Wilhelmsbad Castle (Ruin) (Hanau)

Built between 1779 and 1781, the castle, in the immediate vicinity of the former spa, is surrounded by gnarled oaks on an artificial island. It is one of the earliest and thus most significant examples of a pseudo-medieval park castle with a ruinous character on the European continent.

Built as a summer residence for Hereditary Prince Wilhelm of Hesse-Kassel, the seemingly dilapidated tower aimed to surprise visitors: inside, the pleasure palace, in the guise of a medieval castle ruin, housed an elegant living apartment and a magnificent domed hall. Anton Wilhelm Tischbein, the Hanau court painter of the late 18th century, adorned the hall with the ancestors of the Hereditary Prince and builder of the spa and bathing complex, which originated from 1777.

The castle was stripped of all its furnishings at the end of the 19th century. Today, visitors are once again greeted by the Hereditary Prince's private living quarters, furnished according to historical inventories.

Since 1999, the castle ruin in Hanau-Wilhelmsbad State Park has been accessible to the public for the first time after extensive renovation and restoration work.