the mountain to guide water over several kilometers.