Bei Gästen aus aller Welt ist Kassel überaus beliebt – nur wir Deutschen haben die hessische Metropole noch nicht so richtig als Städteziel auf dem Plan. Sollten wir unbedingt ändern – denn Kassel ist eine der grünsten, kunstsinnigsten und märchenhaftesten Städte, die wir haben. Acht Gründe, bald mal hinzufahren.
The major city with 202,000 inhabitants is located about 70 kilometers northwest of the geographical center of Germany, close to the borders with Lower Saxony and Thuringia. To this day, residences and castles recall its role as the former capital of the Landgraviate of Hesse.
Okay, it only takes place every five years, but it casts its shadow ahead, remains in memory and has permanently changed the image of the city of Kassel: The documenta, at home in Kassel since 1955, is considered the world's most important exhibition of contemporary art. In the past, it has repeatedly succeeded in setting standards and triggering exciting art discourses.
But it is also not bad, if you don't visit Kassel at documenta time. Because the past exhibitions have left interesting traces - the whole of Kassel is basically an open-air art park. Just two examples: Joseph Beuys' work "7000 Eichen - Stadtverwaldung statt Stadtverwaltung" (7000 Oaks - Urban Forestation instead of City Administration) is spread throughout the city and continues to shape the urban space long after documenta 7 of 1982 ended. The trees can each be recognized by a basalt stele next to them. Since 1992, "Die Fremden" (The Strangers) by Thomas Schütte has stood on top of the SinnLeffers fashion store on Friedrichsplatz - a colorful group of figures with makeshift luggage that seems somewhat lost up there. Additional tip: Also stop by the Neue Galerie. There you will find works of classical modernism and German impressionism, as well as documenta art from past decades.
And if they have not died ... then they are still alive today: In the past, fairy tales were told from generation to generation, and for a long time they did not even exist in written form. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, however, who are also regarded as something like the founding fathers of German studies, collected the fairy tales of their homeland in the 19th century and finally published them as a book under the title "Kinder- und Hausmärchen. So we have them to thank for a cultural treasure that almost every child grows up with today.
The two Grimms, in turn, lived und arbeiteten lange Zeit auch in Kassel. Deshalb kannst du in der vor wenigen Jahren neu entstandenen und mehrfach ausgezeichneten GRIMMWELT Kassel ihre Ideen und die von ihnen gesammelten Märchen auf eine spannende, moderne Weise näher kennenlernen. Multimedial und auch künstlerisch vermittelt tauchst du tief ein in das faszinierende Leben, Schaffen und Wirken der Brüder. Zu den wertvollsten Exponaten zählen übrigens die Handexemplare der Kinder‐ und Hausmärchen – die mittlerweile ins Weltdokumentenerbe der UNESCO aufgenommen wurden. In ihnen haben Jacob und Wilhelm handschriftliche Notizen zu Blockbustern wie Rotkäppchen oder Hänsel und Gretel gemacht, bevor die Texte endgültig in Druck gingen. Auf dem nahe gelegenen Brüder-Grimm-Platz steht eine Bronzestatue mit den Grimms – dort können Besucher den Museumseindrücken noch etwas nachhängen.
Everyone knows the Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe ICE station, der auf dem Weg von Nord nach Süd in Deutschland schon einmal umsteigen musste. Aber wer ahnt schon, dass man dort am besten erst einmal alle „weiteren Reisemöglichkeiten“ ignoriert und das Gepäck einschließt, um durch den Wilhelmshöhe Mountain Park zu spazieren? Der hat einen großen Pflanzenreichtum, gilt als der größte Bergpark Europas und liegt nur zwei Kilometer entfernt. Seit 2013 gehört er zum Welterbe der UNESCO – nicht zuletzt wegen seiner gigantischen Wasserspiele. An Mittwoch- und Sonntagnachmittagen (sowie an Feiertagen) stürzen hoch über Kassel während der Sommermonate nämlich bei jeder Wasserspiele-Vorführung über 750.000 Liter Wasser kunstvoll den Berg hinab, und zwar von einem Oktogon, das eine riesige Herkules-Statue bewacht, über künstliche Felsen, Treppen und Aquädukte. Am Ende sorgt eine 50 Meter hohe Fontäne, die im Schlossteich emporsteigt, jedes Mal für lautstarke Ahs und Ohs bei den Gästen aus aller Welt. Einmal im Monat kann man sich das Spektakel abends illuminiert ansehen.
