Living in Hessen

Transit state and health resort paradise

‘There’s no way of avoiding Hessen’ was the slogan of the state and there is a reason for it: Hessen is an important transit country for the German and European longdistance traffic. Especially Frankfurt is a junction for road traffic, rail traffic and air traffic. The population of Hessen is able to relax in several spas with mineral springs. Uplands like Rhön, Spessart, Vogelsberg and Odenwald and pasture landscapes with wine yards and lakes offer an interesting scenic panorama. The Rhine Main area is the second biggest industrial area after the Ruhr area. Known culinary specialties in Hessen are ‘Frankfurter green sauce’, ‘hand cheese’ and apple wine.

The state capital Wiesbaden

The state capital of Hessen is one of the oldest health spas in Europe. Two million liters of hot water are coming from hot springs. Wiesbaden offers an interesting cultural life: the Hessian state theater, the museum Wiesbaden, concerts in the arts center ‘Schlachthof’ and in the kurhaus, the ‘Rheingau Musik Fesitval’, many filmfestivals, the house of literature, galleries and cabarets. There are 20 suburbs and six districts in the inner city of the Hessian state capital. The neighborhood with the most inhabitants is Biebrich, the neighborhood with the least inhabitants is Heßloch. For every citizen of Hessen there are – in absolute terms – 41 square meters of living area available.

Other popular cities in Hessen

Darmstadt

Green areas and tree-lined roads are characteristically for the cityscape of Darmstadt. Once a year a big city festival is taking place, called ‘Heinerfest’ with about 700.000 visitors, dancing, music and a funfair. Therefore the inner city of Darmstadt is blocked. The housing complex ‘Waldspirale’ from the artist Hundertwasser and the town’s landmark – the Wedding Tower with a height of 48 meters – are cultural characteristics in Darmstadt.

Frankfurt am Main

A metropolis in a small format – this is how the city describes itself. With a population of 700.000 inhabitants from 180 different nations Frankfurt is the biggest city in Hessen. The skyline with the MesseTurm and the skyscrapers of the big banking houses is the town’s landmark. Therefore Frankfurt is also called ‘Mainhattan’. Frankfurt is one of the most important financial centers in Europe but also a natural place for relaxation. The green belt of Frankfurt is a local recreation area on 80 square kilometers. The popular apple wine taverns create cozy atmosphere.

Fulda

The baroque district around the cathedral and the church ‘Michaelskirche’ dominate the cityscape of Fulda. The medieval historic city with cobbled roads, winding streets, small discreet places and lovely restored half-timber houses invites to stroll around. Fulda is a baroque city with flair. Also culinary enjoyments aren’t neglected here: the city Fulda discovered late harvest wine.

Small towns in Hessen