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City in Hesse, Germany
Photo: Pedelecs, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Kassel (population 201,000 in 2020) is the most important city in North Hesse. It is known around the world for the Documenta exhibitions of contemporary art every five years. The Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe and its water displays are a .
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Since 2013 on the UNESCO World Heritage List, worth visiting is the "Bergpark" (Mountainpark) which is supposedly the largest in Europe and second largest park on a mountain slope in the world. The park contains the Herkules statue at its top end which is towering over the city and has become its symbol. Further the park contains loads of smaller features which are mainly fake Greek temples, fake medieval castles, fake quarries - you see where we are getting. Not fake though are the Rembrandts and Rubens paintings in the Schloss in the park - an entrance fee is charged. The Park also features during summer months (1 May-3 Oct) the Wasserspiele (watergames) every Wednesday, Sunday and on public holidays starting from 14:30. Various of the features such as the Cascades (below the Herkules statue), the fake waterfall and the fake Roman Aqueduct have their water supplies opened for half an hour or so each and the crowd of tourists will move from feature to feature starting on the higher parts moving down slope. Löwenburg and Schloss Wilhelmshöhe (palace Wilhelmshöhe) with its old masterpieces of art.
Staatspark Karlsaue
Karlsaue, another, French-style park with some old buildings containing all sort of museums (tapstries to astrology). That area is also the usual place for the Documenta art exhibition to happen every five years (next summer 2022). Siebenbergen flower island (Blumeninsel Siebenbergen). Orangerie. Cabinet of Astronomy and Physics with planetarium (Astronomisch Physikalisches Kabinett mit Planetarium). Marble Baths (Marmorbad)
Lion's Castle
The Löwenburg was built between 1793 and 1801. Although it seems on the first view as a romantic knight’s castle from the Middle Ages, it is a pleasure palace for Landgrave Wilhelm IX of Hesse-Cassel. The castle is one of the first significant buildings of the Gothic Revival architecture in Germany. Visitors can inspect armours, weapons and baroque rooms.
Museum Palace Wilhelmshöhe
with Collection of Antiques and Old Masters Picture Gallery. The Schloss Wilhelmshöhe was built in a Neoclassical style between 1786 and 1798 for Landgrave Wilhelm (William) IX of Hesse. Emperor Wilhelm II use the palace as a summer residence and personal retreat. Today visitors find in the palace an antiquities collection, the famous Gallery of the Old Masters (which includes one of the world's largest Rembrandt collections, based on the collection of William VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel) and a Graphic Arts Collection.
Weissenstein Wing
The Weißensteinflügel is the south wing of Schloss Wilhelmshöhe and was built from 1786 to 1790. In contrast to Schloss Wilhelmshöhe it was not destroyed during the Second World War. The Weißensteinflügel accommodated the landgrave’s living quarters and representative rooms. Today visitors can walk through 23 of the historic palace rooms.
Museum of Hessian history
The Grimmwelt is a museum dedicated to the Brothers Grimm, who spent most of their lives in Kassel. The museum focuses on the brothers work in linguistics and on the brothers’ significant contribution to folklore, as the authors of a lot different famous fairy tales. The British newspaper The Guardian listed the Grimmwelt on its list of the 10 best new museums in 2015.
Museum for sepulchral culture
The Museum für Sepulkralkultur shows a lot of different exhibits about the topics death and dead remembrance. Opened in 1992, the museum is the sole museum about this selection of topics in Germany. Visitors can see among other things burial gown, caskets, dolour costumes and tombstones. If the museum spark your interest, visit also the Künstlernekropole in the Habichtswald, a spezial cemetery for artists.
New Gallery
The Neue Galerie is an art museum, built between 1871 and 1877. In the Second World War the building was damaged and burned out in 1943, so that large parts of the collection were lost. In 1976 the museum opened again and included today a large collection of German Expressionists and an additional collection of contemporary art works from the 19th and 20th centuries with Romantic and Impressionist paintings.
Marble Bathhouse
The Marmorbad is located next to the Orangerie and was built from 1722 to 1728. It is Germany's last intact and prominent bath from the Late Baroque and is one of the most famous works of Roman profane sculpture of the early 18th century. Visitors can find in the Marmorbad among other things marble sculptures and wall reliefs portraying the Metamorphosis of Ovid, created by Pierre Etienne Monnot (1657–1733).
Orangery
with Cabinet of Astronomy and Physics and Planetarium. The Orangerie was built from 1701 to 1710 and is located in the northern corner of the Karlsaue. The Orangerie was also damaged during the Second World War and the ruins were used for the Bundesgartenschau 1955 and the documenta 1. In the 1970s the Orangerie was restored, so that today it is in the condition from 1872, except that the interior is to a new design.
with Kollektiv Café Kurbad. The Kurbad Jungborn is the last one from the many river baths on the Fulda in the last century, but is not working any more. Rather, today it house a museum about the swimming baths in Kassel and urban hinterland as well as a nice cafe in a historic style direct on the large river Fulda.
Museum of Natural Science
The Ottoneum, since 1888 a museum of natural history, was the first theater building in Germany and built between 1603 and 1606. During World War II more than half of the collection was lost. Objects of interest are the Goethe Elephant Skeleton, the Schildbach Wooden Library and the Ratzenberger Herbarium. However, there are alternate exhibitions and permanent exhibitions.
