Kassel

Understand

History

Kassel traces its history to a first mention in 913 CE, but archaeological finds indicate human habitation at this site predating the 10th century. And the city would soon become a centre and later residence of the Landgraviate of Hesse. During the Thirty Years War Kassels Landgraf Philipp declared for the Protestants. This had an effect as later numerous Huguenots emigrated from France and brought with them their trade and skills. The impact of the Huguenots can still be witnessed in the centre of Kassel where streets are named after Huguenots. Kassel became a considerable industrial and scientific city as can still be seen in the Orangerie museum where loads of scientific kit from the enlightenment period is on show. Noticeably the first steam pot producing a fountain was constructed in Kassel by Papin and rumours have it that he left Kassel in his steam boat a few years before James Watt got his prototype into shape. Kassel was already a heavy industries site by World War II, where trains, tanks and planes were constructed. In the later years of the war Kassel was thoroughly bombed as a military target by English and American planes. Kassel was home to the famous Brothers Grimm who wrote a lot of the fairy tales Disney uses today. A less well known but perhaps more important piece of their work was an attempt at a "complete" dictionary of the German language, that was only completed after their death. The house that they lived in was made into a museum with a lot of interesting artefacts. The Centre of Kassel itself was thoroughly destroyed during the Second World War and therefore rebuilt in the incredibly bland 1950s style (which in fairness was partially due to budget constraints and admitted to be ugly even back then). Hence, the inner city is mainly dominated by bank and mall buildings of the modern sort.

Tourist information 1 Tourist Information City Centre, Wilhelmsstraße 23, ☏ +49 561 707707, fax: +49 561 7077169, [email protected]. M-Sa 09:00-18:00. 2 Tourist Information Wilhelmshöhe, Willy-Brandt-Platz 1, ☏ +49 561 34054, fax: +49 561 315216, [email protected]. M-Sa 09:00-18:00. at the train station Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe 3 Visitor Centre Wilhelmshöhe, Wilhelmshöher Allee 380, ☏ +49 561 31680751, [email protected]. 1 May-3 October: daily 10:00-17:00; 4 October-30 April: Sa Su 10:00-16:00. (updated Apr 2017) 4 Visitor Centre Hercules, Schlosspark 28, ☏ +49 561 31680781, [email protected]. Tu-Su 10:00-17:00; 15 March-15 November: daily 10:00-17:00. (updated Apr 2017)

Getting there

By car Motorways (Hannover-Würzburg), (Kassel-Dortmund) and (Kassel-Marburg) leads to Kassel.

By train Kassel is an important hub in the ICE network and is one of the cities on the first purpose-built German high speed rail line connecting Würzburg and Hanover. Most ICE and some local trains serve 1 Fernbahnhof Kassel-Wilhemshöhe, about 4 km west of downtown. The private operator Flixtrain also serves Kassel Wilhelmshöhe. Flixtrain does not accept DB tickets and vice versa. Kassel's historic 2 Hauptbahnhof (main station), that was refurbished following the opening of the Wilhelmshöhe station has been branded "Kulturbahnhof" (culture station) and is much closer to downtown. Only regional trains operating to/from here. You can take a train from one station to the other and it's advisable to start your exploration from Hauptbahnhof as it is much closer to most sights.

By bus The 3 Busbahnhof Kassel Wilhelmshöhe (intercity bus station), also known as the ZOB, adjoins the Kassel-Wilhemshöhe Bahnhof. There is another intercity bus station at 4 Kaufungen-Papierfabrik, a few meters behind the city boundary of Kassel at the motorway. The tramlines 4 and 8 are running from the Papierfabrik in the city centre.

By plane 5 Kassel Airport (KSF IATA) (in Calden, 10 km out of town). It receives some flights from Sylt and Heringsdorf on MHS Aviation, and from Palma de Mallorca (AlbaStar) and Bolzano (Sky Alps). Between the Kassel Airport Terminal, the city centre and the train stations Hauptbahnhof and Wilhelmshöhe runs the busline 100. (updated Jun 2025) The next major airports are in Hanover (HAJ IATA) and of course Frankfurt airport (FRA IATA). As they are excellently connected to the German railway network (Frankfurt airport has a high speed ICE stop) and Kassel is a major hub, you can get from the airport to town in no more than two hours. You can also buy combined tickets for flight and train.

