La Cascade dans le parc de Napoleonshöhe près Cassel. 1811
After one of J. H. Martens’ painting depicting famous Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel.
It’s the largest European hillside park. Construction of the Bergpark, or “mountain park”, began in 1689 at the behest of the Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel and took about 150 years.
In 1806 Kassel became the capital of the newly created Kingdom of Westphalia, a vassal state of France, ruled by Napoleon’s brother Jérôme Bonaparte. He kept court at the palace of Wilhelmshöhe (which was renamed Napoleonshöhe) until 1813, after Napoleon’s defeat and the restoration of the electorate.