Kassel
Encyclopedia
Kassel (ˈkasəl) is a town located on the Fulda River
in northern Hesse
, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel
Regierungsbezirk
and the Kreis
of the same name
and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.
The city's name is derived from the ancient Castellum Cattorum, a castle of the Chatti
, a German tribe that had lived in the area since Roman times.
Kassel was first mentioned in 913 AD as the place where two deed
s were signed by King Conrad I. The place was called Chasella and was a fortification at a bridge crossing the Fulda river. A deed from 1189 certifies that Kassel had city rights, but the date when they were granted is not known.
In 1567, the landgraviate of Hesse, until then centered in Marburg
, was divided among four sons, with Hesse-Kassel
(or Hesse-Cassel) becoming one of its successor states. Kassel was its capital and became a centre of Calvinist Protestantism
in Germany. Strong fortifications were built to protect the Protestant stronghold against Catholic enemies. In 1685, Kassel became a refuge for 1700 Huguenot
s who found shelter in the newly established borough of Oberneustadt. Landgrave Charles
, who was responsible for this humanitarian act, also ordered the construction of the Oktagon and of the Orangerie. In the late 18th century, Hesse-Kassel became infamous for selling mercenaries (Hessians) to the British crown to help suppress the American Revolution
and to finance the construction of palaces and the landgrave's opulent lifestyle.
In the early 19th century, the Brothers Grimm
lived in Kassel and collected and wrote most of their fairy tales there. At that time, around 1803, the landgravate was elevated to a principality and its ruler to Prince-elector
. Shortly after, it was annexed by Napoleon
and in 1807 it became the capital of the short-lived Kingdom of Westphalia
under Napoleon's brother Jérôme
. The electorate was restored in 1813.
Having sided with Austria in the Austro-Prussian War
for supremacy in Germany, the principality was annexed by Prussia
in 1866. The Prussian administration united Nassau, Frankfurt
and Hesse-Kassel into the new Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau. Kassel ceased to be a princely residence, but soon developed into a major industrial centre as well as a major railway junction.
In 1870, after the Battle of Sedan
, Napoleon III was sent as a prisoner to the castle of Wilhelmshohe above the city. During World War I the German military headquarters were located in the castle of Wilhelmshohe. In the late 1930ies Nazis destroyed Heinrich Hübsch
's Kassel Synagogue
.
During World War II, Kassel was the Headquarters for Germany's Wehrkreis IX, and a local subcamp of Dachau concentration camp provided forced labour for Henschel facilities
. The most severe bombing of Kassel in World War II
destroyed 90% of the downtown area, some 10,000 people were killed, and 150,000 were made homeless. Most of the casualties were civilians or wounded soldiers recuperating in local hospitals, whereas factories
survived the attack generally undamaged. Karl Gerland
replaced the regional Gauleiter
, Karl Weinrich
, soon after the raid.
The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Kassel at the beginning of April 1945. The US 80th Infantry Division captured Kassel in bitter house-to-house fighting during 2–4 April 1945, which included numerous German panzer-grenadier counterattacks, and resulted in further widespread devastation to bombed and unbombed structures alike.
Post-war
, most of the ancient buildings were not restored, and large parts of the downtown area were completely rebuilt in the style of the 1950s. A few historic buildings, however, such as the Museum Fridericianum
(see below), were restored. In 1949, the interim parliament ("Parlamentarischer Rat
") eliminated Kassel in the first round as a city to become the provisional capital of the Federal Republic of Germany
(Bonn
won). In 1972 the Chancellor of West Germany Willy Brandt
and the Prime Minister of the German Democratic Republic Willy Stoph met in Wilhelmshöhe castle for negotiations between the two German states.
was built in Kassel, followed in 1604 by the Ottoneum, the first permanent German theatre building. The old building is today the Natural History Museum, and the today called Staatstheater Kassel
is located in a nearby building constructed in the 1950ies.
Since 1955 the Documenta
, an international exhibition
of modern
and contemporary art
, has been held regularly in Kassel. The Documenta now takes place every 5 years and the next will be in mid-2012. As a result of the Documenta 6 (1977), Kassel became the first town in the world to have been illuminated by LASER-beams at night (Laserscape, by artist Horst H. Baumann).
Since 1927, Kassel has been home to Bärenreiter
, one of the world's most important music publishers.
destroyed 90% of the city centre. The city was almost completely rebuilt during the 1950s and is a combination of renovated or reconstructed old buildings and architecture of the 1950ies. Outside of the city centre the suburbs are dominated by 19th century architecture. The oldest monument is the Druselturm, the Brüderkirche and the Church of St. Martin are also in part of medieval origin. The towers of St. Martin are from the 1950s.
