Schloss Wilhelmsthal - Calden, HE-DE
N 51° 23.584 E 009° 24.955
32U E 528937 N 5693618
Wilhelmsthal Castle is a castle near the city of Kassel near Calden in the northern Hessian district of Kassel (Germany). The complex was built from 1743 to 1761 and is one of the most important Rococo castles north of the Main.
Waymark Code: WM13P9E
Location: Hessen, Germany
Date Posted: 01/22/2021
Views: 1
The castle has a large park with water features. The castle building can be visited on a daily guided tour. The park - part of the European Garden Heritage Network since 2009 - is freely accessible all year round until dark.
Wilhelmsthal Castle is about ten kilometers northwest of the city center of Kassel and about two kilometers south-southeast of the Calden town center. It is located in the valley of the small Esse tributary Jungfernbach at around 260 m above sea level. NN.
In 1643 the Hessian Countess Amalie Elisabeth, widow of Wilhelm V, bought the Amelgotzen estate. The estate was originally owned by the Helmarshausen monastery. Under the name Amalienthal, it served her as a modest country residence.
The present palace was built from 1743 to 1761 as a pleasure palace for the Hessian Landgrave Wilhelm VIII.
During the Seven Years' War there was a bloody battle at the castle in 1762. There is still a mass grave of French soldiers in the castle park today. This battle is taken up in the story of the "Tambour von Wilhelmsthal", a teenage drummer of the Braunschweig troops who accidentally triggered the attack instead of the retreat by a wrong drum signal and thus unexpectedly brought about the victory over the French troops.
The castle was designed by François de Cuvilliés as a loosely assembled three-wing complex. It was not until 1756 that Simon Louis du Ry took over the building management. The guard houses upstream come from him. The drafts for the interior fittings go back in part to Johann August Nahl (the elder). After the sculptor et al. worked in Sanssouci, he created the precious wall paneling and many stucco work.
Most of the rooms, which were formerly designed in pure Rococo, have remained unchanged. Furniture from French production in particular dominates the furnishings. Charles Cressent, Mathieu Criaerd and Bernard II van Risamburgh were among the cabinet makers who worked. German works by Abraham and David Roentgen are also in the house. Newer furnishings from the late 18th century mostly come from Wilhelmshöhe Castle near Kassel and are partly based on designs by Heinrich Christoph Jussow. A large collection of Asian lacquer furniture is also part of the original inventory of the summer palace.
The collection of the house also includes numerous Chinese and Japanese porcelains from different eras.
The castle is also known for its collection of paintings by Johann Heinrich Tischbein the Elder, including the so-called beauty gallery.
The castle now serves as a museum and is looked after by the Hessen Kassel Museum Landscape. The princely living rooms, parts of the servants' area and the large castle kitchen can be visited. The historic palace chapel in the north wing is used as an event location. In the south wing there is a small collection of tin soldiers in memory of the Seven Years War.
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