Getting around

From the station, trams leave towards the town centre and one can easily walk to the Bergpark which is visible from where the trams leave. If you are staying a few days in Kassel buy a public transport Wochenkarte. Ride as much as you like on the streetcars and buses for a full week from date of issue for €23.50 (January 2019). Another very attractive offer for tourists is the Kasselcard for 2 adults (24 hr for €9, 72 hr for €12) which includes all public transport and offers reduced entrance fee in many museums. The Kasselcard is only available at the Tourist Information offices, at the youth hostel and at some hotels. Tram and bus stops are identified by this sign: .

Local public transport is the KVG (only in German), see also the website of the transport association NVV (only in German) for north Hesse.

See

Parks

1 Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe. Since 2013 on the UNESCO World Heritage List, worth visiting is the "Bergpark" (Mountainpark) which is supposedly the largest in Europe and second largest park on a mountain slope in the world. The park contains the Herkules statue at its top end which is towering over the city and has become its symbol. Further the park contains loads of smaller features which are mainly fake Greek temples, fake medieval castles, fake quarries - you see where we are getting. Not fake though are the Rembrandts and Rubens paintings in the Schloss in the park - an entrance fee is charged. The Park also features during summer months (1 May-3 Oct) the Wasserspiele (watergames) every Wednesday, Sunday and on public holidays starting from 14:30. Various of the features such as the Cascades (below the Herkules statue), the fake waterfall and the fake Roman Aqueduct have their water supplies opened for half an hour or so each and the crowd of tourists will move from feature to feature starting on the higher parts moving down slope. Löwenburg and Schloss Wilhelmshöhe (palace Wilhelmshöhe) with its old masterpieces of art. (updated Feb 2019) 2 Karlsaue State Park (Staatspark Karlsaue). Karlsaue, another, French-style park with some old buildings containing all sort of museums (tapstries to astrology). That area is also the usual place for the Documenta art exhibition to happen every five years (next summer 2022). Siebenbergen flower island (Blumeninsel Siebenbergen). Orangerie. Cabinet of Astronomy and Physics with planetarium (Astronomisch Physikalisches Kabinett mit Planetarium). Marble Baths (Marmorbad)

Museums

3 Löwenburg (Lion's Castle), Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe ( Waldorfschule (Line 3)), ☏ +49 561 31680244, fax: +49 561 31680222, [email protected]. 1 March-15 November: Tu-Su 10:00-17:00, W 10:00-20:00; 16 Nov-29 Feb: F-Su 10:00-16:00. The Löwenburg was built between 1793 and 1801. Although it seems on the first view as a romantic knight’s castle from the Middle Ages, it is a pleasure palace for Landgrave Wilhelm IX of Hesse-Cassel. The castle is one of the first significant buildings of the Gothic Revival architecture in Germany. Visitors can inspect armours, weapons and baroque rooms. 4 Museum Schloss Wilhelmshöhe (Museum Palace Wilhelmshöhe), Schlosspark 1 ( Wilhelmshöhe (Park) (Lines 1 and 23)), ☏ +49 561 316800, [email protected]. Tu-Su 10:00-17:00, W 10:00-20:00. with Collection of Antiques and Old Masters Picture Gallery. The Schloss Wilhelmshöhe was built in a Neoclassical style between 1786 and 1798 for Landgrave Wilhelm (

Do

Swimming baths 1 Kurhessen Therme, Wilhelmshöher Allee 361, ☏ +49 561 318080, fax: +49 561 3180813, [email protected]. Su-Tu 09:00-23:00; W-Sa 09:00-24:00. Kurhessen-Therme (Line 1) 2 Auebad Kassel, Am Auedamm 21, ☏ +49 561 7820, fax: +49 561 7822121, [email protected]. Daily 10:00-22:00. Auebad (Line 16)

Theatres 3 Staatstheater Kassel, Friedrichsplatz 15, ☏ +49 561 10940, [email protected]. Staatstheater (Line 16)

Cinemas 4 Cineplex, Wilhelmsstraße 2a, ☏ +49 561 700470. Rathaus and Rathaus/Fünffensterstraße 5 Cinestar, Karlsplatz 8, ☏ +49 561 701711. Rathaus and Rathaus/Fünffensterstraße

Action 6 Kletterwald Kassel, Hohes Gras, ☏ +49 5251 8719471, fax: +49 5251 6889685, [email protected]. Hohes Gras (Line 22) 7 City Bowling, Bosestraße 1, ☏ +49 561 21077, fax: +49 561 24447, [email protected]. M-Th 14:00-24:00; F 14:00-02:00; Sa 11:00-03:00; Su 10:00-24:00. Auestadion

