Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
The roman-catholic church Sankt Elisabeth next to the Friedrichsplatz of Kassel, Germany might draw your attention as within its tower a giant person seems to be standing on golden sphere. It is an artwork of Stephan Balkenhol and one that lead to a long discussion. Exactly in parallel to the dOCUMENTA (13) art exhibition in 2012 the church arranged on exhibition of the works of Balkenhol on their grounds.
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The Karlskirche named after Charles I, landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (but also called Oberneustädter Kirche) is a tiny, nice protestant church in the city centre of Kassel, Germany that is often overlooked. It is located at the Karlsplatz that is not directly at the pedestrian zone. It was designed by Paul du Ry in baroque style and opened in the year 1710 CE. The area was by that time used to host religious refugees from France and those were in need of a church.
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The city of Kassel, Germany is located within a basin – a situation that also influences the weather. Within this basin there are only a limited number of hills like the Kratzenberg, the Möncheberg and the Weinberg. The latter consists of shell limestone and in medieval times wine was grown there. On top you will find the Grimmwelt, the memorial for the victims of fascism and a nice terrace that is sometimes used for events like the Weinbergfest.
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The Aschrottbrunnen in front of the town hall of Kassel, Germany is a special fountain with a sad history and it is also an artwork that is often overlooked. That is especially because the fountain looks flat and is built headfirst into the ground. An unusual situation that requires to step on top to see and understand the fountain and artwork.
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Everyone is unique. And this is a memorial for everyone of us. At the Brüder-Grimm-Platz of Kassel, Germany near the city center you can find an apparently empty memorial made of sandstone with the letters ICH (‘ME‘). Via three steps on the reverse side you can climb on top and complete the artwork.
Continue reading “ICH-Denkmal”
The Treppenstraße is seen as an historical highlight at Kassel, Germany – but the normal visitor wouldn’t recognize it. It is a street with steps and platforms that leads from the railway station to the main axis between Königsplatz and Friedrichsplatz in the city center. It is special because it is the first intentionally created pedestrian zone in Germany.
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It’s one of the most unexpected artworks at Kassel, Germany and even as it is close to the Kulturbahnhof many visitors simply don’t see it. Local artist Ralph Raabe built a springboard and placed it onto the Hotel Reiss. If you would use it, you would fall eighteen meters deep and hit the street underneath. It is called ‘Arschbombe‘ (cannonball) which describes the pleasure to jump into a pool with the goal to splash as much water as possible.
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Schloß Wilhelmshöhe is a castle in neo-classical style located in the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe at Kassel, Germany. It was built for William I between 1786 and 1789 on the grounds of a former cloister and houses today art museums – including the old masters gallery.
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In 1792 a new item was added to the water games in the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe at Kassel, Germany: following plans of Heinrich Christoph Jussow (after whom the temple next to the great fountain is named) an aqueduct with 14 arches was built. At the end the water is falling down 43 meters into wreckage of the aqueduct. Continue reading “Aquädukt”
The Teufelsbrücke or devils bridge is a bent pedestrian bridge in the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe at Kassel, Germany. It was first a wooden bridge that was replaced in 1826 by a metal one created by local company Hentschel. It is the third location of the water games and the water falls ten meters down into the Höllenteich (lake of hell). Continue reading “Teufelsbrücke”