Bergpark, Fridericianum, Grimmwelt - here are the tips for a perfect Kassel weekend.
Friday afternoon, 3 p.m., first arrive. This can be done quite comfortably under the awnings of the Café Eislust on Friedrichsplatz. This is where the heart of the city of 200,000 people beats: a little way up the square are the town hall and Obere Königsstraße, Kassel's main shopping street. Directly opposite rises the Museum Fridericianum with its magnificent columns. Every five years, the building is a hotspot for the documenta, but there are also very worthwhile exhibitions there outside the major art show.
Those who prefer the greenery walk just a few steps down to the Karlsaue. Kassel treats itself to a 150-hectare landscape park right next to its city center. It's a wonderful place to stroll, along the meadows, through the woods, until at some point the glowing facade of the Orangerie appears again. The terrace of the 18th century country palace is an ideal place for an aperitif. For dinner, walk a short distance along the banks of the Fulda; starting at the historic wire bridge, there are several restaurants where you can end your day in Kassel with a good meal right on the water.
We start our tour in the Vorderer Westen: The area around Bebelplatz has become a trendy district with boutiques, concept stores and cafés. A good (second) breakfast can be had at "Westend" or at "Satt und glücklich. In Kassel, the distances are short. You can choose to look at the large-scale street art in the Schillerviertel. Or one explores the many permanent documenta remnants in the city, such as the 7000 oaks by Joseph Beuys. In the afternoon we meet great German poets: On a former vineyard lies the Grimmwelt, on five floors, it enchants not only a young audience. The modern presentation of the fairy tales and the dictionary of the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm is award-winning. Afterwards, take a stroll through the vineyard terraces and work up an appetite for dinner. If you're looking for something special, Mondi is the place to go: The restaurant even received a Michelin star for its green cuisine. Later, head for a drink in one of the bars in the Vorderer Westen - in other words, to the place where the day began. The rest of the stay is reserved for Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe. If you don't want to scramble up the 539 steps, you start right at the top at Hercules, where a public bus even stops. The statue is monumental, with a pyramid and octagon below it rising 71 meters into the sky. From the platform you can see far over the city and the park.
It extends over an area of 560 hectares on the slopes of the Habichtswald, and since 2013 it has even been a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its unique garden art. There are also two truly magnificent buildings to discover: the defiant Löwenburg, once the pleasure palace of the landgraves, and the large Wilhelmshöhe Palace, with its museums and its impressive collection of Old Masters. In the season from May to October, another highlight awaits with the baroque water games, where the floods rush over the cascades in a colossal fountain into the Neptune basin in front of the castle. A real spectacle - and the perfect end to a short trip to Kassel.
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And as beautiful as Kassel is, there is also plenty to see around the city. The poppy blossoms in Frau-Holle-Land, a torch-lit canoe tour on the Werra River or hiking at Lake Diemel - there is a lot going on in the GrimmHeimat NordHessen.
Cover photo: He is the landmark of Kassel: Already since 1717 the Hercules towers over the city © Kassel Marketing GmbH/Jörg Conrad
Hiking through quiet low mountain ranges, old beech forests or orchards, paddling on the Lahn, looking at the most beautiful medieval half-timbered houses and soaking up the atmosphere of historic spas - Hessen makes romantic souls happy all around. But gourmets also get their money's worth on wine hikes, in Hessian butcher shops and with "Handkäs mit Musik", a pickled cheese. Reasons for a Vacation in Hesse there are enough!
