Set in a valley in the vicinity of the town of Calden, the landscape park completes the historical »big three« – the Landgravial palace grounds of Kassel and its surroundings.
Not unlike Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe (a World Heritage site since 2013) and the Karlsaue Park, the 30-ha garden was first laid out in a Rococo style and converted into a landscape park later on. The park of Wilhelmsthal is characterised by open woodland, a Neo-Gothic viewing tower built in the shape of an artificial ruin from plans by Kassel architect Simon Louis Du Ry, and a grotto with water displays dating back to the garden's original Rococo layout.
The park's highlight is the small palace at the centre of it, Wilhelmsthal Palace, considered one of the masterpieces of German Rococo. The palace grounds are largely wheelchair-accessible. Owing to the somewhat uneven footpaths a carer/companion may be required to help visitors with impaired mobility.
Admission to the palace is by guided tour only. The building is a historical monument accessed by a flight of stairs, with an interior also featuring stairs. A carer/companion will be required to help mobility-impaired visitors. For the protection of the delicate parquetry floors, walking canes need to be fitted with rubber tips.