Sport KSV Hessen Kassel is the most popular football club of Kassel and plays in the German Fourth Division (Regionalliga Südwest). The home stadium of the football club is the 1 Auestadion which is able to hold 18,000 people. Kassel Huskies is a professional ice hockey and plays in the 2nd Eishockey-Bundesliga, but they played the majority of their seasons in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, called DEL (1994–2006). The team plays in the 2 Eissporthalle Kassel (6100 people). MT Melsungen is a handball club from Melsungen, but has it home in the 3 Rothenbach-Halle since 2007 which is able to hold 4300 people. The team plays in the German Handball-Bundesliga. The Kassel-Marathon is one of the biggest and fastest marathons in Germany. In the programme are a children run, called Mini-Marathon, with a length of 4.2 km, a half-marathon, a marathon and a marathon ekiden. Start and end is in the Auestadion in the south of Kassel.

Events Museums Night The first saturday of September in Kassel. The many participating museums and other locations have open past midnight and there are many spesial arrangements/performances. 61 locations participated in 2025. A single ticket (€15 as of 2025) gives access to all participating locations and 2 days of public transport. You can get it from Tourist Info or the Museums Night website. The planetarium in the Orangerie has limited seats and your time slot there should be booked at least a week ahead of this weekend. documenta: June – September 2027. This exhibition of contemporary art takes place every five years in Kassel.The 16th edition is planned for 2027. After the main event there are small

Buy

Shopping can be somewhat difficult in Kassel compared to the United States, but most of the good shopping is located close to the Königsplatz so if you get off the Straßenbahn (Tram) around there you can do most of your shopping with the usual big retail chains and many smaller shops.

1 Etuis-Mertl, Wilhelmsstraße 13, ☏ +49 561 16626, [email protected]. M-F 10:00-19:00; Sa 10:00-17:00. 2 Hornschu, Oberste Gasse 3-7, ☏ +49 561 772329, fax: +49 561 773381, [email protected]. M-F 10:00-19:00; Sa 10:00-16:00. 3 Kletterkogel, Garde-du-Corps-Straße 1, ☏ +49 561 776192, fax: +49 561 774990, [email protected]. M-F 10:00-19:00; Sa 10:00-18:00. 4 Porzellanhaus Lange, Wilhelmsstraße 4a, ☏ +49 561 103333, fax: +49 561 1033355, [email protected]. M-F 10:00-19:00; Sa 10:00-16:00. 5 Laufladen, Friedrichsplatz 12, ☏ +49 561 104475, fax: +49 561 771855, [email protected]. M-Th 10:00-18:00; F 10:00-19:00; Sa 10:00-16:00. 6 Scheibenbeisser, Fünffensterstraße 6, ☏ +49 561 5297026, fax: +49 561 5297028, [email protected]. M-F 10:00-19:00; Sa 10:00-18:00. 7 Sound Brothers, Wolfsschlucht 17, ☏ +49 561 700090, fax: +49 561 7000910, [email protected]. M-F 11:00-19:00; Sa 11:00-16:00. A lot of local shops you can find in the old market hall:

8 Markthalle Kassel, Wildemannsgasse 1, ☏ +49 561 780395, fax: +49 561 14626, [email protected]. Th F 07:00-18:00, Sa 07:00-14:00. (updated Feb 2019)

Eat

There are great bakeries on every corner and throughout the city. Another great place to eat is any of the little stands located in the City Point or Kürfürsten Galerie (city centre).

Budget 1 Günter Haack im bankcarrée, Rudolf-Schwander-Straße 3. (updated Sep 2022) 2 Restaurant Regenbogen, Werner-Hilpert-Straße 3. (updated Sep 2022) 3 Podium, Kölnische Str. 34. (updated Sep 2022) 4 Mini Pizza Piccolo, Martinspl. 2. (updated Sep 2022) 5 Pizzeria Bologna, Treppenstraße 11. (updated Sep 2022) 6 Ramoosh, Martinspl. 6. (updated Sep 2022) 7 HaDaCo, Mauerstraße 11. (updated Sep 2022)

