Ballroom House
The
Ballroom House or Ball House stands on the grounds of the
Wilhelmshöhe Palace in Kassel Wilhelmshöhe Hill Park,
one of the venues for this year's Documenta modern art show.
In
the early 1800's, Europe was in the grip of a passion for dancing as
the Viennese waltz spread across the continent. The ruler of
Kassel, the Landgraf Wilhelm II, responded by appointing
Johann Conrad Bromeis in 1828 to convert the little royal theater next
to the Wilhelmshöhe Palace into a ballroom.
Originally the ballroom was intended for public use, because the old
dance hall nearby had been demolished in 1824. But in the end
it was reserved for court society only.
In contrast to the simple outward, the visitor enters a spacious interior days in daylight or, at night, grandly illuminated. The walls and ceiling a richly painted with arabesques. The colorful frieze over marbled three-quarter columns displays Peretz, cockatoos, golden pheasants, and ravens between a canvas festoons. The original furniture included six couches no longer extant. The curtains have been faithfully re-created from surviving drawings.
Although the French occupation under Napoleon was now over, the Landgraf upon his return to power chose to decorate the ballroom in Empire style, opting for the French style that still prevailed at European courts. As a result, after the World War II destruction of the Wilhelmshöhe Palace, the Ballhaus is Kassel's sole remaining example of the late empire interior decoration.
In contrast to the simple outward, the visitor enters a spacious interior days in daylight or, at night, grandly illuminated. The walls and ceiling a richly painted with arabesques. The colorful frieze over marbled three-quarter columns displays Peretz, cockatoos, golden pheasants, and ravens between a canvas festoons. The original furniture included six couches no longer extant. The curtains have been faithfully re-created from surviving drawings.
Although the French occupation under Napoleon was now over, the Landgraf upon his return to power chose to decorate the ballroom in Empire style, opting for the French style that still prevailed at European courts. As a result, after the World War II destruction of the Wilhelmshöhe Palace, the Ballhaus is Kassel's sole remaining example of the late empire interior decoration.
Home