Hesse

For the writer, seeHermann Hesse.For other persons, seeHesse (surname).For other uses, seeHesse (disambiguation).

State of Hesse Land Hessen(German)
State
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem:Hessenlied "Song of Hesse"
Coordinates:50°36′29″N9°01′42″E
Country	Germany
Capital	Wiesbaden
Largest city	Frankfurt am Main
Government
• Body	Landtag of Hesse
•Minister-President	Boris Rhein(CDU)
• Governing parties	CDU/SPD
•Bundesrat votes	5 (of 69)
•Bundestag seats	50 (of 736)
Area
• Total	21,114.73 km2(8,152.44 sq mi)
Population (2022-12-31)
• Total	6,391,360
• Density	300/km2(780/sq mi)
Demonym	Hessian
GDP
• Total	€323.352 billion (2022)
• Per capita	€50,751 (2022)
Time zone	UTC+1(CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2(CEST)
ISO 3166 code	DE-HE
NUTS Region	DE7
HDI(2021)	0.950 very high·5th of 16
Website	www.hessen.de

HesseorHessia(‹See Tfd›German:Hessen[ˈhɛsn̩]), officially theState of Hesse(‹See Tfd›German:Land Hessen), is astateinGermany.Its capital city isWiesbaden,and the largesturban areaisFrankfurt,which is also the country's principalfinancial centre.Two other major historic cities areDarmstadtandKassel.With an area of 21,114.73 square kilometers and a population of over six million, it ranks seventh and fifth, respectively, among the sixteen German states.Frankfurt Rhine-Main,Germany's second-largest metropolitan area (afterRhine-Ruhr), is mainly located in Hesse.

As acultural region,Hesse also includes the area known asRhenish Hesse(Rheinhessen) in the neighboring state ofRhineland-Palatinate.

Etymology

The German nameHessen,like the names of other German regions (Schwaben"Swabia",Franken"Franconia",Bayern"Bavaria",Sachsen"Saxony" ), derives from the dative plural form of the name of the inhabitants oreponymous tribe,the Hessians (Hessen,singularHesse). The geographical name represents a short equivalent of the older compound nameHessenland( "land of the Hessians" ). TheOld High Germanform of the name is recorded asHessun(dative plural ofHessi); inMiddle Latinit appears asHassonia,Hassia,Hessia.The name of the Hessians ultimately continues the tribal name of theChatti.The ancient nameChattiby the 7th century is recorded asChassi,and from the 8th century asHassiorHessi.

An inhabitant of Hesse is called a "Hessian" (German:Hesse(masculine), pluralHessen,orHessin(feminine), pluralHessinnen). TheAmerican Englishterm"Hessian"for 18th-century British auxiliary troops originates with LandgraveFrederick IIofHesse-Kasselhiring out regular army units to the government of Great Britain to fight in theAmerican Revolutionary War.

The English formHessewas in common use by the 18th century, first in the hyphenated names of the states ofHesse-CasselandHesse-Darmstadt,but the latinate formHessiaremained in common English usage well into the 19th century.

TheEuropean Commissionuses the German formHessen,even in English-language contexts, due to the policy of leaving regional names untranslated.

Thesynthetic elementhassium,number 108 on theperiodic table,was named after the state of Hesse in 1997, following a proposal of 1992.

History

Main article:History of Hesse

The territory of Hesse was delineated only in 1945, asGreater Hesse,underAmerican occupation.It corresponds loosely to the medievalLandgraviate of Hesse. In the 19th century, prior to theunification of Germany,the territory of what is now Hesse comprised the territories ofGrand Duchy of Hesse(also known as Hesse-Darmstadt), theDuchy of Nassau,the free city ofFrankfurtand theElectorate of Hesse(also known as Hesse-Kassel).

Early history

Further information:ChattiandAustrasia

The Central Hessian region was inhabited in theUpper Paleolithic.Finds of tools in southern Hesse in Rüsselsheim suggest the presence of Pleistocene hunters about 13,000 years ago. Afossil hominid skullthat was found in northern Hesse, just outside the village of Rhünda, has been dated at 12,000 years ago. TheZüschen tomb(German: Steinkammergrab von Züschen, sometimes also Lohne-Züschen) is a prehistoric burial monument, located betweenLohneandZüschen,nearFritzlar,Hesse, Germany. Classified as a gallery grave or a Hessian-Westphalian stonecist(hessisch-westfälische Steinkiste), it is one of the most importantmegalithicmonuments in Central Europe. Dating toc. 3000 BC,it belongs to the LateNeolithicWartberg culture.

An earlyCelticpresence in what is now Hesse is indicated by a mid-5th-century BCLa Tène-style burial uncovered atGlauberg.The region was later settled by theGermanicChattitribe around the 1st century BC, and the nameHesseis a continuation of that tribal name.

Theancient Romanshad a military camp in Dorlar, and in Waldgirmes directly on the eastern outskirts of Wetzlar was a civil settlement under construction. Presumably, the provincial government for the occupied territories of the right bank of Germania was planned at this location. The governor of Germania, at least temporarily, likely had resided here. The settlement appears to have been abandoned by the Romans after the devastatingBattle of the Teutoburg Forestfailed in the year AD 9. The Chatti were also involved in theRevolt of the Bataviin AD 69.

