For almost 300 years the Landgraves and, later, Electors of Hesse-Kassel used Karlsaue as a summer residence. Skirted by two arms of the River Fulda, the water meadows form an island which fell section by section into the possession of the territorial overlords. Starting with the Renaissance Garden, laid out in the 16^th century (close to today’s stadium), the entire area was tamed to meet the formal requirements of its absolutist owners, resulting in a baroque park. The water was channelled into artistic forms, such as pools and an ornamental framework of canals. Like so many other baroque garden artefacts, the Karlsaue was altered from the late 18^th century into a landscaped park, although its water framework survived almost entirely, as did the principal baroque vista, which on such a grand scale links the Orangery Palace via Karl’s Meadow, the Middle Avenue, the Great Pool and its Isle of Swans, with Siebenbergen Island in the Small Pool, offering panoramas across the picturesque botanical variety of this meadowland park.

This island was created while the river meadows almost encircled by the Fulda were being transformed into a baroque park under Landgrave Karl in the 18^th century.

From the outset, Siebenbergen was thoughtfully planted as a ”point de vue” at the southern tip of the principal baroque vista. From 1763, under Landgrave Friedrich II, some valuable woody varieties were added.