Germany 2011 - Day 17 - Park Wilhelmshöhe Wasserspiele
August 31st
Park Wilhelmshöhe is in Kassel which, incidentally, happens to be my father's hometown as well. Twice a week, this 300 year old park has Wasserspiele, which in English, literally translated, means "water play". Maybe it could be called a water festival? Basically, there is a large reservoir on top of the 750 foot high hill where the Hercules statue is situated and valves are opened letting water down a series of manmade falls (photos 30, 43-44), cascades (photos 31-42), a fountain (photos 49-51) and even a reconstruction of a Roman aqueduct, seen dry in photos 6-16, and flowing in 46 and 47.
Too bad part of the day was cloudy and dull but the sun did come out many times luckily! I had hiked up to the top, where the statue of Hercules is, a half hour or so before the Wasserspiele started. The view from the top down onto Kassel was great that day (photos 20, 23-24) but there was quite an unexpected crowd of people. Apparently, there was a TV crew there (photo 28), preparing a piece on the preservation of the park's histortical structures, like the crumbling base of the Hercules statue.
When the Wasserspiele started (photo 30), I endeavoured to not only make my way down the hill just ahead of the water's flow, but also to stay ahead of the sometimes slow moving crowds of people that would otherwise obstruct my view and potentially block my shots. I managed to pretty much capture the leading edge of the flow in a few photos, such as 31-34, 36, 38, 43 and 46. Unfortunately I didn't quite make it back down for the start of the main fountain in the pond right in front of Castle Wilhelmshöhe. Then again, by then it was grey and cloudy too, so photographically I didn't miss much. It takes about an hour for the water to make its way down the cascades and structures from the statue to the level of the castle. The main fountain is also gravity fed from a reservoir part way up the hill, and a second valve is opened in time with the smaller water flow reaching the pond to initiate the 150 foot high main fountain. The last photo was just a picturesque building I saw on the way back to the car.
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