Mid-range 8 Restaurant Bootshaus, Auedamm 27, ☏ +49 561 7394486, fax: +49 561 7394487, [email protected]. Daily from 12:00. (updated Sep 2022) 9 Eckstein, Obere Königsstraße 4, ☏ +49 561 713300, fax: +49 561 713390. Daily 11:00-24:00. (updated Sep 2022) 10 Bolero, Schöne Aussicht 1a, ☏ +49 561 45010632, fax: +49 561 45010633, [email protected]. Daily from 12:00. (updated Sep 2022) 11 Osteria, Jordanstraße 11, ☏ +49 561 773705, [email protected]. M-Sa from 18:00. (updated Sep 2022) 12 Boccaccio, Querallee 36, ☏ +49 561 43020410. (updated Sep 2022) 13 Eberts, Friedrich-Ebert-Straße 116, ☏ +49 561 7399230, [email protected]. M-Sa 09:00-24:00; Su 10:00-14:00. (updated Sep 2022) 14 Düsseldorfer Hof, Zwehrener Weg 6-8, ☏ +49 561 22176, fax: +49 561 22101, [email protected]. Tu-F from 16:00; Sa from 17:00; Su 11:00-14:30, from 17:00. (updated Sep 2022) 15 Brauhaus Zum Rammelsberg, Rammelsbergstraße 4, ☏ +49 561 3162730, [email protected]. M-Sa 17:00-24:00; Su 12:00-24:00. (updated Sep 2022) 16 Restaurant Gutshof, Wilhelmshöhe Allee 347a, ☏ +49 561 32525, fax: +49 561 932150, [email protected]. M-Sa 17:00-24:00; Su 12:00-24:00. (updated Sep 2022)

Splurge 17 Humboldt 1a, Humboldtstraße 1a, ☏ +49 561 76649755, fax: +49 561 76649757, [email protected]. Tu-Su 14:00-23:00. (updated Sep 2022) 18 Restaurant Ilyssia, Lange Straße 83, ☏ +49 561 311793, fax: +49 561 311749, [email protected]. M-F 17:30-24:00; Sa-Su 12:00-14:30, 17:30-24:00. (updated Sep 2022)

Cafés 19 Café Nenninger, Friedrichsplatz 8, ☏ +49 561 7661690, fax: +49 561 7661692, [email protected]. M-F 08:00-19:00, Sa 09:00-19:30, Su 09:30-19:00. $$. (updated Sep 2022) 20 Café Lange, Friedrich-Ebert-Straße 72, ☏ +49 561 17138, [email protected]. M-F from 06:00, Sa-Su from 07:00. $$. (updated Sep 2022) 21 Café Streiter, Wilhelmshöher Allee 283, ☏ +49 561 9373157, fax: +49 561 9373158. M-F 06:00-19:00, Sa 06:00-18:00, Su 07:30-18:00. $$. (updated S

Drink & nightlife

Clubs and discos 1 York, Obere Königsstraße 4, ☏ +49 561 7397919, fax: +49 561 7397920, [email protected]. 2 Club A.R.M./Lolita Bar, Werner-Hilpert Straße 22, ☏ +49 561 47396530, [email protected]. 3 Unten, Joseph-Beuys-Straße 7, ☏ +49 561 81657150, [email protected]. 4 Kulturzentrum K19, Moritzstraße 19, ☏ +49 561 8043803, [email protected]. 5 Musikpark A7, Miramstraße 74, ☏ +49 561 95380340, fax: +49 561 95380342, [email protected]. 6 Joe's Garage, Friedrich-Ebert-Straße 60, ☏ +49 561 18686, [email protected].