Wilhelmshöhe Palace above the city, was built in 1786 by landgrave Wilhelm IX of Hesse-Kassel. The palace is now a museum and houses an important collection of Graeco-Roman antiques and a fine gallery of paintings comprising the second largest collection of Rembrandts in Germany. It is surrounded by the beautiful Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe
with many appealing sights.
The Hercules monument
is a huge octagonal stone structure carrying a giant replica of Hercules "Farnese"
(now at Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples, Italy). From its base down to Wilhelmshöhe Palace runs a long set of artificial cascades which delight visitors during the summer months. Every Sunday and Wednesday afternoon (from May until October) the famous water features
take place. They start at the Oktagon and during a one hour walk through the park visitors can follow the water's way until they reach the lake of the castle Wilhelmshöhe where a big fountain of about 50 metres marks the end of the spectacle.
The Löwenburg ("Lions Castle") is a replica of a medieval castle, also built during the reign of Wilhelm IX. After the Franco-Prussian War
of 1870/71 Napoléon III was imprisoned in Wilhelmshöhe. In 1918 Wilhelmshöhe became the seat of the German Army High Command (OHL): it was there that the military commanders Hindenburg
and Ludendorff prepared the German capitulation.
, a palace built in 1710 as a summer residence for the landgraves. Today there is also a planetarium
in the park. In addition, the Park Schönfeld contains a small, municipal botanical garden
, the Botanischer Garten Kassel
.
after its founder. By the end of the 19th century the museum held one of the largest collections in the world of watches and clocks.
is the football club in the city and plays at Auestadion
.
Kassel has a long hockey tradition. Kassel Huskies
played from 1977 to 2010. Kassel Huskies ran into financial difficulties and dissolved in 2010. The "Young Huskies", which is a junior and youth hockey club, decided to enter a men's team in the Hessenliga. This is the fifth division and the lowest men's competition in the state of Hesse
. The new club was expecting no more than 3,000 supporters for the first home game in the Hessenliga. However, they had over 5,000 supporters come to watch.
Kassel has seven tram lines (1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), with trams arriving usually every 15 minutes. The city also operates a light-rail Stadtbahn
network called RegioTram using Regio Citadis low-floor trams which run on both tram and main line railway tracks with four lines (RT3, RT4, RT5, RT9). Moreover a number of low-floor bus
es complete the Kassel public transportation system. The introduction of low-floor buses led to the development of the Kassel kerb
which improves the Accessibility
at bus stop
s.
The city is connected to the national rail network
at two stations, Kassel Central
, and Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe
. The traditional central station (Hauptbahnhof) has been reduced to the status of a regional station since the opening of the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line in 1991 and its station (Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe) on the high-speed line at which the InterCityExpress
(ICE) and InterCity
services call.
Kassel is connected to the motorways A 7, A 49
and A 44
.
The city is served by Kassel Calden Airport
.
was founded in 1971, and is the newest university in the state of Hesse
. The University offers twelve international master's programs as well as two short-term international programs, the Summer University
and the Winter University
. The Kunsthochschule Kassel
is also part of the university.
s are located in Kassel, including:
Fulda River
The Fulda is a river in Hesse, Germany. It is one of two headstreams of the Weser . The Fulda is 218 km in length....
in northern Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel
Kassel (region)
Kassel is one of the three Regierungsbezirke of Hesse, Germany, located in the north of the state. It was created in 1866 when Prussia annexed the area to form the new province Hesse-Nassau...
Regierungsbezirk
Regierungsbezirk
In Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...
and the Kreis
Districts of Germany
The districts of Germany are known as , except in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein where they are known simply as ....
of the same name
Kassel (district)
Kassel is a Kreis in the north of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Northeim, Göttingen, Werra-Meißner, Schwalm-Eder, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Höxter...
and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.
History
Chatti
The Chatti were an ancient Germanic tribe whose homeland was near the upper Weser. They settled in central and northern Hesse and southern Lower Saxony, along the upper reaches of the Weser River and in the valleys and mountains of the Eder, Fulda and Weser River regions, a district approximately...
, a German tribe that had lived in the area since Roman times.
Kassel was first mentioned in 913 AD as the place where two deed
Deed
A deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, or affirms or confirms something which passes, an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions sealed...
s were signed by King Conrad I. The place was called Chasella and was a fortification at a bridge crossing the Fulda river. A deed from 1189 certifies that Kassel had city rights, but the date when they were granted is not known.
In 1567, the landgraviate of Hesse, until then centered in Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
, was divided among four sons, with Hesse-Kassel
Hesse-Kassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel or Hesse-Cassel was a state in the Holy Roman Empire under Imperial immediacy that came into existence when the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided in 1567 upon the death of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. His eldest son William IV inherited the northern half and the...
