UNESCO-Welterbe Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe (Hessen Kassel Heritage)

Green World Heritage Site high above Kassel

Over 800 years of history on around 240 hectares: there is nothing like the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe anywhere else in the world. It illustrates the evolution of the art of horticulture in Europe – and how the absolute rulers used it to their advantage to emphasise their omnipotence. Nowhere else was a park this size created on such a steep hillside. How water is staged on the hillside is also exceptional: in a truly theatrical display, it rushes down from the Hercules monument over artificial rock formations, cascades and an aqueduct. The park with its historic water features has been an inscribed UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013.

The park´s long history, from a small monastery to a monumental Baroque and an English landscape garden, has left visible traces in many areas. Numerous parts of the original park have survived intact. The park´s wide variety of trees and plants is also unique; some of its trees are over 200 years old.