Sleep

1 Best Western Plus Hotel Kassel City, Spohrstraße 4, ☏ +49 561 72850, fax: +49 561 7285118, [email protected]. 2 Hotel Reiss, Werner-Hilpert-Straße 24, ☏ +49 561 521400, fax: +49 561 52140499, [email protected]. 3 Jugendherberge Kassel, Schenkendorfstraße 18, ☏ +49 561 776455, fax: +49 561 776832, [email protected]. 4 Pentahotel Kassel, Bertha-von-Suttner Straße 15, ☏ +49 561 9339887, fax: +49 561 9339100, [email protected]. 5 Best Western Hotel Kurfürst Wilhelm I, Wilhelmshöher Allee 257, ☏ +49 561 31870, fax: +49 561 318777, [email protected]. 6 Hotel Schweizer Hof, Wilhelmshöher Allee 288, ☏ +49 561 93690, fax: +49 561 93699, [email protected]. 7 Kurparkhotel Bad Wilhelmshöhe, Wilhelmshöher Allee 336, ☏ +49 561 31890, fax: +49 561 3189124, [email protected]. 8 Schlosshotel Bad Wilhelmshöhe, Schlosspark 8, ☏ +49 561 30880, fax: +49 561 3088428, [email protected]. 9 Wilhelmshöher Tor BioHotel Kassel, Heinrich-Schütz-Allee 24, ☏ +49 561 93890, fax: +49 561 9389111, [email protected]. 10 Hotel Neue Drusel, Im Druseltal 42, ☏ +49 561 30800, fax: +49 561 3080299, [email protected]. 11 Zum Steinernen Schweinchen, Konrad-Adenauer-Straße 117, ☏ +49 561 940480, fax: +49 561 94048555, [email protected]. 12 La Strada, Raiffeisenstraße 10, ☏ +49 561 20900, fax: +49 561 2090500, [email protected]. 13 Hotel Gude, Frankfurter Straße 299, ☏ +49 561 48050, fax: +49 561 4805101, [email protected]. 14 Hotel Albatros, Oberste Gasse 11 (one block SE of the Königsplatz and an easy walk from the Hauptbahnhof). A classic German experience with full restaurant/bar on the main level and 15 rooms on the upper two floors. All rooms with WC and shower and TV. Rate includes a large breakfast buffet. The restaurant has daily specials, and serves reasonably priced, true German cuisine. 15 Ibis Hotel Kassel, Heinrich-Hertz-Straße 3, ☏ +49 561-58940, fax: +49 561-5894400. A clean budget hotel in an industrial area a couple of kilometres from downtown, right at the Autobahn exit. If you are travelling by car, this is an excellent choice, if travelling by train or other kind of transportation, not. The hotel restaurant could be compared to a fast-food joint, but again, if you have a car you can drive to the city centre for a better meal. from €52. 16 Hotel Palmenbad, Kurhausstr. 25 (from ICE train station Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe, take tram 4, direction "Druseltal", to "Brabanter Strasse", within 5 min), ☏ +49-561-20755870, [email protected]. Check-in:

Go next

Getting a little bit out of the city can be a good thing. Around Kassel there are beautiful forests and ponds that have really good trails like the Habichtswald in the west or the Reinhardswald in the north. You can travel with buses direct into them (Bus 22 or 190).

Deutsche Märchenstraße (German Fairytale Road)

Habichtswald The Habichtswald and the Naturpark Habichtswald are located in the west of Kassel. You can find in the nature park châteaus as 1 Schloss Wilhelmsthal, old castle ruins as the 2 Weidelsburg or worth seeing mountains as the 3 Hoher Dörnberg with Helfensteine, where also the Naturparkzentrum is located (bus line 117 from Zierenberg train station, lines R4/RT4). Medieval towns in the Naturpark Habichtswald are Zierenberg, Wolfhagen and Naumburg (Hesse).

Reinhardswald

The Reinhardswald is an area associated with fairy tales and the stories of the Brothers Grimm, for example "Sleeping Beauty", who should lived on the 4 Sababurg, an old castle in the middle of the forest. There are nice medieval and baroque towns around the Reinhardswald, like Hann. Münden in Lower Saxony or Bad Karlshafen in the north of Hesse. Visit also the 5 Tierpark Sababurg, the oldest animal park of Europe and the 6 Urwald Sababurg, the first Naturschutzgebiet of Hesse. Bus line 190 runs through the Reinhardswald from Hofgeismar train station, train lines RE17/RT1, or Hann. Münden train station, train lines RE2/RE9/R8.

Edersee

The Edersee is a reservoir and together with the Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee a multifaceted touristic area in the southwest of Kassel. Most famous are the 7 Edersee Dam and 8 Schloss Waldeck, but there are also smaller sights and not to forget the objects, which you can just see when there is only very little water in the reservoir, like the Aseler Brücke (bridge). Around the Edersee and in the Kellerwald you can find a lot of hiking trails or cycle paths.

Upland The Upland is the northeastern part of the Hochsauerland and Rothaar Mountains and a ski and hiking area. The most famous mountain is the Ettelsberg (837,7 m ü. NHN), because of the heath and the 9 Hochheideturm, a 59-metre high observation tower, with a platform at 831 metres high. A cable car runs between Willingen and the mountain. Next to the Ettelsberg you can find the 10 Mühlenkopfschanze, the largest ski jumping hill in the world with World Cup events every year.

Next cities Göttingen (50 km) - famous university town in Lower Saxony (Georg-August-Universität) Eisenach (85 km) - with Wartburg, where Martin Luther translated the Bible into German; native tow