Hercules monument

The dominant of the Bergpark. Not exactly! The dominant of the whole Kassel area!

Visible from almost everywhere, this huge, green and Greek ''dude'' named Hercules is overlooking the marvelous Bergpark. It's impressive indeed, but let me be honest, it's quite a hike to reach the peak (unless you take a car and park it right behind Octagon) but it is very rewarding and totally worth it! After all, at least 230 vertical meters need to be vanquished before reaching the Octagon.

Tickets to enter the Octagon can be purchased in the vending machine next to the entry gate, however it was out of order during my visit. Instead I had to buy a ticket in the visitors center approx. 100 meters away. I bought a combined ticket for 6 EUR (it covers the Löwenburg and Wilhelmshöhe castles) and grabbed some English informative brochures.

The whole place is actually under construction so it takes a lot of magic away. Regardless of that, you can enter the rooftop of Octagon and enjoy the views from there. More inquisitive visitors can climb the pyramid - the pedestal of the Hercules statues - through a very very narrow staircase to its platforms. I didn't even know about that! The platforms are very small, located right under the statue (you won't see it though) and get packed easily. There is a nice view from there, and also from the roof of Octagon, of the whole park including the Grand Cascade and city of Kassel. The Octagon itself is empty, there is nothing to see.

As other parts of the park, neither Octagon is well maintained. Some rubbish laying around and mainly a lot of weed and grass growing from the clefts in between the bricks puts this place in a bit of a shame.

Definitely a great place to watch the water show, but be mindful that the water fountain works only on Wednesday, Sundays and some public holidays and starts at 14:30. (It is written and mentioned almost everywhere - from the park informative brochure, through the website to the local information boards).

I visited on Sunday at 11 AM and the amount of visitors was manageable, however in the early afternoons hundreds and hundreds of people came to watch the water show, therefore expect CROWDS on these particular days!

The closest toilets were available at the information center or in the nearby restaurant, where visitors can refresh and have something to bite. Visited in August 2022.