(or Hesse-Cassel) becoming one of its successor states. Kassel was its capital and became a centre of Calvinist Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
in Germany. Strong fortifications were built to protect the Protestant stronghold against Catholic enemies. In 1685, Kassel became a refuge for 1700 Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s who found shelter in the newly established borough of Oberneustadt. Landgrave Charles
Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
Karl I was Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1670 till his death.Born at Kassel, he was the son of Wilhelm VI of Hesse-Kassel and Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg, daughter of Georg Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg. After the early death of his father, his mother ruled as regent until 1675...
, who was responsible for this humanitarian act, also ordered the construction of the Oktagon and of the Orangerie. In the late 18th century, Hesse-Kassel became infamous for selling mercenaries (Hessians) to the British crown to help suppress the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
and to finance the construction of palaces and the landgrave's opulent lifestyle.
In the early 19th century, the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
lived in Kassel and collected and wrote most of their fairy tales there. At that time, around 1803, the landgravate was elevated to a principality and its ruler to Prince-elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
. Shortly after, it was annexed by Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
and in 1807 it became the capital of the short-lived Kingdom of Westphalia
Kingdom of Westphalia
The Kingdom of Westphalia was a new country of 2.6 million Germans that existed from 1807-1813. It included of territory in Hesse and other parts of present-day Germany. While formally independent, it was a vassal state of the First French Empire, ruled by Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte...
under Napoleon's brother Jérôme
Jérôme Bonaparte
Jérôme-Napoléon Bonaparte, French Prince, King of Westphalia, 1st Prince of Montfort was the youngest brother of Napoleon, who made him king of Westphalia...
. The electorate was restored in 1813.
Having sided with Austria in the Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
for supremacy in Germany, the principality was annexed by Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
in 1866. The Prussian administration united Nassau, Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
and Hesse-Kassel into the new Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau. Kassel ceased to be a princely residence, but soon developed into a major industrial centre as well as a major railway junction.
In 1870, after the Battle of Sedan
Battle of Sedan
The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War on 1 September 1870. It resulted in the capture of Emperor Napoleon III and large numbers of his troops and for all intents and purposes decided the war in favour of Prussia and its allies, though fighting continued under a new French...
, Napoleon III was sent as a prisoner to the castle of Wilhelmshohe above the city. During World War I the German military headquarters were located in the castle of Wilhelmshohe. In the late 1930ies Nazis destroyed Heinrich Hübsch
Heinrich Hübsch
Heinrich Hübsch was a German architect. After studies in Heidelberg and at Friedrich Weinbrenner's school of architecture in Karlsruhe he traveled extensively in Greece and Italy . In 1831 he was appointed Oberbaurat at Karlsruhe...
's Kassel Synagogue
Kassel Synagogue
The Kassel Synagogue was a synagogue built in Kassel, Hesse in 1839. It was the first Rundbogenstil synagogue....
.
During World War II, Kassel was the Headquarters for Germany's Wehrkreis IX, and a local subcamp of Dachau concentration camp provided forced labour for Henschel facilities
Bombing of Kassel in World War II
The Kassel World War II bombings were a set of Allied strategic bombing attacks which took place from February 1942 to March 1945. The fire of the most severe air raid burned for seven days, at least 10,000 people died, 150,000 inhabitants were bombed-out, and the vast majority of the city center...
. The most severe bombing of Kassel in World War II
Bombing of Kassel in World War II
The Kassel World War II bombings were a set of Allied strategic bombing attacks which took place from February 1942 to March 1945. The fire of the most severe air raid burned for seven days, at least 10,000 people died, 150,000 inhabitants were bombed-out, and the vast majority of the city center...
destroyed 90% of the downtown area, some 10,000 people were killed, and 150,000 were made homeless. Most of the casualties were civilians or wounded soldiers recuperating in local hospitals, whereas factories
Bombing of Kassel in World War II
The Kassel World War II bombings were a set of Allied strategic bombing attacks which took place from February 1942 to March 1945. The fire of the most severe air raid burned for seven days, at least 10,000 people died, 150,000 inhabitants were bombed-out, and the vast majority of the city center...
survived the attack generally undamaged. Karl Gerland
Karl Gerland
Karl Gerland was a Nazi Gauleiter of Kurhessen.Gerland was born in Gottsbüren near Kassel. He joined the Nazi Party in 1929. As of 1930, he was district leader in Kreis Hofgeismar, and beginning in 1932, he was acting propaganda leader in the Gau of Kurhessen...
replaced the regional Gauleiter
Gauleiter
A Gauleiter was the party leader of a regional branch of the NSDAP or the head of a Gau or of a Reichsgau.-Creation and Early Usage:...
