Location: Kassel
Top Things to do in Kassel
The 10 Best Museums in Kassel, Hesse
Dating from at least the 10th century, today Kassel is most famous internationally as the home of Documenta, an every-five-years exhibition of modern and contemporary art. In the late 17th century Kassel received a large influx of Huguenot refugees from France. During the 1800s, it became the capital of the Brothers Grimm's Fairy Tale Route. In 1943, the city was virtually razed by British bombers, leaving few old sights, but the 18th-century Wilhelmshöhe Castle overlooking the city remains.
Restaurants in Kassel
1. Film-Shop
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
Welcome to the world's oldest video rental store! Founded in 1975 by Eckhard Baum, the Film-Shop is a museum as well as a running video rental store and place for all kinds of cultural events. You're welcome to browse through more than 40 years of movie history or visit for one of our weekend-events!
2. Museum fuer Sepulkralkultur
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 77 reviews
Reviewed By mpmellon - Penngrove, United States
Absolutely incredible collection. Such an interesting, educational and tasteful display of the worldwide rituals surrounding death. The main section of the building is so full of air and light that there's little gloom to be found, even as you're waking amongst cemetery statuary other grave remembrances. A unique, must-visit attraction.
3. Naturkundemuseum im Ottoneum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 47 reviews
Reviewed By swissmedicUK - London, United Kingdom
I visited this mueseum one day while on a trip to Kassel. I'm used to London where we have some of the biggest, most visited mueseums in the World which are free entry. In comparison, this mueseum fared really well. It had a little bit of all Natural History with everything from interactive exhibits for children (and grown ups!), prehistoric human re-creations of skelatol remains found in Kassel itself, human evolution, animal extinction and exhibits with a strong focus on educating people about our effect on anmal extinction and climate change to full scale dinosaurs. The mueseum even has an exhibition focused around a man who used to collect exotic animals and plants as part of his collection and even a full skelaton of one of his pet elephants. The entrance admission was 4.50euro per person (not sure if its cheaper for children), but honestly it's worth it. There may be bigger mueseums out there for free but for a small mueseum it has a lot of education and preserves a lot of local history, which you can't put a price on. We also bought some small things from the gift shop before we left with what money we could afford. I wencourage others to do the same and support this place.
4. Caricatura, Galerie fuer Komische Kunst
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 26 reviews
Reviewed By 229FabianK - Wroclaw, Poland
It was really great to see all the different caricatures and it is worth doing repeat visits, because they change. But some German language skills are definitely helpful.
5. Stadtmuseum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 18 reviews
6. Technik-Museum Kassel
7. Planetarium und Astronomisch-Physikalisches Kabinett
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By 355stefang - Brussels, Belgium
I found this museum quite interesting. I love astronomy and anything that deals with time, so in that regard this museum did not disappoint. There are many, many time and astronomy pieces on display, some of them so intricate and beautiful. The layout of the museum is easy to follow. If I remember correctly, almost all the placards / description signs are in German only. The building itself is beautiful, the outside in particular. Staff does follow you around... like in many museums, probably to make sure you don't touch anything you aren't supposed to. Entry fee is nominal. Recommended, both for the interesting pieces on display, and to enjoy the outside of the building and the surrounding grounds (which is a park).
8. Neue Galerie
9. Documenta and Museum Fridericianum
10. Grimm World
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 178 reviews
In the GRIMM WORLD Kassel the Brothers Grimm and their fairy tales enter the modern era. By artistic, medial and interactive means, this newly created adventure space conveys the fascination of the life, work and influence of the Brothers Grimm. In the permanent exhibition “Fabulous from A to Z” valuable originals, artistic installations as well as interactive and multimedia elements invite one to make discoveries. The internationally oriented house covers the two worldwide cultural assets “fairy tales” and “language” in a way that appeals to children and adults, to lovers of art and fairy tales alike.
Reviewed By 355stefang - Brussels, Belgium
If you like Märchen (fairy tales), especially those by the Brothers Grimm, then you'll enjoy this museum. I particularly enjoyed it, as I somewhat have an affinity for Grimm Märchen, having studied them in college. The museum building itself appears rather new and I liked the layout and construction. There are many original documents and books by the Brothers Grimm on display, and a large part of the museum is dedicated to their efforts and their contributions towards the development of a dictionary. The average person likely is not aware of their work in this area and so will likely learn quite a bit while visiting the museum, though children won't be interested much. There's also a section dedicated to the Grimm family tree, with portraits and tidbits describing the Grimm family (mother, father, etc.) and the Brothers' progress in life from birth to death. Of course there are sections of the museum geared more towards what people do know of the Brothers Grimm, which are their much loved and well-known fairy tales. There are some rather interesting and unique exhibitions detailing various famous fairy tales, full of color, figures, and set to some lively music. Kids will enjoy these parts of the museum. That said, there's something for all ages in the museum. Prices are reasonable. The café is nice, with indoor and outdoor seating. There's the obligatory gift shop, as well. Overall, a fun experience with an opportunity to really learn about who the Brothers Grimm were and their contributions to society.
