Bellevue Palace

Palais Bellevue stands beside the Fulda River in central Kassel, a compact 18th-century palace built in 1714 as an observatory for Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. The French architect Paul du Ry designed the building for its original purpose, but by the 1720s it had become a residence for courtiers such as Barbara Christine von Bernhold. Prince Frederick II later turned the grounds into an Anglo-Chinese garden, the first on the continent, and opened a public museum of natural history and classical art nearby. The palace passed through many hands: Jérôme Bonaparte occupied it during the Napoleonic era, while Jacob Grimm visited often as royal librarian. After the wars it returned to the Hesse family and in the 20th century became a public art gallery under Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse. The city acquired the building in 1956 and for decades housed the Municipal Art Collection and the Louis Spohr museum. Visitors find a three-storey structure with simple yet elegant facades and a classical portal topped by a balcony. Inside, rococo and classicist details remain, including a well-preserved staircase and a large ground-floor room with pilasters. The rear garden once framed by the Anglo-Chinese layout now offers quiet views toward the Neue Galerie. Though the Brothers Grimm exhibition has moved, the palace’s restrained elegance and layered history still shape its quiet presence in the city.