Guide to Bach Tour

Contents

Description & History | Events in Life History of J.S. Bach | Performance Dates of J.S. Bach’s Vocal Works | Features of Interest | Information & Links | Photos Part 1 | Photos Part 2: Martinskirche | Maps

Description & History

Kassel (formerly Cassel) (201,000 inhabitants) is a city on the Fulda River in the north of the state of Hesse in western-central Germany. Kassel is the capital of the Kassel administrative region (Regierungsbezirk) and of the district of the same name. It is said that Kassel was anciently Castellum Cattorum, the castle of the Catti, a German tribe, and out of this has grown its present name.

Kassel is first mentioned in 913 as the place where two deeds had been signed by king Conrad I of Germany. The place was called Chasella and was a fortification at a bridge crossing the Fulda. A deed from the year 1189 certifies that Kassel had city rights. The exact date of their grant is not known. In 1558 the first German observatory was built in Kassel, followed in 1604 by the Ottoneum, the first permanent theatre building, and in 1779 by Europe's first public museum, named the Museum Fridericianum after its founder. By the end of the 19^th century the museum held one of the largest collections in the world of watches and clocks. Near Kassel is the palace of Wilhelmshohe, where Napoleon III was sent as a prisoner after the Battle of Sedan.

During World War II, in October 1943, British bombers destroyed 90% of the city centre: some 10,000 people died in the raid. In 1949 Kassel failed to become provisional capital of the Federal Republic of Germany, losing out to Bonn.

Famous inhabitants of Kassel include Jerome Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte; the Brothers Grimm; and Paul Reuter.

J.S. Bach visited Kassel in 1732 to examine the organ (33+ stops, 3 sections) in Martinskirche (St. Martin Church), newly rebuilt by N. Becker .

Events in Life History of J.S. Bach

Date/Year	Event
Leipzig (1731-1740)
Sep 22-28, 1732	Organ examination in Martinskirche, Kassel

Performance Dates of J.S. Bach’s Vocal Works: None.

Features of Interest

Information & Links

Park: West of the town
Kassel is scene of the Documenta, an international exhibition of modern and contemporary art.
Wilhelmshöhe Schloß (Palace):
- Antiquities Collection
- Old Masters' Art Gallery: Albrecht Dürer, Rubens, Rembrandt, Franz Hals, Antoon van Dyck)
- New Gallery (Tischbein Family, Joseph Beuys).
Karlsruhe Park.
Hessisches Landesmuseum.
Brüder-Grimm-Museum.
Naturkumdemuseum: (Natural History Museum)
Schloß Wilhelmsthal
Martinskirche (St. Martin Church).

Kassel (Official Website) [German/English]
Kassel Online [German]
Staatliche Museen Kassel [German]
Kassel (Wikipedia) [various languages]
Cityreview: Hessen > Kassel [German]
Kassel (Meinestadt) [German]

Prepared by Aryeh Oron (March 2004)

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Last update: ýMarch 26, 2004 ý18:55:22