, Karl Weinrich
Karl Weinrich
Karl Weinrich Karl Weinrich Karl Weinrich (2 December 1887 in Molmeck – 22 July 1973 in Hausen was NSDAP Gauleiter of Kurhessen.Karl Weinrich was a member of the Nazi Party from August 1922. From 1925 to 1927 he was the NSDAP's Gau Treasurer. From 1930 to 1933 he was a member of the Prussian...
, soon after the raid.
The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Kassel at the beginning of April 1945. The US 80th Infantry Division captured Kassel in bitter house-to-house fighting during 2–4 April 1945, which included numerous German panzer-grenadier counterattacks, and resulted in further widespread devastation to bombed and unbombed structures alike.
Post-war
Post-war
A post-war period or postwar period is the interval immediately following the ending of a war and enduring as long as war does not resume. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum when a war between the same parties resumes at a later date...
, most of the ancient buildings were not restored, and large parts of the downtown area were completely rebuilt in the style of the 1950s. A few historic buildings, however, such as the Museum Fridericianum
Fridericianum
The Fridericianum is a museum in Kassel, Germany. Built in 1779, it is one of the oldest public museums in Europe. The quintennial art festival documenta is centred on the site....
(see below), were restored. In 1949, the interim parliament ("Parlamentarischer Rat
Parlamentarischer Rat
The Parlamentarischer Rat was the West German constitutional convention that created the current constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany...
") eliminated Kassel in the first round as a city to become the provisional capital of the Federal Republic of Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
(Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
won). In 1972 the Chancellor of West Germany Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt, born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm , was a German politician, Mayor of West Berlin 1957–1966, Chancellor of West Germany 1969–1974, and leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany 1964–1987....
and the Prime Minister of the German Democratic Republic Willy Stoph met in Wilhelmshöhe castle for negotiations between the two German states.
Culture
In 1558 the first German observatoryObservatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
was built in Kassel, followed in 1604 by the Ottoneum, the first permanent German theatre building. The old building is today the Natural History Museum, and the today called Staatstheater Kassel
Staatstheater Kassel
The Staatstheater Kassel is a state-owned and -operated theater in Kassel, Germany.- History :A permanent theatre house already existed in Kassel during the first decade of the 17th century. It stood immediately next to the Ottoneum near the State Theatre which is now used as a Natural History...
is located in a nearby building constructed in the 1950ies.
Since 1955 the Documenta
Documenta
documenta is an exhibition of modern and contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. It was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau which took place in Kassel at that time...
, an international exhibition
Art exhibition
Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhibition". In American English, they may be called "exhibit", "exposition" or...
of modern
Modern art
Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...
and contemporary art
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
, has been held regularly in Kassel. The Documenta now takes place every 5 years and the next will be in mid-2012. As a result of the Documenta 6 (1977), Kassel became the first town in the world to have been illuminated by LASER-beams at night (Laserscape, by artist Horst H. Baumann).
Since 1927, Kassel has been home to Bärenreiter
Bärenreiter
Bärenreiter is a German classical music publishing house based in Kassel. The firm was founded by Karl Vötterle in Augsburg in 1923, and moved to Kassel in 1927, where it still maintains headquarters; it also has offices in Basel, London, New York and Prague...
, one of the world's most important music publishers.
Main sights
The bombing raids of 1943Bombing of Kassel in World War II
The Kassel World War II bombings were a set of Allied strategic bombing attacks which took place from February 1942 to March 1945. The fire of the most severe air raid burned for seven days, at least 10,000 people died, 150,000 inhabitants were bombed-out, and the vast majority of the city center...
destroyed 90% of the city centre. The city was almost completely rebuilt during the 1950s and is a combination of renovated or reconstructed old buildings and architecture of the 1950ies. Outside of the city centre the suburbs are dominated by 19th century architecture. The oldest monument is the Druselturm, the Brüderkirche and the Church of St. Martin are also in part of medieval origin. The towers of St. Martin are from the 1950s.
Wilhelmshöhe Palace (with the Antiquities Collection and Old Masters), Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe and Hercules monument, Lions Castle
Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe
The Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe is a unique park in Kassel, Germany. Art historian Georg Dehio , inspirator of the modern discipline of historic preservation, described the park as "possibly the most grandiose combination of landscape and architecture that the Baroque dared anywhere" The Bergpark...
with many appealing sights.
