What historic buildings have survived are mainly outside the center of town. Wilhelmshhe Palace, above the city, was built in 1786 by landgrave Wilhelm IX of Hesse-Kassel. The palace is surrounded by a park where more sights can be found. The Oktagon is a huge octagonal stone structure surmounted by a replica of Hercules by Benvenuto Cellini. The Lwenburg (“Lions Castle”) is a replication of a medieval castle, also established by Wilhelm IX. After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71 Napolon III was imprisoned in Wilhelmshhe. In 1918 Wilhelmshhe became seat of the German Army Command (OHL): it was there that the military commanders Hindenburg and Ludendorff prepared the German capitulation.
Another large park is the Karlsaue along the Fulda River. Established in the 16th century, it is famous for the Orangerie, a palace built in 1710 as a summer residence for the landgraves. Today there is also a planetarium in the park.
Documenta, an important international exhibition of modern and contemporary art. Museums include: Wilhelmshhe Palace (Antiquities Collection and Old Masters’), Museum fr Sepulkralkultur (the only German Museum of the culture of funerals); Art Gallery (Albrecht Drer, Rubens, Rembrandt, Franz Hals, Antoon van Dyck), New Gallery (Tischbein Family, Joseph Beuys).
Related Travel Information
Krefeld: Germany
Krefeld is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located southwest of the Ruhr area, just a few kilometres to the west of the River Rhine. (The borough of Uerdingen is situated directly on the Rhine.) Population: 238,100. The city was known as Crefeld until 1900. It is accessed by A57 (Cologne - Nimwegen) and the A44 (Aachen - Dusseldorf - Dortmund - Kassel)
The origins of the town were in Roman times, when the legions founded the military camp of Gelduba (today the borough of Gellep). Krefeld itself was first mentioned in 1105 under the name of Krinvelde.
Hildesheim: Germany
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 25 km southeast of Hannover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small affluent of the Leine river. Population: 106,100 (1999).
It is accessed by the Autobahn A7 linking Kassel, Göttingen and Hanover and routes 1, 6, 243 and 494
Places of Interest
Thousand-Year-Old Rosebush: 1,000 years old. That's the age the world's oldest living rose is thought to be. Today it continues to flourish on the wall of the Hildesheim Cathedral.
Cathedral (UNESCO World Heritage Site) - with ancient bronze doors (Bernwards
Siegen: Germany
Siegen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Siegen-Wittgenstein. As of December 31, 2003 it has a population of 106,143.
Twinned cities:
Berlin-Spandau, Germany, since 1952
Rijnsburg, the Netherlands, since 1963
Leeds, since 1966
Ypres, Belgium, since 1967
Zakopane, Poland, since 1989
Plauen, Saxony, Germany, since 1990
Recklinghausen: Germany
Recklinghausen is a city in the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 123.562 inhabitants as of June 30, 2003 it is the capital of the district Recklinghausen.
Heilbronn: Germany
Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, near Stuttgart. This district-free city is completely surrounded by the district Heilbronn. It is located on the river Neckar . As of 2004, it has ~120,900 inhabitants.
Heilbronn was first mentioned as Helibrunna in 741. In 1281, it was declared city by Rudolph I.
