City of Kassel, Germany
Kassel, view from Statue of Hercules
Kassel is the "Capital of the German Fairy Tale Route" where art and nature are equally important. Magnificent parks, internationally renowned art treasures, historical monuments and cultural institutions draw millions of visitors every year to this attractive city on the River Fulda.
NATURE
Nearly two thirds of Kassel consist of green open spaces in the form of park areas, tree-lined streets and woodlands. In addition, the "Bad Wilhelmshöhe" spa resort is located at the foot of the Hercules monument and the Wilhelmshöhe Palace. With its mild but bracing climate and secluded location (230-600 m a.m.s.l.), this wellness area offers visitors unrivalled surroundings including water-treading facilities, woodland paths and well-trodden hiking routes over many kilometres of attractive hillside surroundings in North Hesse.
The Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe is a unique mountain park. Art historian Georg Dehio (1850–1932), inspirator of the modern discipline of historic preservation, described the park as "possibly the most grandiose combination of landscape and architecture that the Baroque dared anywhere" ("vielleicht das Grandioseste, was irgendwo der Barock in Verbindung von Architektur und Landschaft gewagt hat.").
The area of the park is 240 ha, making it the largest European hillside park, and second largest park on a mountain slope in the world. Construction of the Bergpark began in 1696 and took about 150 years.
The Habichtswald area is ideal for skiing holidays in winter and superb golfing holidays in summer. Situated in North Hesse’s picturesque low mountain range areas, visitors can also enjoy the luxurious panorama of mountain woodlands and undulating valleys.
ART
The documenta exhibition in Kassel is famous worldwide. Being the world’s most important exhibition of contemporary art, it attracts visitors from many countries and various continents. Every five years the documenta puts on an exhibition of contemporary trends in modern art as well as providing a forum for new exhibition concepts. First mounted in 1955 by Arnold Bode, the documenta is now in its 55th year. The 1955 exhibition deliberately emphasized the pan-European phenomenon of Modern Classicism. Today, the documenta continues to bring together a range of artistic worlds, thereby also contributing to the history of art.
Besides the documenta, virtually every art lover has heard of the collection of Old Masters in the Wilhelmshöhe Palace Art Gallery. The main part of this unique collection is devoted to Dutch and Flemish painters, including many world-famous pictures by Rembrandt, forming the largest Rembrandt collection in Germany.
Indeed, Kassel provides the third largest density of museums in Germany. Who else has a Tapestry Museum, a Tram Museum or a Museum for Sepulchral Culture? The city's museum landscape is of high class and offers interesting sites for everyone.
CULTURE
The brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, world famous fairy tale collectors and linguists, spent the longest and most fruitful period of their lives in Kassel.
It was here that "Grimm’s Fairy Tales" were compiled, edited and translated into 160 languages. In Kassel the brothers also developed their political opinions and concepts as well as engaging in extensive linguistic and literary research which led to the emergence of a new branch of scholarship; namely, the study of German language and literature.
The life and times of the brothers Grimm are vividly portrayed in the Brothers Grimm Museum in Kassel through various permanent exhibitions as well as exhibitions commemorating special events and occasions. The exhibition rooms are located in the baroque-style Palais Bellevue which was originally designed as an observatory for Hesse’s Landgrave Karl in 1714 by the French architect Paul du Ry.
UNIVERSITY
Kassel’s university, founded in 1971, is firmly allied to the region while maintaining international contacts. It attracts more than 18,000 students from over 150 countries worldwide. Study courses consisting of different modules in accordance with international standards as well as practical aspects and close contact between students and professors are the hallmark of the University of Kassel. There are also other attractive features; for instance, the university is well equipped with student hostels and cafeterias as well as being one of the most attractive campuses in the whole of Germany.
The human race, the environment, art and technology: these are the subjects at the centre of research and work done by the different faculties at the university of Kassel in conjunction with scientific centres covering a wide range of specialized areas.
The School of Architecture, Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture, for instance, is unique among German-speaking universities in the sense that it provides the opportunity of studying architecture, urban and regional planning, and landscape architecture all under one roof. By looking beyond the boundaries of their specialized field, students have the unique chance to explore ideas and concepts pertaining to all disciplines and scales of spatial planning in an interdisciplinary context.
The University of Kassel was the first university to combine the features of traditional universities with those of technical colleges. The ideas behind the reformed universities, such as Kassel, are project-oriented work in small groups, personal contact between teaching staff and students, networked thinking and direct connections to professional practice.
With the transition to the bachelor's and master's degree programs in 2007, the ASL School has developed a syllabus that combines a solid groundwork in academic courses in groups of varying sizes with project work in smaller groups. A close working relationship between teachers and students is central to the didactic approach. Experience of professional practice is integrated into the study program through a practical semester monitored by a professional in the relevant field. Interdisciplinary courses and interdepartmental collaboration emphasize the imperative of contextual thinking. This approach ensures that students at the University of Kassel will continue to enjoy optimum conditions of study well into the future.
CITY
The city of Kassel, in which the university is embedded, is an excellent object for studying the lessons and the practice of architecture, landscape architecture, as well as urban and regional planning. A city of contrasts, urban Kassel features a variety of beautiful sights and special attractions. Kassel is rich in historical and contemporary objects to study, which include experiments by protagonists in the fields of architecture, urban planning, open space planning and landscape architecture. Kassel combines the atmosphere of a manageable medium-sized city with student-friendly prices and has an international reputation for its impressive range of cultural activities and events.
REGISTRATION
The following Institutions have been registered for the EULP Project. If you also want to be part of it please contact the EULP Assistant Katharina Erne:
eulp@landscape.tuwien.ac.at
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