Brasselsberg offers a range of options for a trip combining hiking, views and nature watching. The trails range from the approximately 23-kilometre KS-Süd city hiking trail, which can be walked in sections, to circular routes with their own particular highlights. The Bismarck Tower and the nearby Dönche area are also worth a visit. The right route depends mainly on whether you prefer a longer trail walked in sections or a circular route with particular landscapes and viewpoints.

Hiking: a long trail or a circular route

The KS-Süd city hiking trail is marked in both directions and is around 23 kilometres long. It can be divided into sections at many points with public transport connections. This means you do not necessarily have to plan to walk the entire route. When choosing a stage, it is also worth considering which sections you would like to link together.

The Terrainkurweg K3 is shorter: this circular route on the edge of Brasselsberg is about 6.5 kilometres long. From Kassel city centre, it can be reached by tram line 4 to the Druseltal terminus. Check public transport information before setting out, as travel information can change.

The Brasselsberg Circuit, Nature Park Circular Route 3, is a woodland-rich walk in the Habichtswald on the outskirts of Kassel. It can be reached directly from the Brasselsberg hiking car park. Along the way are the “Kaffeemühle” forest crossroads and the “Porta Lapidaria” stone gate, set among large basalt rocks. The Bismarck Tower offers views across Kassel. This route therefore combines woodland, distinctive rock formations and a viewpoint.

The Birkenkopf Circuit, Nature Park Circular Route 1, can also be reached directly from the Brasselsberg hiking car park. Its nature theme is evident at the “Sieben Teiche” amphibian conservation area: it consists of several small ponds beside the trail, which the circular route passes. Unlike the Brasselsberg Circuit, this route focuses on the ponds and conservation area; the other circuit features, among other things, basalt rocks, a stone gate and views from the tower.

Nature and views

The Dönche area is very close to Brasselsberg. Walks there pass grassland steppes, pools, ponds and small mixed deciduous forests. Horses, brown hares, sheep and roe deer can be spotted there. With its mix of open spaces, small bodies of water and woodland, this natural area differs from the woodland-rich circular routes and their built landmarks.

The Bismarck Tower above Brasselsberg was built in 1903/04 and is 25.5 metres high. In good visibility, its viewing platform offers far-reaching views across Kassel and the Kassel Basin, as far as the Brocken and Hoher Meißner. Visibility is therefore a factor in planning your route: when conditions are suitable, the viewpoint offers a broad panorama of the city and beyond.

Historical traces along the way

The paths to the Bismarck Tower also touch on the region’s history. One route to the tower passes the former facilities of the “Marie” mine, where lignite was mined until the 1960s. This historical connection adds a chapter about the area’s former use to the views and landscape.

Brasselsberg’s transport history includes a branch line of the Herkules Railway, built in 1911 from Luisenhaus to the garden city of Brasselsberg. This is a historical point of interest. It is distinct from the present-day hiking options described here, including the K3 and its aforementioned access from Kassel city centre.

More destinations in the wider Kassel destination

The wider Kassel destination offers other landscapes and cultural attractions. In Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, the Hercules Monument is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site and offers views across Kassel and the surrounding low mountain landscape. The seasonal water features take place from 1 May to 3 October on Wednesdays, Sundays and public holidays; visitors can follow the water’s course on foot. Check the dates before your trip.

Karlsaue State Park is a 150-hectare urban recreation area just a short walk from the centre of Kassel. Its history has also shaped the character of the grounds: first laid out around 1700 as a symmetrical Baroque garden with water basins and fan-shaped canals, it was redesigned as an English-style landscape garden at the end of the 18th century. The Baroque sightlines and axes of significance can still be experienced today. The Karlsaue also features a planetary walking trail that illustrates the distances and sizes of the planets to scale.

Discover more destinations: Espenau, Naumburg/ Hessen, Bad Karlshafen, Habichtswald, Söhrewald, Grebenstein, Oberweser, Fuldabrück.

Back to the wider travel overview: Kassel.