The Hercules monument
Hercules monument (Kassel)
The Hercules monument is an important landmark in the German city of Kassel. It is located in the "Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe", northern Hesse, Germany....
is a huge octagonal stone structure carrying a giant replica of Hercules "Farnese"
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
(now at Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples, Italy). From its base down to Wilhelmshöhe Palace runs a long set of artificial cascades which delight visitors during the summer months. Every Sunday and Wednesday afternoon (from May until October) the famous water features
Hercules monument (Kassel)
The Hercules monument is an important landmark in the German city of Kassel. It is located in the "Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe", northern Hesse, Germany....
take place. They start at the Oktagon and during a one hour walk through the park visitors can follow the water's way until they reach the lake of the castle Wilhelmshöhe where a big fountain of about 50 metres marks the end of the spectacle.
The Löwenburg ("Lions Castle") is a replica of a medieval castle, also built during the reign of Wilhelm IX. After the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
of 1870/71 Napoléon III was imprisoned in Wilhelmshöhe. In 1918 Wilhelmshöhe became the seat of the German Army High Command (OHL): it was there that the military commanders Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian-German field marshal, statesman, and politician, and served as the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934....
and Ludendorff prepared the German capitulation.
Karlsaue park with the Planetarium in the Museum of Astronomy and Technology
Another large park is the Karlsaue along the Fulda River. Established in the 16th century, it is famous for the OrangerieOrangerie (Kassel)
The Orangerie is a Orangery in Kassel. It was built under Landgrave Charles between 1703 and 1711. Since then, it forms the northern corner of the Karlsaue park. Today it is used as an astronomy and physical cabinet.- History :...
, a palace built in 1710 as a summer residence for the landgraves. Today there is also a planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
in the park. In addition, the Park Schönfeld contains a small, municipal botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
, the Botanischer Garten Kassel
Botanischer Garten Kassel
The Botanischer Garten Kassel, also known as the Botanischer Garten der Stadt Kassel, is a municipal botanical garden located in the Park Schönfeld at Bosestraße 15, Kassel, Hesse, Germany. It is open daily without charge....
.
Art museums
In 1779 Europe's first public museum, named the Museum FridericianumFridericianum
The Fridericianum is a museum in Kassel, Germany. Built in 1779, it is one of the oldest public museums in Europe. The quintennial art festival documenta is centred on the site....
after its founder. By the end of the 19th century the museum held one of the largest collections in the world of watches and clocks.
- Schloss Wilhelmshöhe (Antiquities Collection and Old Masters: Albrecht DürerAlbrecht DürerAlbrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, engraver, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance ever since...
, Rubens, Rembrandt, Frans HalsFrans HalsFrans Hals was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He is notable for his loose painterly brushwork, and helped introduce this lively style of painting into Dutch art. Hals was also instrumental in the evolution of 17th century group portraiture.-Biography:Hals was born in 1580 or 1581, in Antwerp...
, Anthony van DyckAnthony van DyckSir Anthony van Dyck was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England. He is most famous for his portraits of Charles I of England and his family and court, painted with a relaxed elegance that was to be the dominant influence on English portrait-painting for the next...
) - Museum FridericianumFridericianumThe Fridericianum is a museum in Kassel, Germany. Built in 1779, it is one of the oldest public museums in Europe. The quintennial art festival documenta is centred on the site....
- New Gallery (Kassel)New Gallery (Kassel)The Neue Galerie is an art museum in Kassel in the state of Hesse, in Germany. The building was constructed between 1871 and 1877 as a museum for works of the Old Masters. In World War II the building was damaged and burned out in 1943. The 60 most important works were brought to Vienna, and...
(TischbeinTischbein (family)The Tischbeins were a family of German painters, most notably:*Johann Heinrich Tischbein the Elder, a.k.a. Kasseler Tischbein *Johann Friedrich August Tischbein, a.k.a. Leipziger Tischbein...
Family, Joseph BeuysJoseph BeuysJoseph Beuys was a German performance artist, sculptor, installation artist, graphic artist, art theorist and pedagogue of art.His extensive work is grounded in concepts of humanism, social philosophy and anthroposophy; it culminates in his "extended definition of art" and the idea of social...
) - Hessisches Landesmuseum (Hessian State Museum) closed, under renovation until 2012 (with a world-famous wallpaper collection).
Other museums
- Museum of Natural History (in the Ottoneum-building)
- Museum of physics and astronomy in the Orangerie (Kassel)Orangerie (Kassel)The Orangerie is a Orangery in Kassel. It was built under Landgrave Charles between 1703 and 1711. Since then, it forms the northern corner of the Karlsaue park. Today it is used as an astronomy and physical cabinet.- History :...
- Marmorbad (marble bath) in the Orangerie (Kassel)Orangerie (Kassel)The Orangerie is a Orangery in Kassel. It was built under Landgrave Charles between 1703 and 1711. Since then, it forms the northern corner of the Karlsaue park. Today it is used as an astronomy and physical cabinet.- History :...
