In Kassel, everything revolves around art. It's the home of documenta, the world's most important exhibition of modern art. Kassel is located in the heart of Germany – making travelling to other parts of the country quick and easy. With its numerous public parks, you can relax and unwind right in the middle of town. And because of its compact size, everything is within easy walking distance.
Facts
202,137 Inhabitants ¹
24,729 Students ²
2 Higher education institutions ²
WELCOME TO KASSEL
Kassel is situated in the heart of Germany and is the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of the state of Hesse. Almost completely destroyed by bombs in the Second World War, you will struggle to find many historical buildings here. But Kassel more than makes up for this with its numerous parks and wooded areas, making it one of the greenest cities in the country.
Kassel is clearly influenced by art. The city is famous for hosting „documenta“, the world’s most important exhibition of modern and contemporary art. Every five years famous artists display their work throughout the town over a period of 100 days. Therefore, the documenta is also called „Museum der 100 Tage“. During the exhibition, documenta attracts almost a million visitors to Kassel.
And students are also drawn to the city because of the exhibition. Some former exhibits have since become permanent features here, most notably Joseph Beuys‘ 7,000 Oaks which were planted all over the city in 1982 on the occasion of „documenta 7“. But the city also has other attractions. For example, the 10-metre high Transformer Statue by a Chinese artist. It was brought to Kassel for the world premiere of the film „Transformers“ in 2012.
Kassel was rebuilt in the 1950s after the war and today’s townscape is characterised very much by the typical charm of 1950s architecture. The first pedestrian zone in Germany, the “Treppenstrasse”, was built in Kassel during reconstruction. It’s a shopping street that is now under preservation order. Amidst the more modern architecture, you can spot the occasional Renaissance and Baroque building, such as Ständehaus on Ständeplatz or the „Orangerie“ on Karlsaue.
One particularly attractive part of Kassel is the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, which covers 2.4 square kilometres and is the biggest park on a hill in Europe. With wide expanses of lawn, countless fountains and the city’s landmark, the Herkules statue, the park is undoubtedly one of the region’s most beautiful attractions.
Kassel is situated in the heart of Germany and has good train connections. So it’s the ideal place to travel from!
Fairytales play an important role in Kassel because this is where the brothers Grimm studied. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were the authors of such fairytales as „Hansel and Gretel“ and „The Valiant Little Tailor“. This is why the Deutsche Märchenstrasse, or Street of Fairytales, passes through Kassel.
600 kilometres long, it goes from Hanau, near , to . Apart from the hiking trail, Kassel also hosts the in which you can find out about the lives of the two brothers. Several of their stories were penned in Kassel, including „Snow White and the Seven Dwarves“. Thanks to their studies of the German language, the Brothers Grimm are considered to be the founding fathers of German studies.
Tip
You’ve really arrived in Kassel if you’ve had a picnic in the Bergpark with your friends!
Interview
SARA FROM SPAIN
LIVING IN KASSEL
Nothing is very far away in Kassel, and the best way to get about is either on foot or by bike. If you don’t fancy walking, you always can take a tram, which you’re entitled to use free of charge as a student.
After a hard day’s work, you can get some exercise in one of the sports courses offered at the higher education institutions. All kinds of sport are offered, from gymnastics to canoeing. Courses are soon full so sign up quickly!
If you want to relax, you can try out one of the many student bars where you will for sure find something to suit your taste. Then you can party until dawn in one of the student clubs.
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