On 23 June 2013, »Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe« was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage list. Its Outstanding Universal Value was recognised to be the park’s orchestration of the primeval power of water as a representation of an Absolutist prince’s rule.

The water features were created over a period of almost a hundred years. Landgave Carl’s monumental structure with the Octagon and Cascades was laid out in the Baroque style; by contrast, Landgrave Wilhelm IX displayed the vast amounts of water within a setting of huge and imposing built sceneries, all embedded in the surroundings of a landscape park. The design of the individual sceneries, such as the water pouring out from the Octagon and down the Grand Cascades towards Neptune’s Basin, or its tumbling down from the Aqueduct to create the world’s tallest waterfall in an artist-designed park, is as varied as it is impressive. This booklet outlines the history of the water features of Wilhelmshöhe Park and describes the technology used to operate them.