Wilhelmshöhe Palace

Wilhelmshöhe Palace (Schloss Wilhelmshöhe) is a neoclassical palace in Kassel, Hesse, located within the elevated Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe and notable for its art collections. The palace building dates principally to the late 18th century and was expanded and repurposed during the 19th century.

The site is best known for housing the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, a picture gallery containing Old Master paintings including works by artists such as Rembrandt and Rubens, alongside collections of antiquities and decorative arts. Exhibition rooms occupy the palace’s principal floors and are arranged for public viewing.

Historically the palace served as a princely residence before conversion into a public museum complex; the building and collections were modified through the 19th and 20th centuries to accommodate museum functions. The palace forms the architectural centrepiece of the Bergpark, which features cascades, waterworks and the Hercules statue on the park crest.

The palace stands in Kassel in northern Hesse, Germany, within the formal terraces and water parterres of Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, a short distance from the city centre.

• UNESCO context: The palace is part of the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage site noted for its water features and the Hercules monument nearby.

What to See #

• Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister: The Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister houses the palace's principal painting collection, including works by Rubens and Rembrandt, and is a major draw for art visitors.
• Palace building and courtyards: The palace's neoclassical main building contains state rooms and exhibition halls dating to the late 18th and 19th centuries, and it sits within the larger Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe landscape.