Der Kreis Kassel

Udo Schlitzberger (Herausgeber)

Remarkable and loveable
The Kassel district lies at the northernmost tip of Hesse, right in the
centre of Germany. It is home to around 235,000 people, around 9,000
of whom have Italian, Turkish, Spanish, Eastern European or other international
roots. It could certainly be said that the area is even more
international than that: around 20% of the inhabitants have a migrant
background as either they themselves, their parents or their grandparents
arrived in the district from another country – and stayed. Because
life is good in this loveable region.
There are many areas of natural and cultural significance, including the
Wilhelmsthal Palace and Gardens, the Reinhardswald forest, the Dörnberg
mountain and numerous beautiful settlements with comparatively
inexpensive housing. What’s more, there are good employment
opportunities in important and innovative businesses such as the
Volkswagen factory in Baunatal – the biggest company in the region
with 16,000 employees – and SMA Solar Technology in Niestetal, world
leader in solar inverters. In addition, the Kassel district boasts three renowned
spa towns: the accredited Kneipp treatment spa town of
Naumburg, the mineral spa town of Bad Emstal and the thermal saltwater
spa town of Bad Karlshafen.
Economic development is positive thanks to numerous pioneering
projects. North Hesse’s slogan “We’re in a good place” really hits the
nail on the head. With the A7 motorway heading north and south, the
A44 to North Rhine-Westphalia and Thuringia, the inter-city express
railway line and the new regional airport in Kassel-Calden, the region’s
infrastructure is nothing short of excellent. And the same is true of the
local public transport system. The regional tram, an internationally renowned
transport project, is now used by over four million passengers
a year, many of whom come from the Kassel area.
Old transport lines were a significant factor in the arrival of people to
the area as far back as 6,000 years ago, when the earthworks were built
and Calden became a cultural meeting place. Just a few kilometres to
the south, on the Hohen Dörnberg mountain, a ringfort dating from
the Celtic era can be seen from afar.
For the Germanic Chatti tribe, whose homeland stretched up to the
Diemel in the north and to the Oberweser and the Werra in the east,
North Hesse must have truly been a very habitable place because they
remained here throughout the turbulent times of the “Völkerwanderung”
(migration of peoples). The Chatti, later known as the Hassi/Hessi,
gave Hesse its name.
Today, the old villages and town centres in the beautiful countryside
between Diemel, Fulda and Weser will leave you enchanted. The typical
half-timbered architecture in the Landgrave of Grebenstein and
the former pilgrimage destination of Gottsbüren, not to mention
around the Lippoldsberg abbey church, is very impressive.
The power and glory of the Middle Ages can be seen in Kaufungen Abbey,
established by Empress Cunigunde of Luxembourg in 1011/12, as
well as in the historic town centres of Wolfhagen and Zierenberg. It is
easy to fall in love with our home region, and this is in no small measure
due to these places of historic interest.