Kassel

Kassel, city, Hessen Land (state), central Germany. It lies along the Fulda River, which is a navigable tributary of the Weser River, 90 miles (145 km) northeast of Frankfurt am Main.

First mentioned in 913 as Chassala (Chassela), the town derived its name, usually spelled Casle in the late European Middle Ages, from the Latin-Franconian castella (“stronghold”). Probably a seat of the Franconian kings, it was chartered in 1180 and became the residence of the landgraves of Hesse about 1277. An extension, Neustadt (New Town), was added, of which St. Martin’s Church (14th century) became the centre; the Oberneustadt (Upper New Town) was built in the 17th century for Huguenot refugees. Kassel was the capital of Hesse-Kassel (later the Electorate of Hesse) from 1567 to 1866; it also served as the capital of the short-lived kingdom of Westphalia (1807–13) and, after 1866, of the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau (until 1944). A centre of German airplane and tank production in World War II, it was almost totally destroyed by Allied bombing but has been carefully rebuilt.

Kassel is an important rail junction and an industrial centre. Manufactures include transportation equipment. The city’s historical landmarks include the Orangery Palace (1701–11) in Karlsaue Park and the Ottoneum (1604–07; largely rebuilt in 1697), which is claimed to be the oldest theatre building in Germany and which now houses a natural history museum. Other museums in the city include the Hesse Provincial Museum; the German Wallpaper Museum, which contains an unusual wallpaper collection; the Museum Fridericianum, the site of Documenta, an international art exhibition; and the Museum of the Brothers Grimm. The city is the seat of the University of Kassel (founded 1971). Wilhelmshöhe, a mountain just west of the city, is the site of a palace (1786–1801) that houses the State Art Collections. Nearby, a celebrated series of cascades is topped by a statue of Hercules that has been the symbol of Kassel since the 18th century. Pop. (2003 est.) 194,322.