Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [481]
Hotel Peterchens Mondfahrt ( 902 350; www.hotel-peterchens-mondfahrt.de; Rabanusstrasse 7, 4th fl; s/d/tr/q from €64/93/113/128, €10 less Sat & Sun; ) Facing the northeast corner of the Schloss and the new bus station, this bright, friendly hotel has 50 spacious rooms with big windows.
Hotel Goldener Karpfen ( 868 00; www.hotel-goldener-karpfen.com; Simpliziusbrunnen 1; s €95-155, d €130-230, ste €250-450; ) Great for a romantic getaway, the elegant, 60-room ‘Golden Carp’ playfully blends old and new, with creatively themed Designer rooms and more traditional Romantic rooms. The elegant restaurant (mains €10.50 to €28, open 11am to 10pm) is an excellent option for upmarket regional specialities.
For self-catering, try Aldi Süd supermarket (Bahnhofstrasse 17; 7.30am-8pm Mon-Sat), one block southwest of the train station.
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Getting There & Around
Regular (but not all) ICEs plying the main north–south and Frankfurt–Erfurt lines link Fulda with Frankfurt (€29, one hour, hourly) and Kassel (€29, 30 minutes).
Bike path options are signposted down by the river. Hahner Zweiradtechnik ( 933 9944; www.hahner-zweirad.de, in German; Beethovenstrasse 3; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat) rents out bicycles.
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AROUND FULDA
The agricultural area northwest of Fulda, through which Soviet tanks rolled in serried ranks in countless NATO war-game scenarios, is quiet these days (as it was throughout the Cold War). The 245km BahnRadweg Hessen, a section of which is known as the Vulkanradweg (www.vulkanradweg.de), is a loopy bike path that follows old rail lines from Bad Hersfeld to Fulda and Schlitz and then southwest to Hanau.
The attractive village of Schlitz, 20km northwest of Fulda, has an Altstadt with just two gates, an 18th-century stone Rathaus, an austere Protestant church with colourful haut-relief panels behind the altar, and a 36m-high tower, the 14th-century Hinterturm (lift adult/child €1/0.50). The latter is turned into the ‘world’s largest candle’ during the annual Christmas market. The Marktplatz, on the slope below the church, is surrounded by half-timbered houses. You can stay in the old town’s cycle-friendly Hotel Vorderburg ( 06642-963 00; www.hotel-vorderburg.de, in German; s/d from €45/70).
Those who like hang-gliding, skiing or rock climbing will enjoy the beautiful Rhön nature park and its highest mountain, the Wasserkuppe (950m), east of Fulda.
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KASSEL
0561 / pop 194,000
Postwar reconstruction left Kassel, on the Fulda River two hours north of Frankfurt, with lots of particularly unattractive 1950s buildings. Still, visitors will find a glorious baroque park and some surprisingly interesting museums, including one dedicated to death and another to the Brothers Grimm.
The Hessian mercenaries who fought for King George III in the American Revolution came from Kassel. Because of them, ‘Hessian’ became a household word, though not a title of honour, in the United States’, as one 19th-century American historian put it.
Every five years Kassel hosts documenta (www.documenta.de), one of Europe’s most important contemporary art exhibitions, which lasts 100 days. The next one will be held from 9 June to 16 September 2012.
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Orientation
Kassel has two main train stations. Kassel Hauptbahnhof, on the northwest edge of the city centre, is served by regional (RE) trains, while the more important Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe (Fernbahnhof), 3km west of the centre, handles both regional and IC/ICE trains.
The focal point of the city centre’s pedestrianised shopping precinct is fountain-adorned Königsplatz, from where Obere Königsstrasse runs southwest past Friedrichsplatz and the Rathaus (site of one of the tourist offices).
Wilhelmshöhe and its attractions