Life in Kassel

So here we are, the employee blog. There are several interesting blog post categories to choose from, and I went with “Life in Kassel.” As someone who moved to Kassel by choice, it’s not hard to talk about life here. I could offer restaurant tips (or it might be wiser keep those to myself so I can still get a table) or I could talk about the different things to see and do around town, such as the colorful illuminated fountains at the Hercules Monument (then maybe even more people will show up to watch).

However, instead I’ll focus on what new colleagues often ask about first when they come to Kassel to work at SMA, the different parts of the city. For example, where is best place to live? Where are the best places to go out at night? Where can I go to get some fresh air?

Kassel has a lot of advantages

Newcomers are usually happy to find out that Kassel is not nearly as bad as its reputation. Yes, the people can be a bit unapproachable at first, however they are actually very open and cosmopolitan, which becomes obvious every five years during the dOCUMENTA art exhibition.
In fact, in addition to the dOCUMENTA, as already mentioned, Kassel is full of cultural events and museums including the Caricatura gallery for comic art, a great local dance scene and the Museum for Sepulchral Culture.
Kassel is steeped in green. It has several little parks as well as artist Joseph Beuys’ 7000 Oaks project, his contribution to the “forestation” of the city. The city has something to offer everyone in terms of outdoor spaces, from Goethe Park with its great playing field above Kassel’s Auepark (my recommendation for joggers), to the Habichtswald nature reserve, a mountain biking paradise.

Okay, the shopping here may leave something to be desired. I don’t know anyone who’s moved here who doesn’t go back home for the newest trends and stylish business suits (although they’re not really needed at SMA).
Hmm… I still haven’t gotten to the neighborhoods. I guess I’ll just have to blog again soon.