Kassel: documenta City, Hercules on the Hill, and Hessen's Northern Outpost
Kassel has a population around 195,000 and sits in northern Hessen, far from the Rhine corridor that defines the state's southern half. The documenta, a contemporary art exhibition held every five years since 1955, transforms the city for 100 days and draws over a million visitors; it is arguably the most important recurring art event in the world. The Bergpark Wilhelmshoehe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, features the Herkules statue (71 metres including its pyramid base) and spectacular water cascades that run on Wednesdays, Sundays, and holidays from May to October.
The Brothers Grimm spent formative years in Kassel and collected many of their fairy tales from the surrounding region. Kassel was chosen as the site for documenta partly because it was so heavily destroyed in the war that it needed cultural reinvention. The Volkswagen plant in Baunatal, just south of the city, is one of VW's largest. Kassel-Wilhelmshoehe station sits on the ICE line between Frankfurt and Hannover. Adult companionship in Kassel follows Hessen's regulatory approach, distinct from but less prominent than Frankfurt's.
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Kassel has a population around 195,000 and sits in northern Hessen, far from the Rhine corridor that defines the state's southern half. The documenta, a contemporary art exhibition held every five years since 1955, transforms the city for 100 days and draws over a million visitors; it is arguably the most important recurring art event in the world. The Bergpark Wilhelmshoehe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, features the Herkules statue (71 metres including its pyramid base) and spectacular water cascades that run on Wednesdays, Sundays, and holidays from May to October.
The Brothers Grimm spent formative years in Kassel and collected many of their fairy tales from the surrounding region. Kassel was chosen as the site for documenta partly because it was so heavily destroyed in the war that it needed cultural reinvention. The Volkswagen plant in Baunatal, just south of the city, is one of VW's largest. Kassel-Wilhelmshoehe station sits on the ICE line between Frankfurt and Hannover. Adult companionship in Kassel follows Hessen's regulatory approach, distinct from but less prominent than Frankfurt's.
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