- Caricatura (in the Hauptbahnhof Kassel)
- Museum of Local History
- Tram-Museum Kassel
- Technical Museum and Henschel Museum
- Louis Spohr Museum
- Brother Grimm Museum
Sports
Hessen KasselKSV Hessen Kassel
KSV Hessen Kassel is a German association football club based in Kassel, Hesse. The club was founded as FC Union 93 Kassel in 1893 and just two years later joined FC Hassia 93 Cassel to form Casseler FV 95...
is the football club in the city and plays at Auestadion
Auestadion
Auestadion is a multi-use stadium in Kassel, Germany. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of KSV Hessen Kassel. The stadium is able to hold 17,993 people. It was opened August 23, 1953 and renovated 1983-1993 and 2006-2008....
.
Kassel has a long hockey tradition. Kassel Huskies
Kassel Huskies
The Kassel Huskies were a professional ice hockey team based in Kassel, Hesse, Germany. They played the majority of their seasons in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.The club was founded as ESG Kassel in 1977 and was renamed into EC Kassel in 1987...
played from 1977 to 2010. Kassel Huskies ran into financial difficulties and dissolved in 2010. The "Young Huskies", which is a junior and youth hockey club, decided to enter a men's team in the Hessenliga. This is the fifth division and the lowest men's competition in the state of Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
. The new club was expecting no more than 3,000 supporters for the first home game in the Hessenliga. However, they had over 5,000 supporters come to watch.
Transportation
Stadtbahn
A ' is a tramway or light railway that includes segments built to rapid transit standards, usually as part of a process of conversion to a metro railway, mainly by the building of tunnels in the central city area....
network called RegioTram using Regio Citadis low-floor trams which run on both tram and main line railway tracks with four lines (RT3, RT4, RT5, RT9). Moreover a number of low-floor bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es complete the Kassel public transportation system. The introduction of low-floor buses led to the development of the Kassel kerb
Kassel kerb
A Kassel kerb is a concave-section made for buses kerb stone which is intended for use at bus stops served by modern low floor buses which have improved accessibility for mobility-impaired people....
which improves the Accessibility
Accessibility
Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" and benefit from some system or entity...
at bus stop
Bus stop
A bus stop is a designated place where buses stop for passengers to board or leave a bus. These are normally positioned on the highway and are distinct from off-highway facilities such as bus stations. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage...
s.
The city is connected to the national rail network
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
at two stations, Kassel Central
Kassel Hauptbahnhof
Kassel Hauptbahnhof is a "DB" railway station in the city of Kassel, in the German state of Hesse. Situated in the central borough of Mitte, it is the city's second important railway station after the opening of Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe in 1991; and so it is the only Hauptbahnhof that is not the main...
, and Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe
Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe railway station
Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe is a railway station in the city of Kassel, in the German state of Hesse. It is the city's most important railway station, as it is connected to the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line, with InterCityExpress services calling at the station.- History :When the Deutsche...
. The traditional central station (Hauptbahnhof) has been reduced to the status of a regional station since the opening of the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line in 1991 and its station (Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe) on the high-speed line at which the InterCityExpress
InterCityExpress
The Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
(ICE) and InterCity
InterCity
InterCity is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe...
services call.
Kassel is connected to the motorways A 7, A 49
Bundesautobahn 49
is a federal motorway running through north Hesse. It connects Kassel with the Schwalm-Eder-Kreis, where it ends in Neuental. The motorway is planned to be extended to Gemünden with a connection to A 5.- Course :...
and A 44
Bundesautobahn 44
is a German Autobahn. It consists of three main-parts and a few smaller parts. It begins in Aachen at the German-Belgian border and ends near Kassel. Before the German unification it was an unimportant provincial-motorway but after this event it became an integral part of the German highway-system...
.
The city is served by Kassel Calden Airport
Kassel Calden Airport
Kassel Calden Airport located west of Calden, lies , as the crow flies, northwest of the German city of Kassel. Built on farmland, ASL lying NNE of the Hoher Dörnberg, the airport was opened on 11 July 1970. The airport has a single asphalt runway, 04/22 , which is . There is a parallel grass...
.
University of Kassel
The University of KasselUniversity of Kassel
The University of Kassel, founded in 1970, is one of the newer universities in the state of Hesse. The university is in Kassel, and as of September 2010 has about 18,113 students...
was founded in 1971, and is the newest university in the state of Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
. The University offers twelve international master's programs as well as two short-term international programs, the Summer University
International Summer University (ISU) Kassel
International Summer University Kassel is a short-term program that is held during the summer season by the University of Kassel every year...
and the Winter University
International Winter University (IWU) Kassel
International Winter University Kassel is a short-term program that is held during the winter season by the University of Kassel every year...
