Hesse

I

Introduction

Hesse (German, Hessen), state in west-central Germany, bounded on the north by the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony, on the east by Thuringia, on the south by the states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, and on the west by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Hesse has an area of 21,115 sq km (8,153 sq mi).

II

Physical Geography

Hesse is a heavily forested upland, with predominantly beech and conifer forests. The Taunus and the Vogelsberg mountains cut through central Hesse, and the Odenwald and Spessart ranges cross the southern part of the state. To the east is the Rhön area, with the Wasserkuppe, at 950 m (3,117 ft) the highest point in the state. The River Rhine and its tributaries, the Lahn and the Main, drain western Hesse, and the Fulda, its tributary Eder, and the Weser flow through the north-east.

III

Population

In 2004 the state had a population of 6,089,000, with a population density (as of 2004) of 288 people per sq km (746 per sq mi). Wiesbaden (population, 2005 estimate, 274,100) is the capital. Other important towns and cities include: Bad Homburg (2005 estimate, 52,200); Darmstadt (2005, 140,562); Frankfurt (2005 estimate, 646,900); Fulda (2005, 219,813); Giessen (2005, 255,896); Hanau (2005 estimate, 88,800); Kassel (2005 estimate, 194,500); Marburg an der Lahn (2005 estimate, 78,700); Offenbach (2005, 337,481); and Wetzlar (2005 estimate, 52,500). Most densely populated is the Rhine-Main region, which is also the state’s leading area economically.

IV

Education and Culture

The Phillips University in Marburg an der Lahn, founded in 1527, is the oldest higher education establishment in Hesse. The Justus Liebig University in Giessen was established in 1607 and the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt was founded in 1914. The Technical University in Darmstadt dates from 1836. There is a strong academic and philosophical tradition in the state (see, for example, Frankfurt School). State libraries are located in Wiesbaden, Darmstadt, Fulda, and Kassel, and state archives are situated in Wiesbaden, Darmstadt, and Marburg. State theatres and state museums are located in Darmstadt, Kassel, and Wiesbaden. Frankfurt houses the Deutsche Bibliothek (German Library), which has been acting as a deposit library for Germany since 1913 and has constituent libraries in Berlin and Leipzig. The Frankfurt Book Fair and the Documenta art exhibition in Kassel are internationally renowned.

Hesse prides itself on its varied architectural heritage. There are numerous castles and palaces scattered throughout the state, particularly along the Weser River; noteworthy Art Nouveau buildings in Darmstadt; and striking contemporary architecture in Frankfurt. UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites in the state include the Benedictine abbey and minster of Lorsch (named a World Heritage Site in 1991); the site of significant palaeontological finds at Messel Pit in the Odenwald forest near Darmstadt (designated in 1995); and part of the Upper Middle Rhein Valley (inscribed in 2002).

Numerous theatre and music festivals take place in Hesse each year, including festivals in Bad Hersfeld, Wezlar, and Wiesbaden. Many notable German writers, thinkers, scientists, and musicians were born in or associated with the state, including: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the Grimm brothers, Justus Liebig, Otto Hahn, Max Beckmann, Arthur Schopenhauer, Marx Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, Herbert Marcuse, Jürgen Habermas, Paul Hindemith, the educator Friedrich Froebel, and psychoanalyst Erich Fromm.