Kassel Archives ⋆ Page 5 of 17 ⋆ The Passenger

December 18, 2019December 19, 2019

Gläserne Stadt

The Gläserne Stadt (vitreous city) is a beautiful artwork that was hidden in the underground: it was created in 1968 by artist Dieter von Andrian for the one and only underground tramway stop of Kassel, Germany – located underneath the main railway station (Hauptbahnhof, now Kulturbahnhof). It is 14 meters long and 2.5 meters high and shows a detailed map of Kassel, from the Unterneustadt, the river Fulda and the Karlsaue up to the Bergpark. You can easily spot the Königsplatz and the Wilhelmshöher Allee as the main (but broken) axis through the city. The artwork is illuminated in the evening, and it is most beautiful to visit it in the evening hours.

December 11, 2019December 11, 2019

Atombunker

When you arrive at the main railway station of Kassel, Germany (not to be confused with Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe) and leave the main building you might wonder that there is a large unused space in front of it. The answer is hard to find and located under ground: from 1941 to 1943 the railway company of the Deutsches Reich (the Reichsbahn) invested a lot of money to create an underground air-raid shelter in front of the station. It was supposed to protect travellers that arrive at Kassel during an attack.

December 4, 2019December 12, 2019

Schlachthof

Within Kassel, Germany, you will find different smaller concert venues which give you the chance to listen to a wide range of bands – newcomers and bands with a smaller audience. One of them is the Schlachthof in the city quarter Nord-Holland close to the university. At this location, there was once the slaughterhouse of the city until it was moved to Waldau in 1973. The buildings have been destructed and the Elisabeth-Knipping-Schule, a school providing vocational education, was built. Only the gatehouses remained and are now the home of the community centre and concert hall.

November 22, 2019November 29, 2019

Bunker

Sometimes you don’t have to travel far to find interesting places. And sometimes they are hidden just around the corner and you’ve passed them many times without noticing. I had this experience with two air-raid shelters (in German often called ‚bunker‘) and a beer-cooling cellar north of the city centre of Kassel, Germany. In the city quarter ‘Vorderer Westen‘ you can find a mountain called Kratzenberg consisting of shell limestone. During the time of the dinosaurs, the area was under water and the remains of shellfish sank down and created this limestone. Within this material many breweries created cellars later.

September 29, 2019September 30, 2019

Goldgrube

The Goldgrube is an alternative music club at Kassel, Germany. It can be found in the north of the city in a street called Eisenschmiede (iron forge). The club was opened in 2014 as a stage for bands that not yet fill the big music halls. I must admit that I would have never gone inside if I hadn’t bought a ticket in advance. When standing in front you wouldn’t expect what to find underground.

September 21, 2019July 16, 2023

Unused waterfall

Neuer Wasserfall, Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, Kassel

It is a lost place within the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe at Kassel, Germany: the Neuer Wasserfall (new waterfall). During the ancient water show the water runs from down from the Herkules monument to the Steinhöfer Wasserfall. It passes the Teufelsbrücke and the Aquädukt ruin before a large fountain starts. But there was another section that was added in 1826 – another waterfall. It was last in operation in 1943 before it was hit by bombs. It hasn’t been destroyed much but it can’t be used until today and most people don’t know about it.

September 20, 2019April 19, 2022

Up and down

View from the northern tower of the Martinskirche, Kassel

The city center of Kassel, Germany was largely destroyed during World War II (80 %). Before 1943 it must have been a wonderful place with many half-timbered houses. Today it feels like there is not much to show on a guided tour; tourists normally book art tours during documenta times or visit the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe with guides. But yet there are some hidden gems and fortunately a club of history enthusiasts offers special tours.

September 14, 2019January 31, 2020

Aschrottpark

The Tannenkuppe (fir summit) is a hill in the city quarter Vorderer Westen (fore west) of Kassel, Germany – not far away from the railway station Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe. It consists of limestone (like nearby Kratzenberg) which was gathered and until the mid of the 19th century also burned there to receive Calcium oxide; a material needed for buildings and industry. In the 1880s local industrial Sigmund Aschrott bought this place and converted it into a landscape garden.

September 6, 2019September 29, 2019

Fair grounds

Kassel, Germany isn’t known to be a city with big fairs – but yes it has a fair ground. It is used for concerts, handball matches of the team MT Melsungen, flea markets, antique markets and some rather unknown fairs. The fair grounds (‘Messegelände‘) are located in the south of the city next to river Fulda, the Bugasee and motorway A49 – Kassel-Waldau is the motorway exit you need to take.

July 12, 2019February 9, 2023

Mutter

It is not only a bar, it is a legend: the Mutter (mother) at Kassel, Germany. The bar is located close to the university in the city quarter Nord-Holland and it looks like it has never been renovated. This maximum shabby chic lets you know that you can be whoever you are or whatever you are here without feeling strange. And it ensures that no in-crowd people will distract you from relaxing.