. The Kunsthochschule Kassel
Kunsthochschule Kassel
Kunsthochschule Kassel is a college of fine arts in Kassel, Germany. Founded in 1777, it is a semi-autonomous department of the University of Kassel .-Notable people:* Bernhard, Count of Bylandt* August Bromeis...
is also part of the university.
Other institutions
- Fraunhofer-Institut für Windenergie und Energiesystemtechnik (IWES), former Institut für Solare Energieversorgungstechnik (ISET)
- Fraunhofer-Institut für Bauphysik (IBP) Projektgruppe Kassel
- Forschungszentrum für Informationstechnik-Gestaltung (ITeG)
- Internationales Zentrum für Hochschulforschung Kassel (INCHER)
- Zentrum für Umweltbewusstes Bauen (ZUB)
- Center for Interdisciplinary Nanostructure Science and Technology (CINSaT)
- AG Friedensforschung
Associations
- German War Graves CommissionGerman War Graves CommissionThe German War Graves Commission is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of German war graves in Europe and North Africa...
- Gesellschaft für Christlich-Jüdische Zusammenarbeit Kassel
- Spitzenverband der landwirtschaftlichen Sozialversicherung
- Deutsche Rentenversicherung Hessen
- Industrie- und Handelskammer Kassel (Chamber of Commerce Kassel)
Courts
Several courtCourt
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
s are located in Kassel, including:
- Federal Social Court of GermanyFederal Social Court of GermanyThe Federal Social Court is the German federal court of appeals for social security cases, mainly cases concerning the public health insurance, long-term care insurance, pension insurance and occupational accident insurance schemes. Trial courts for these cases are the Sozialgerichte...
(Bundessozialgericht) - Hessischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof (Administration Court of Hesse)
- Hessisches Finanzgericht
- Sozialgericht Kassel (Social Court Kassel)
- Arbeitsgericht Kassel, (Employment Court Kassel)
- Verwaltungsgericht Kassel
- Oberlandesgericht Frankfurt/Main in Kassel
- Landgericht Kassel (Regional Court Kassel)
- Amtsgericht Kassel and Staatsanwaltschaft Kassel (Local Court Kassel)
Famous people
- William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-KasselWilliam IV, Landgrave of Hesse-KasselWilliam IV of Hesse-Kassel , also called William the Wise, was the first Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel . He was the founder of the oldest line, which survives to this day.-Life:...
(1532-1592) - Landgravine Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel (1627-1686)
- Simon Louis du Ry, architect (1726-1799)
- Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel, (1744-1836)
- Prince Frederick of Hesse-Kassel, (1747-1837)
- Gertrud Elisabeth MaraGertrud Elisabeth MaraGertrud Elisabeth Mara [née Schmeling] was a German operatic soprano.She was born in Kassel, the daughter of a poor musician, Johann Schmeling. From him she learnt to play the violin, and while still a child, her playing at the fair at Frankfurt was so remarkable that money was collected to...
, (1749-1833) operatic soprano - Georg Friedrich SartoriusGeorg Friedrich SartoriusGeorg Friedrich Sartorius after 1827 Freiherr von Waltershausen was a German research historian, economist and professor at Göttingen University....
, (1765-1828) research historian and economist - Maria Amalia of CourlandMaria Amalia of CourlandMaria Anna Amalia of Courland was a German noblewoman. A princess of Courland from the Ketteler family, she was also Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel via her marriage on 21 May 1673 to her first cousin Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel...
, noblewoman, participated in the creation of the Karlsaue Park. - Jérôme BonaparteJérôme BonaparteJérôme-Napoléon Bonaparte, French Prince, King of Westphalia, 1st Prince of Montfort was the youngest brother of Napoleon, who made him king of Westphalia...
, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, while he was king of WestphaliaKingdom of WestphaliaThe Kingdom of Westphalia was a new country of 2.6 million Germans that existed from 1807-1813. It included of territory in Hesse and other parts of present-day Germany. While formally independent, it was a vassal state of the First French Empire, ruled by Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte... - The Brothers GrimmBrothers GrimmThe Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
- Helmut HasseHelmut HasseHelmut Hasse was a German mathematician working in algebraic number theory, known for fundamental contributions to class field theory, the application of p-adic numbers to local classfield theory and diophantine geometry , and to local zeta functions.-Life:He was born in Kassel, and died in...
