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Address:
Frankfurter Straße / Weinberg
D-34117 Kassel
This area of Kassel is already mentioned as "Weinberg" (vineyard) in the 13th Century. Since the wine's quality was not good enough, the winegrowing was given up in the 16th/17th Century. In subsequent times, the grounds were used as diverse kind of gardens. Between 1825 and 1901 there were also garden restaurants on the Weinberg.
On the east side on top of the Weinberg, the locomotive manufacturer Oscar Henschel built his mansion in 1868 - 1870. The industrialist family extended their Weinberg grounds buying further properties in 1887 - 1901. After the erection of the wall with supporting arches along the Frankfurter Strasse (1903), a huge villa (Haus Henschel) was built on the West part of the Weinberg.
The reason for the heavy bombing of Kassel during the 2nd World War was in fact the armaments and war production of the Henschel-Werke (tanks and aircraft motors). Beer cellars in the rocks of the Weinberg cliff had to be converted into a bunker in 1942, giving shelter to 10,000 people. Both villas were destroyed during the war. Only the attendants' house nearby remained standing, and became the Museum for Sepulchral Culture in 1992.
(Summarized from different sources, in particular: Bookumentation; and H. Körner: Der Kasseler Weinberg.
© Translation from German: Haupt & Binder)
Extensive photo tour through Documenta 13, 9 June - 16 September 2012 in Kassel, Germany. A selection of art works at most of the venues.
