Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants. The former capital of the state Hesse-Kassel has many palaces and parks, one of them the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kassel is also known for the documenta exhibitions of contemporary art.
The bombing raids of 1943 destroyed 90% of the city centre. The city was almost completely rebuilt during the 1950s and is a combination of renovated or reconstructed old buildings and architecture of the 1950s. Outside of the city centre, the suburbs are dominated by 19th-century architecture. The oldest monument is the Druselturm; the Brüderkirche and the Church of St. Martin are also, in part, of medieval origin. The towers of St. Martin are from the 1950s.