The summer residence of Sophia Charlotte of Hanover is a wonderful palace in the West of Berlin, Germany and with its garden it invites for long walks. It was opened in 1699 and was named Lietzenburg after the village next to it. It was extended continuously, especially after she became queen of Prussia. When Sophia Charlotte in 1705 (aged 36 then) her husband named the castle and the village after her: Charlottenburg. Still today the city quarter name Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf refers to her.
Continue reading “Schloß Charlottenburg”Buchstabenmuseum
It is a retirement home for old illuminated letters and advertisement signs: the Buchstabenmuseum (letter museum) at Berlin, Germany. Since already 14 years a club of volunteers collects and exhibits letters and advertisement signs with a history. They had to change their location already five times and are now located under a Stadtbahnbogen near S-Bahn stop Bellevue.
Continue reading “Buchstabenmuseum”Collection of castles
When hearing the name ‘Sanssouci‘ people always think of the castle of Sanssouci at Potsdam, Germany. But after finishing the castle and the vineyard terraces a continuous expansion began under the following Hohenzollern rulers. Flower gardens, alleys, uncountable fruit-bearing trees and fountains where added. The Park Sanssouci now has a size of 290 hectares and a network of paths that sum up to 70 kilometers. There is a lot to explore and to discover.
Continue reading “Collection of castles”Schloß Sanssouci
The castle of Sanssouci is one of the best-known castles in Germany and located within the Park Sanssouci of Potsdam, Germany. It belonged to the house of Hohenzollern and the first buildings where created between 1745 and 1747 by the order of Frederick the Great in rococo style. It was extended in 1841 under Frederick William IV of Prussia and since 1990 the castle is a UNESCO world heritage site.
Continue reading “Schloß Sanssouci”Café Hurricane
If you’re coming to the Nordstadt auf Kassel, Germany you should plan a stop at the Café Hurricane north of the university and close to the Nordstadtpark. They’ve got seats in a winter garden and outside next to the street where you can watch the hustle and bustle. As I learned the Café Hurricane is well-known for two things: breakfast and börek.
Continue reading “Café Hurricane”Nordstadtpark
The Nordstadtpark is one of the smaller green areas at Kassel, Germany – but it is well-known and highly frequented because of its location next to the university and the university hospital. It offers a playground, a large meadow to relax and terraces to sit on next to river Ahne. The location also determines the atmosphere here: the visitors are younger and more international than in other parts of the city.
Continue reading “Nordstadtpark”Weinbergbunker
Because of its massive weaponry production the city of Kassel, Germany was a primary target for air raids in World War II. Therefore you can still today find different bunkers under the city and above ground. One of them is the vast Weinbergbunker within the Weinberg mountain (where once wine was planted) close to the city center. It was created in 1821 to store and cool beer – the temperature down there is always between 8 and 11 degrees celsius. In addition in winter times ice from the frozen river Fulda was brought there.
Continue reading “Weinbergbunker”No man’s land
In the forest between Landwehrhagen, Staufenberg and Heiligenrode, Niestetal you can observe a special border situation: as both, the kingdom of Hannover and the landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel wanted to use a path through the forest they found an easy solution. The border stones are simply placed on the left and the right side of the path creating a ‘Niemandsland‘ (no man’s land) not belonging to one of these two parties. When you’re standing in between you’re neither in the kingdom nor in the landgraviate.
Continue reading “No man’s land”Ickelsbach
The Ickelsbach is just a tiny flow beginning at Lutterberg, passing Landwehrhagen (both belonging to Staufenberg) and ending at the river Fulda close to Wahnhausen, Fuldatal (which is located on the other side of the river). Unfortunately you cannot walk near the riverbed but on paths close to the river. It is a nice walk from Landwehrhagen down to river Fulda where you can decide to continue via the watergate to Wahnhausen or along the Fulda to Speele.
Continue reading “Ickelsbach”Kragenhof
The city of Kassel, Germany has two exclaves – or better said property outside of the boundaries of the city: the Lenoir mausoleum at Hessisch Lichtenau and the Gut Kragenhof at Staufenberg. The Kragenhof is a farm within a sinuosity of river Fulda. Since 1901 it belongs to Kassel but it is only accessible via Staufenberg and also has its postcode and area code.
Continue reading “Kragenhof”