Kassel: Grimm Fairy Tales and modern art

Kassel has evolved into a hub for contemporary art thanks to its role as the venue for documenta, the most illustrious and significant international exhibition of art. Even without documenta, Kassel would still be one of the leading art locations in Europe. Wilhelmshöhe Palace houses one of the world's largest and most important Rembrandt collections along with the famous statue of Apollo. Towering above the town is the monumental Hercules statue, replicated on countless postcards in Kassel.

1950s charm in the town centre

After the Second World War, a decision was made to erect new buildings rather than restore the old ones that had been destroyed. People wanted to make a clean break with the legacy of the past. Today, Kassel is very proud of its numerous successful examples of 1950s architecture, such as the Treppenstrasse ensemble, which has long been under a preservation order. In recent decades there has been a drive to rejuvenate the town centre and significantly increase its appeal with modern new buildings, public art and the redesign of open spaces in an unconventional style. Central Kassel comprises the town centre itself, which extends as far as the Schöne Aussicht vantage point overlooking vast Karlsaue Park, the smaller residential and business district around Entenanger and Markthalle, plus the district between Weinberg hill and the 'culture station' venue.

Germany's first theatre and Goethe's elephant

Special impetus for urban development came from the new residents, visitors and target groups attracted to Kassel by the Federal Horticultural Show and the first documenta, which were both held in 1955, as well as the University of Kassel, which was founded in 1970. Kassel is also one of the oldest-established theatre towns in Germany: the country's first permanent theatre, now the Kassel State Theatre, was built here in 1605. Theatre-goers can also choose from a whole range of other exciting venues with top-class ensembles and innovative programmes. Wilhelmshöhe Palace is not to be missed, nor are the excellent museums. Art from the last two centuries is displayed at the New Gallery, and Goethe's famous elephant is exhibited at the Natural History Museum. The Museum of Astronomy and Physics, which houses the landgrave collection of scientific instruments, offers captivating insights into the secrets of astronomy, the measurement of time, geodesy, physics and mathematics. The Brothers Grimm Museum is dedicated to the work of these two famous writers, who were also renowned for their linguistic research and spent 30 years of their lives in Kassel.

documenta – a world exhibition of modern art

There is a very thin line between scandal and triumph, protest and delight, provocation and experimentation at documenta. As the world's most important recurring exhibition for contemporary art, it is a reflection on society and a showcase for international art. documenta takes place every five years (originally every four) and lasts 100 days. It made its first appearance in 1955 on the initiative of the Kassel-born artist and designer Arnold Bode, who wanted to send out a signal of renewal and to familiarise people in Germany with the work of artists who had been exiled as 'degenerates' and who were banned until 1945.

The venue for the exhibition has been the Fridericianum since 1955, while the Documenta Hall was added in 1992 for documenta 9. Other museums are also always used for the duration of the exhibition. Besides the pieces displayed inside these venues, documenta regularly features outdoor exhibits. Some of the most spectacular are now an integral part of the townscape, for example, the 7,000 Oaks project by Joseph Beuys, the Rahmenbau steel sculpture by the Austrian collective Haus-Rucker-Co, Claes Oldenburg's giant pickaxe on the banks of the Fulda and Jonathan Borofsky's Man Walking to the Sky, which was installed for documenta 9 in 1992. Each of these great works of art is a reason to visit Kassel. A date for the diary: documenta 13 starts on 9 June 2012.