How it all began? Beginning in 1689, Landgrave Charles of Hesse-Kassel, inspired by the dramatic topography of the site, designed the baroque Bergpark and the 250-meter-long path of water - to this day, no pumps are needed for the spectacle. Later, his grandson Wilhelm I continued building. All together, it is still a unique testimony to European Absolutism - and a never-ending summer water festival in Kassel. More sights in the Mountain Park include Wilhelmshöhe Palace with its Gallery of Old Masters, Collection of Classical Antiquities and Collection of Prints and Drawings, as well as the artificial ruin of Löwenburg Castle.
One of the most unusual sights of Kassel awaits you in the trendy Schillerviertel district: there you can now see around 30 large-format murals by the Kassel graffiti and street art project KolorCubes - which have become a public art gallery. The Schillerviertel is also home to the KolorCubes WorkSpace, an art studio with a cultural office, where workshops are offered and tours of the Public Art Gallery start. The graffiti art can also be discovered with a free audio guide. You can get it download here on the cell phone:
A delicious export - known far beyond the borders of Hesse: Ahle Wurscht is an air-dried or lightly cold-smoked long-life sausage made from pork. The designation 'Ahl' stands for the word 'alt', i.e. 'old sausage', because the Kassel specialty is allowed to mature for a very long time so that it develops its full flavor. It is seasoned with salt, pepper and saltpetre, but other spices are also added, depending on the region. Maturing in high humidity ensures that the Ahle Wurscht becomes quite crumbly - its unmistakable characteristic. Tip: When strolling through the beautiful market hall in the historic Marstall, buy Ahle Wurscht at the same time. There are a total of around 70 stalls there with fine food, street food and specialties from the region.
Sounds pretty fabulous too - but is above all an interesting flower paradise: The island Siebenbergen was artificially created in 1710 in the Karlsaue state park and redesigned a good 100 years later. The then court garden director Wilhelm Hentze was in charge of the Kurhessian gardens from 1834 and created a kind of botanical garden on the small island, combining exotic plants with native flowers. Because of his particular enthusiasm for early bloomers, he transformed the island into a colorfully spotted garden every spring. Today, over 100 different plant species from all over the world grow there - but the tradition of welcoming the year with thousands of early bloomers has of course remained.
In Kassel, many roofs are buzzing and humming, because amateur beekeeper Victor Hernandez has been very successful for several years running a City honey apiary - with a great deal of heart and passion. His bee colonies live on rooftops in various parts of Kassel, because the city is so green that the insects find enough food. And since there is no agriculture within the city, but the variety of plants is great, Hernandez produces a very aromatic and pesticide-free blossom honey. The high quality of Kassel city honey has already won several awards. You can buy it in the small farm store of the apiary in Kassel's Nordstadt - or in the online store. Victor Hernandez also offers guided tours around the Kassel bees for those interested, which he calls "Rendezvous with the Queen".
Climate, Evolution, World Change - if these are not current topics: The Kassel Museum of Natural History shows how local nature in Hesse has changed over the past 400 million years. You will encounter animals, landscapes and climatic conditions then and now. The interactive presentation of regional geological and natural history with elaborately designed habitat presentations also makes the Ottoneum an exciting family museum destination. Because you will also meet mammoths, cave bears and dinos there. Special exhibitions are regularly on the program (until September 4, 2021, for example, one about animal children past and present).
By train comfortably and without traffic jams to Kassel: Plan arrival.
Cover photo: There are many reasons to travel to Kassel - the view of the city from the Hercules is just one of them © Andreas - stock.adobe.com
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!
