Hercules monument (Kassel)
The Hercules is a copper statue of the Greek demigod Heracles (Latin Hercules, Hercules Germanized ) in the mountain park William height in Kassel (North Hesse, Germany ). The statue, which is considered a landmark of the city of Kassel, located on the top of a pyramid, which stands on the octagon, the giant castle. Today, the name " Hercules" not only for the statue, but the entire building, which also forms the starting point of the summer water games in the mountain park is. The octagon and the Hercules go back to different stages of construction. Since June 23, 2013 is the Hercules - as part of the mountain park William height - as an example of absolutist Architecture in the World Heritage List of UNESCO.
The building is in the district of Bad Wilhelm height, on the eastern ridge of the hawk forest. It was in a light, artificially shaped trough of Karl mountain on the western and at the same time highest point (515 m) of the visual axis lock William height ( 526.2 m above mean sea level. ) - Hercules built.
History
The result of the castle-like Hercules in the years 1701 to 1717 to designs by the Italian Giovanni Francesco Guerniero. The total investment carries including the Hercules upstream cascades builders, Landgrave Charles of Hesse -Kassel, the term Karlberg and is under this term, both spatially and architecturally a baroque aspect and Western completion of mountain parks Wilhelm height.
Already in 1696 was started under Landgrave Karl with the construction of a central axis of the then modest parks. In parallel, about 500 m south-southeast of present-day Hercules and a few meters below the summit of the mountain hut ( 555 m) were on the Eastern edge of the forest hawk built first building parts for a giant castle - Little Hercules or age Winterkasten called. But we decided not to consider the mountain hut as the future focus of the park. The place of construction was abandoned and set local work. At the ruined building, which is overgrown by the forest for a long time, some walls and foundation remains of about 7 m in height are still available.
It was only in 1699 learned Landgrave Karl in Italy Giovanni Francesco Guerniero know. With the construction of the baroque giant castle was begun in 1701, the Hercules statue on the roof of the pyramid was erected on 30 November 1717 by which the building was completed. Due in November, typical for Kassel inhospitable weather, the "birthday" of the building is celebrated on July 17 in reference to the year of completion.
The jointly developed by Landgraf and architect design was changed several times, so the pyramid is attributed to the Hercules statue a later idea of the ruler. Show Stitches In 1706, made that much more extensive construction projects were planned, as were ultimately executed. Guerniero wanted the downslope upstream cascades down the entire mountainside, leading up to today's Castle Wilhelm height. Realized it was only about a quarter of the length, which is likely to have less located at the will of the Landgrave as his limited financial resources. The remaining space between cascade and the castle was finally 70 years later - filled and now forms the core of the English landscape garden - - by completely contrary basically planning the mountain park William height.
On 31 August 2011, the application was signed to suggest the mountain park William height as the Hercules of the UNESCO World Heritage of Culture Minister Eva Kühne -Hörmann. In January 2012, the State of Hesse presented the application to register the " water games and Hercules in the mountain park William height" of the Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to UNESCO in Paris. This initiated the request to the World Heritage Centre of UNESCO on, the positively decided in June 2013 on the application.
Octagon and Statue
The Hercules is 70.5 m high, of which 32.65 m attributable to the octagon, 29.60 m allows the attached pyramid ( Pyramid 26,10 m; pyramid base 3.5 m) and 8.25 m on the Hercules statue. The total height of the pyramid including the statue is 37.85 m. The height difference between the skull of the statue, which is located at 596 m, and the Neptune pool is 179 m.
The octagonal structure was built as an open, unglazed giant castle, with its three-story structure, ascending passes from natural way about each other erect rock, as a supporting foundation - building, in geometrically arranged architecture. At its outer sides stairways lead to the upper floors. The lower floor was provided with four rocky arches, whose easternmost you can get into the building. Inside it is an octagonal courtyard, in the bottom of which a water reservoir is embedded. The much smaller arches of the second floor have already been performed in geometrischeren forms. On the top floor, brick struts and arches made in the of smooth stone facades, rests the huge viewing platform, the Belvedere. The octagonal Belvedere are scheduled four risalits, which give the overall structure characterizing the silhouette.
On the east side of the platform perched on a square base, a square pyramid with the standing thereon statue of Hercules, which also stands on a square base. It weighs 3 tons and consists of a metal skeleton with copper sheet ( various sources state that between 1 and 3 mm thick) was spanned. Only the head is 1.72 m high. The statue is a 1717 completed work of the Augsburg goldsmith Johann Jacob Anthoni, who drove in Kassel in Messinghof in copper. Art History includes the figure for the type of the Farnese Hercules, the resting himself, of his deeds thoughtful Heracles. The hero - in nachsinnender, slightly forward bent position - based on his mace, which is hung with the fur of the Nemean lion (1st act ). His right hand is on the back and keeps the apples of the Hesperides ( 11 Act). They represent love, fertility and eternal youth, the lion's skin, for example for power. Hercules was an ideal of the ruler, replaced especially in the 16th and early 17th century, the Apollo in the Enlightenment and classical music. Both ideals which (also) claimed the Landgrave of Hesse -Kassel in different times for themselves, are exemplary in the mountain park, present with the statue of Hercules and Apollo in the Kassel Wilhelm height lock.
