Tag: Germany

Close to the city quarter Harleshausen of Kassel, Germany you can find an artificial lake in an old quarry: the Blauer See (‘blue lake’). It is a nice lake in a wavy forest, but it is especially interesting as the area surrounding it is a special cemetery – for artists whose works are shown at the documenta art exhibition. A round course leads you to the graves and future graves of the artists. The graves are designed and created while the owners are still living. Everybody participating in this collective artwork agrees on being buried there later.

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When you’re at the upper end of the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe at Kassel, Germany you might see a sign directing you to Elfbuchen – a popular destination for excursions. The Elfbuchen (‘eleven beeches‘) is a 535 meters high mountain spur which forms the border between the city quarters Bad Wilhelmshöhe and Harleshausen. On top you will find a hotel, restaurant and beer garden – the Waldhotel Elfbuchen – and an ancient tower that is unfortunately closed due to necessary repair works.

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The Hohes Gras (‘high grass‘) is a mountain near Kassel, Germany with a height of 614 meters. On top you can find a restaurant with a beer garden – the Waldgaststätte Hohes Gras – and a 30 meters high tower from the year 1888. You can climb up the stairs but most often the trees surrounding the tower don’t allow good views. In summer many people get here because it is a good starting point for hiking.

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The Stadthallengarten is a nice public park in the city quarter Vorderer Westen of Kassel, Germany. You can sit down, enjoy plants and trees or do some sports. The park was created in 1905 on the grounds of the former Gärtnerei Flora – by request of Jewish industrial Sigmund Aschrott. In 1913 he gifted the by then called Florapark to the city under the obligation to build a festival hall there. The result is today known as Stadthalle or Kongresspalais Kassel.

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The artwork ‘Idee di Pietra‘ by Giuseppe Penone (also called ‘Penone tree‘) is one of the most beloved works shown during the documenta 13 in 2012. It is located in the Karlsaue at Kassel, Germany and was bought after the exhibition using donations by the citizens. It is a bronze replica of a hazelnut tree with a giant foundling consisting of granite on top. An artwork that always catches the attention of pedestrians.

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There aren’t many documenta artworks left at the Karlsaue in Kassel, Germany. You can find the Spitzhacke by Claes Oldenburg (documenta 7, 1982) and the Idee di Pietra by Giuseppe Penone (documenta 13, 2012). And then there is a special tree – the Arkansas Black Apple by Jimmie Durham (documenta 13, 2012). The fruits are nearly black and the tree reminds the artist of his childhood. It is a very simple but yet highly complex artwork – if you want to see it as one.

Continue reading “Planting trees”

It is quite a special geological situation: directly within the basin in which Kassel, Germany is located, there is a hill consisting of limestone. It was formerly called Kratzenberg. On one side many residential homes, the Samuel-Beckett-Anlage and the Stadthalle can be found. On the other side, the hill is pretty steep and at its feet, you can find the railway tracks leading to Kassel Hauptbahnhof and Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe. In fact, these parts of the hill have been removed when the railway tracks were built in the middle of the 19th century.

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Near the Hessenschanze at Kassel, Germany you can find a small spring that refreshes the many people passing by on weekends. It is the strongest spring of the city quarter Kirchditmold. The Prinzenquelle is surrounded by a massive enclosure made of stone which was built before the year 1900. Unfortunately the water doesn’t come to the top where it did in the past and now it is directed via a pipe to a small river. Additionally there is a wooden Kneipp water-treading basin that is in good condition.

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The Hessenschanze is the end point of tramway 8 and a favorite place to have a walk through the forest. It is essentially a forest glade that was formerly used for sports. Now only in winter times the area is occupied by children that ride their sledges on different tracks. In 2013 a two kilometers long educational path (‘Walderlebnispfad‘) through the forest was opened that can be easily reached from the tramway stop.

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