The Fridericianum was built from 1769 to 1779 by the architect Simon Louis du Ry for Landgrave Friedrich II and is one of the oldest public museums in Europe. The museum is located on the Friedrichsplatz, one of the major inner-city squares in Germany. Every five years the Fridericianum is the central point of the documenta. Next to the Fridericianum stands the Zwehrenturm, which was built in 1330 and a part of the town fortification of Kassel.
The documenta Archiv goes back to an idea of Arnold Bode (1900-1977), the founder of the documenta. It is a special library for modern art since 1945, artist literature, exhibition catalogues and grey literature. Core tasks of the archiv are the supply of the documenta with diverse material and the support for academic work from students, abstractors and scientists.
The institution Caricatura was founded in 1984. It operates the Galerie für Komische Kunst in the main station of Kassel, called KulturBahnhof, and the Museum für Komische Kunst in Frankfurt. On the gallery associated is a little shop, where you can buy for example post cards with motives from pictures from the exhibition and a café bar, which is opened Th-Sa from 19:00.
The Spohr Museum is dedicated to Louis Spohr, a German composer, violinist and conductor who lived from 1784 to 1859. He was considered one of the greatest violinists of his day, and he was also very famous and influential as a Romantic composer. While Spohr was living in Kassel between 1822 and 1859, he directed both the local orchestra and a violin school that attracted students from throughout Europe.
The Henschel Museum + Sammlung is dedicated to the German company Henschel & Sohn, who was located in Kassel. Henschel & Sohn, founded in 1810, was the largest locomotive manufacturer in Germany by the 20th century, but produced also locomotives, trucks, buses, trolleybuses, armoured fighting vehicles and weapons (World War II).
The Technik-Museum Kassel shows visitors an extensive collection of technical objects, precision tools, models, machines, and motor vehicles. Highlights are the Transrapid 05, the old rescue helicopter of Kassel Christoph 7 (typ Bölkow Bo 105), the steam locomotive 44 481, a 1:1 wood pattern of the first Henschel locomotive Drache and many old trams of Kassel.
The Christuskirche was built between 1902 and 1903. A peculiarity of the church is the Kaiserloge, built for Kaiser Wilhelm II. and his wife Auguste Viktoria. Only Auguste Viktoria used the Kaiserloge and visited the services.
Cross jugendkulturkirche
The Lutherkirche was built from 1894 to 1897. Damaged in the Second World War, only the spire was preserved. It is with a height of 76 m the highest building of Kassel.
The Martinskirche was built from 1364 to 1462. The church was damaged in World War II, and rebuilt in different styles. Both spires are very distinctive points in the city of Kassel.
The Friedenskirche was built between 1905 and 1908, the architect Johannes Roth built also the Christuskirche. The little Apostelkapelle belongs to the Friedenskirche too.
Oberneustädter Kirche
The Karlskirche is a Protestant church, built from 1698 to 1710 by Paul du Ry. After destruction in the Second World War, the Karlskriche was rebuilt in a simple version in 1957. The glockenspiel is worth hearing (M W 17:30-18:00, F 11:30-12:00).
The Klosterkirche Nordshausen (minster) is the oldest church in Kassel. It was mentioned for the first time in the year 1257 and has excellent accoustics. Every month there are concerts in the old church.
Joseph Beuys
documenta 7 / documenta 8;
Lois Weinberger
documenta 10;
Thomas Schütte
documenta 9;
Ulrich Rückriem
documenta 7;
Jonathan Borofsky
documenta 9;
Max Neuhaus
documenta 9;
Horst H. Baumann
documenta 6;
Giuseppe Penone
documenta 13;
Haus Rucker & Co
documenta 6;
Per Kirkeby
documenta 9;
Claes Oldenburg
documenta 7;
Lawrence Weiner
documenta 13;
Anatol
documenta 6;
Walter de Maria
documenta 6;
Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller
documenta 13;
Kurhessen-Therme (Line 1)
Staatstheater (Line 16)
Hohes Gras (Line 22)
A classic German experience with full restaurant/bar on the main level and 15 rooms on the upper two floors. All rooms with WC and shower and TV. Rate includes a large breakfast buffet. The restaurant has daily specials, and serves reasonably priced, true German cuisine.
A clean budget hotel in an industrial area a couple of kilometres from downtown, right at the Autobahn exit. If you are travelling by car, this is an excellent choice, if travelling by train or other kind of transportation, not. The hotel restaurant could be compared to a fast-food joint, but again, if you have a car you can drive to the city centre for a better meal.
Boutique hotel in the historic walled city, with 12 rooms, each one unique in its design dedicated to famous artists.
By train
Kassel is an important hub in the ICE network and is one of the cities on the first purpose-built German high speed rail line connecting Würzburg and Hanover.
By bus
The Busbahnhof Kassel Wilhelmshöhe (intercity bus station), also known as the ZOB, adjoins the Kassel-Wilhemshöhe Bahnhof.
By plane
The next major airports are in Hanover (HAJ) and of course Frankfurt airport (FRA).
From the station, trams leave towards the town centre and one can easily walk to the Bergpark which is visible from where the trams leave. If you are staying a few days in Kassel buy a public transport Wochenkarte.
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