Kassel (dpa/lhe) - The state of Hesse has renovated the Löwenburg in the UNESCO World Heritage Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel for 30 million euros. On Friday (3 p.m.) the building will be reopened with an official ceremony. Among other things, Hessen's Minister of Art Angela Dorn (Greens) is expected. The 25 meter high main tower of the castle, reconstructed from artificial tufa, will be open to visitors on Saturday for the first time since 1945.
Landgrave Wilhelm IX. had the Löwenburg built at the end of the 18th century as a pleasure palace in the style of a pseudo-medieval castle. During the Second World War it was severely damaged and the keep was completely destroyed. An entire floor has now been renovated and fitted with the original 19th-century inventory.
Work on the Löwenburg began in 2005. Its reconstruction is part of the reorganization of the Kassel museum landscape, in which the state of Hesse is investing a total of 200 million euros. The money also flowed into the renovation of the water features in the Bergpark, which was completed in 2017.
The Löwenburg is located in the mountain park between Wilhelmshöhe Castle and Hercules. It was laid out as a ruin from the start. Kassel's first and last Elector Wilhelm I left the castle - even before he was elevated to Elector as Landgrave Wilhelm IX. - built for his mistress Karoline von Schlotheim. After his death in 1821 he was also buried here.
