Hercules monument (Kassel)

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Hercules monument (Kassel)

51°18′58″N 9°23′35″E / 51.316°N 9.393°E / 51.316; 9.393
Location	Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, Hesse, Germany
Opening date	1717

The Hercules monument is a landmark in the German city of Kassel. It is located in the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe (Wilhelmshöhe Mountainpark) in northern Hesse, Germany.

Hercules is a copper statue depicting the ancient Greek demigod Heracles (Gr. Ηρακλής, German Herkules). The statue is located at the top of a pyramid, which stands on top of the octagon; the statue and the other parts of the monument were constructed at different times. Today "Hercules" refers to the whole monument, including the Octagon and Pyramid. The monument is the highest point in the Wilhelmshöhe Bergpark.

The monument is located in Bad Wilhelmshöhe, on the Eastern ridge of the Habichtswald. It was built in an artificial dell of the Karlsberg (526 m (1,726 ft) above sea level) on the western-most and highest location (515 m (1,690 ft)) of the line of sight Schloss Wilhelmshöhe – Hercules.

The Hercules monument and the surrounding Wilhelmshöhe Bergpark were inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2013, owing to their outstanding Baroque architecture and intricate water features.^[1]