This teahouse was built at the same time that Landgravine Caroline von Hessen-Homburg was having her "Fantasia" pleasure garden laid out in the western part of the castle gardens. It was the first landgravial attempt at designing a landscape garden following the traditional English style. This style, which is based on a "planned naturalness and authenticity", became popular in Germany from about 1750 onwards as a design alternative to the French-inspired, Baroque-style garden. Back then, "Fantasia" featured several small houses and pavilions. The teahouse was an example of the enthusiasm felt for the "chinoiserie" of the time and was thus modelled after a Chinese pagoda. Caroline's husband, Landgrave Frederick V, named it the "Temple of Pomona" after the Roman goddess of tree fruit, a reference to its immediate proximity to the Royal Orchard. Having experienced a very chequered history with many alterations and repairs, the teahouse was rebuilt in 2020 according to drawings preserved from the 1870s. Inside, an exhibition entitled "Fruit Culture" provides insights into the world of historical fruit as well as today's common apple and pear varieties. Today, the small teahouse once again bears its historical name, "Temple of Pomona".
