KASSEL tourist attractions

If you want to find a city in Germany that perfectly combines the wonderful monuments of the past with the highest-quality contemporary culture, you should go to Kassel. One of the most important palace and park complexes in the country is Wilhelmshöhe. Contemporary art in turn represents the leading contemporary art festival Documenta, which takes place every 5 years.

Kassel received city rights at the end of the 12th century, but the settlement existed here 300 years earlier. It was then a commercial city located on the route from the Rhine towards the Baltic Sea. Kassel's modern history are closely linked to its establishment as the capital of Hesse, and since 1803 as the Hesse Electorate. It was then that the UNESCO Wilhelmshöhe Mountain Park, famous for its cascades and several palaces, was created here today.

The 18th century Wilhelmshöhe Castle was the residence of the princes of Hesse, and today it houses the Hessen Kassel Museum and the New Gallery. You can also visit some of the originally furnished chambers and the castle chapel. However, what attracts most tourists to Kassel is the park surrounding the palace. Its beginnings date back to the second half of the 18th century, and the multitude of park buildings means that the tour lasts even all day.

In addition to the prince's residence itself, the park features a stylized neo-Gothic Lion Castle, a Rococo Wilhelmsthal palace and the Sleeping Beauty Castle. There are also numerous buildings modeled on antique, such as the Juss Temple, Mercury Temple, Neptune's Grotto, Pluto's Grotto, Cestius Pyramid and the figure of Hercules placed on an octagonal base. You can also find quiet, idyllic corners like the Hermitage of Socrates or a greenhouse with tropical plants.

However, water plays a major role in the park. It falls by numerous cascades, such as the Steinhöfer Waterfall or Wasserspiele, flows through the aqueduct, rushes under the Devil's Bridge or finally calms down in Lake Lac.

Kassel is known throughout the artistic world from the Documenta exhibition every 5 years, which shows trends in contemporary art. For its needs, Documenta-Halle was built, where in the period between exhibitions you can admire the collections of works by contemporary artists.

The third, no less important element that attracts visitors to Kassel are the Brothers Grimm. It is here that they created a large part of their fairy tales and works on German grammar. To commemorate their work, the Grimm Brothers World Museum was established in the city.