Dimensions of the figure
Cascade
For overall system Karlberg includes the eastern direction down the slope upstream cascade, a 250 meter long stone structure, which is a gigantic enlarged into water stairs. It forms the upper part of the course of water games. The central part of the 9 -m-wide cascade system, the 5.50 m wide main cascade is accompanied on both sides by 1.75 m wide and running at a slightly higher level secondary cascades. The cascade fed from Sichelbach basin of water, are overcome about 80 meters in height per water feature 350,000 liters of water between the giant head Basin and the Neptune pool between them; between the top two water outlets that are located above the Vexierwassergrotte on the Hercules, and the Neptune pool, which was built at the lowest end of the cascade, these are about 105 m height difference. The total length of the water system is between the Vexierwassergrotte and the Neptune pool about 320 m; including the octagon this is about 400 m.
The cascade can be divided by three intervening water basins. Their function in the context of water games consists in a " Choreografierung " of water flow: the over down the steps flowing from above water is stopped for a few seconds, and a bit later - to continue its way across the gigantic stone steps - from the basin out. For overcoming the entire plant, the water takes 30 minutes down to the fountain pond west of the Castle Wilhelm height even an hour.
The cascades are accompanied by steps that were built in the usual human standards and visitors access to the building open and allow the water games. Including these built walk on both sides of stairs ( 539 steps to the right, on the left 535 steps), the system is 12 m wide. From Neptune pools up in a statue of Hercules, there are a total of 885 steps.
Between the Octagon and the cascade is the Vexierwassergrotte as well as a spatial system of basins, steps ( Small cascade called ) and platforms with fountains, whose decorative figures quoted mythological motifs.
Building materials and erosion
Virtually all of the buildings - Octagon and cascades - consists of lapilli tuff, the basalt Hawk Forest, which was won in nearby quarries. The soft material had the advantage of relatively good machinability, but it weathered relatively fast and provides for 300 years a problem while preserving the structure dar. main problem here is the frost erosion: The porous tuff absorbed at the surface rain water. This wet edge areas of bursting at Frost from layers. Another problem is the sheer mass of the building and the different ground. The structure is forced apart from its own weight. While the western part resting on a stable basalt base, the east side facing the city stands on tuff and Lehmschutt. Pending the implementation of the anchoring hole threatened eastern and offshore caves sliding down the Karlberg. Some halls and the entire south wing are blocked due to collapse or rock fall hazard to visitors.
Rehabilitation
Since autumn 2005, urgent and extensive restoration work to preserve the building will take place. They are part of the country concept for the reorganization of the Museum Hessen Kassel and should be completed for Science and Culture in 2011, according to the Hessian Ministry. For the cost of the renovation of 21 million euros were originally estimated, due to delays as a result of further previously not known losses and rising construction costs, the ministry estimated in May 2011, the cost to approximately 30 million euros.
As in the years 1900 and 1951, carried out since 2006 in connection with a reconstruction of a building and such of the statue; this was, inter alia, the head removed and exhibited for some time in late 2006 in the Castle Wilhelm height. The metal skeleton, previously enclosed in lead iron has been replaced by a stainless steel construction. In August 2008, the head was replaced. From May 2011 platform and pyramid should be able to be released to the public. After this date was postponed in June 2011 to the end of August, the re-opening was held on September 4. From the renovation budget to date, 13.6 million euros were spent. Among other things, a new visitor center was built on the plateau, which is to offer to the recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site Mountain Park with arts and Hercules, among other information. The renovation work is expected to be completed by 2013.
View opportunity
Already from the foot of Hercules, but especially of his great viewing platform to a wide view:
To the east, the view over the main axis of the mountain park William height coincides with the cascades and the Castle Wilhelm height along the Wilhelm Allee towards the city center of Kassel, where almost the entire city is visible. Not to be overlooked is the avenue to the large canopy of the station Kassel -Wilhelm height. On the horizon Kaufunger forest, the High Meissner and the Söhre from north to south of the Reinhardswald to recognize. Between the two first-mentioned forests of Gaußturm can be made out on the Hohenhagen in Dransfelder forest, especially when it is illuminated by the standing already quite low in the west sun. To the northeast you can see even the Brocken in the Harz past the Hohenhagen in clear weather, especially with a prism binoculars. To the west is a look at the high altitudes of the forest hawk, for example over to the vinegar mountain with the communications tower Hawk Forest and to the northwest over to the High Dörnberg. To the southwest you look to the basement forest where the towers are visible on the desert garden and the Hohen Lohr.
Transport links and walking
The Hercules can be reached directly by car or by bus, the second solution for those particular most sense to explore the Hercules and the park completely and want to experience the Kassel fountains completely or chronologically. From 1903 to 1966 promoted the Herkulesbahn people of Kassel up to Hercules, today city buses. Directly past the Hercules perform the trails hawk Waldsteig, Herkulesweg, Kassel - climbing, fairy tale land and students path.
Trivia
In the brewery founded in 1861 in Kassel Losch Herkules beer was brewed in 1897, the brewery was later renamed Hercules brewery. This was taken over in 1972 by Binding and closed in 1999.