(1898–1979), who did fundamental work in algebra and number theory - Israel Meyer JaphetIsrael Meyer JaphetIsrael Meyer Japhet was a teacher, choir director, and grammarian. He was choir director at the Realschule in Frankfurt am Main under Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, and composed music for synagogue use, many pieces of which are still in use today.- Biography and career :Israel Meyer Japhet was...
who later became choir director in Frankfurt am Main - Annika MehlhornAnnika MehlhornAnnika Mehlhorn is a butterfly and medley swimmer from Germany who competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. She became European champion in the 200 m butterfly at the European Short Course Swimming Championships 2000 in Valencia...
, a German butterfly and medley swimmer who competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics2004 Summer OlympicsThe 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team... - F. W. Murnau, the movie director;
- Hugo Wilhelm Arthur NahlHugo Wilhelm Arthur NahlArthur Nahl was a German-born artist, daguerreotyper, engraver, portraitist, and landscape painter. Nahl was a painter known for his American Old West paintings of California...
, the artist who designed the Seal of CaliforniaSeal of CaliforniaThe Great Seal of the State of California was adopted at the California state Constitutional Convention of 1849 and has undergone minor design changes since then, the last being the standardization of the seal in 1937... - Rudolf Erich RaspeRudolf Erich RaspeRudolf Erich Raspe was a German librarian, writer and scientist, called by his biographer John Carswell a "rogue"...
, a University of KasselUniversity of KasselThe University of Kassel, founded in 1970, is one of the newer universities in the state of Hesse. The university is in Kassel, and as of September 2010 has about 18,113 students...
librarian who fled to England after embezzling significant funds from Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and wrote (or compiled) The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchhausen - Paul ReuterPaul ReuterPaul Julius Freiherr von Reuter was a German entrepreneur and later naturalized British citizen...
, founder of the ReutersReutersReuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
news agency - Franz RosenzweigFranz RosenzweigFranz Rosenzweig was an influential Jewish theologian and philosopher.-Early life:Franz Rosenzweig was born in Kassel, Germany to a middle-class, minimally observant Jewish family...
, philosopher - Diego Sanmartin, editor of Entre Vecinos, one of the most important newspapers in Caracas
- Philipp ScheidemannPhilipp ScheidemannPhilipp Scheidemann was a German Social Democratic politician, who proclaimed the Republic on 9 November 1918, and who became the second Chancellor of the Weimar Republic....
, briefly Germany's Chancellor after World War I - Louis SpohrLouis SpohrLouis Spohr was a German composer, violinist and conductor. Born Ludewig Spohr, he is usually known by the French form of his name. Described by Dorothy Mayer as "The Forgotten Master", Spohr was once as famous as Beethoven. As a violinist, his virtuoso playing was admired by Queen Victoria...
, the 19th-century composer and violinist, who is commemorated by a museum in the city
International relations
Kassel is twinned with| Florence Florence Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area.... , Italy since 1952 Kocaeli, Turkey since 1999 Mulhouse Mulhouse Mulhouse |mill]] hamlet) is a city and commune in eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. With a population of 110,514 and 278,206 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2006, it is the largest city in the Haut-Rhin département, and the second largest in the Alsace region after... , France since 1965 Ramat Gan, Israel since 1990 Rovaniemi Rovaniemi Rovaniemi is a city and municipality of Finland. It is the administrative capital and commercial centre of Finland's northernmost province, Lapland. It is situated close to the Arctic Circle and is between the hills of Ounasvaara and Korkalovaara, at the confluence of the Kemijoki River and its... , Finland since 1972 |
Västerås Västerås Västerås is a city in central Sweden, located on the shore of Lake Mälaren in the province Västmanland, some 100 km west of Stockholm... , Sweden since 1972 Yaroslavl Yaroslavl Yaroslavl is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historical part of the city, a World Heritage Site, is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl Rivers. It is one of the Golden Ring cities, a group of historic cities... , Russia since 1988 Berlin-Mitte Mitte Mitte is the first and most central borough of Berlin. It was created in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform by the merger of the former districts of Mitte proper, Tiergarten and Wedding; the resulting borough retained the name Mitte. It is one of the two boroughs which comprises former West and... , Germany since 1962 Arnstadt Arnstadt Arnstadt is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, situated on the Gera River. It is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia and is nicknamed Das Tor zum Thüringer Wald, The Gate to the Thuringian Forest.... , Germany since 1989 Montana, Bulgaria Montana, Bulgaria - Elite High Scools :*Foreign Language HS "Petar Bogdan". Emphasis on English and German language proficiency. Recognized and praised for its scholars' academic accomplishments worldwide. http://gpchemont.com/sitegpche/... since 2007 |
External links
- Kassel City Panoramas - Panoramic views and Virtual Tours
- Official website
- University of Kassel
- Street Crime Mapping Kassel 2009
- Video of the waterfeatures