Hessia, from the early 7th century on, served as a buffer between areas dominated by theSaxons(to the north) and theFranks,who brought the area to the south under their control in the early sixth century and occupiedThuringia(to the east) in 531.Hessia occupies the northwestern part of the modern German state of Hesse; its borders were not clearly delineated. Its geographic center isFritzlar;it extends in the southeast toHersfeldon the river Fulda, in the north to pastKasseland up to the rivers Diemel and Weser. To the west, it occupies the valleys of the rivers Eder and Lahn (the latter until it turns south). It measured roughly 90 kilometers north–south, and 80 north-west.

The area around Fritzlar shows evidence of significant pagan belief from the 1st century on. Geismar was a particular focus of such activity; it was continuously occupied from the Roman period on, with a settlement from the Roman period, which itself had a predecessor from the 5th century BC. Excavations have produced ahorse burialand bronze artifacts. A possible religious cult may have centered on a natural spring in Geismar, calledHeilgenbron;the name "Geismar" (possibly "energetic pool" ) itself may be derived from that spring. The village ofMaden, Gudensberg,now a part ofGudensbergnear Fritzlar and less than ten miles from Geismar, was likely an ancient religious center; the basaltic outcrop of Gudensberg is named after Wodan, and a two-meter tallquartzitemegalithcalled theWotansteinis at the center of the village.

By the mid-7th century, the Franks had established themselves as overlords, which is suggested by archeological evidence of burials, and they built fortifications in various places, includingChristenberg.By 690, they took direct control over Hessia, apparently to counteract expansion by the Saxons, who built fortifications inGaulskopfandEresburgacross the river Diemel, the northern boundary of Hessia. TheBüraburg(which already had a Frankish settlement in the sixth century) was one of the places the Franks fortified to resist the Saxon pressure, and according to John-Henry Clay, the Büraburg was "probably the largest man-made construction seen in Hessia for at least seven hundred years". Walls and trenches totaling one kilometer in length were made, and they enclosed "8 hectares of a spur that offered a commanding view over Fritzlar and the densely-populated heart of Hessia".

Following Saxon incursions into Chattish territory in the 7th century, twogauehad been established; a Frankish one, comprising an area aroundFritzlarandKassel,and a Saxonian one. In the 9th century, the SaxonHessengaualso came under the rule of the Franconians.

Holy Roman Empire

Further information:Duchy of Franconia,Duchy of Thuringia,Landgraviate of Hesse,Free City of Frankfurt,Upper Rhenish Circle,Hesse-Marburg,Hesse-Rheinfels,Hesse-Homburg,Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel,andLandgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt

Further information:Ludovingians,House of Hesse,andList of rulers of Hesse

The Ludovingian coat of arms with itslion rampant barry argent and gules,the so-calledlion of Hesse

From 962 the land which would become Hesse was part of theHoly Roman Empire.In the 10th and 11th centuries it was mostly encompassed by theWestern or Rhenishpart of thestem duchyofFranconia.

In the 12th century,Hessengaupassed to theLandgraviate of Thuringia.As a result of theWar of the Thuringian Succession(1247–1264) the former Thuringian lands were partitioned between theWettinMargraviate of Meissen,which gained Thuringia proper, and the newLandgraviate of Hesse,which remained with theLudovingians.From that point on the Ludovingian coat of arms came to represent both Thuringia and Hesse.

It rose to prominence under LandgravePhilip the Magnanimous,who was one of the leaders of GermanProtestantism.After Philip's death in 1567, the territory was divided among his four sons from his first marriage (Philip was abigamist) into four lines:Hesse-Kassel(or Hesse-Cassel),Hesse-Darmstadt,Hesse-Rheinfels,and the also previously existingHesse-Marburg.As the latter two lines died out quite quickly (1583 and 1605, respectively), Hesse-Kassel and Hesse-Darmstadt were the two core states within the Hessian lands. Several collateral lines split off during the centuries, such as in 1622, whenHesse-Homburgsplit off from Hesse-Darmstadt, and in 1760 whenHesse-Hanausplit off from Hesse-Kassel. In the late 16th century, Kassel adoptedCalvinism,while Darmstadt remainedLutheranand consequently the two lines often found themselves on opposing sides of conflicts, most notably in the disputes over Hesse-Marburg and in theThirty Years' War,when Darmstadt fought on the side of the Emperor, while Kassel sided withSwedenandFrance.

Coat of arms of Hesse-Darmstadt

The LandgraveFrederick II(1720–1785) ruled Hesse-Kassel as a benevolent despot, from 1760 to 1785. He combinedEnlightenmentideas with Christian values,cameralistplans for central control of the economy, and a militaristic approach toward diplomacy.He funded the depleted treasury of the poor government by loaning 19,000 soldiers in complete military formations toGreat Britainto fight in North America during theAmerican Revolutionary War,1776–1783. These soldiers, commonly known asHessians,fought under the British flag. The British used the Hessians in several conflicts, including in theIrish Rebellion of 1798.For further revenue, the soldiers were loaned to other places as well. Most were conscripted, with their pay going to the Landgrave.

Modern history

Further information:Electorate of Hesse,Grand Duchy of Hesse,Hesse-Nassau,People's State of Hesse,Province of Kurhessen,andGreater Hesse

Coat of arms of theGrand Duchy of Hesse

French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars

In 1789 theFrench Revolutionbegan and in 1794, during theWar of the First Coalition,theFrench Republicoccupied theLeft Bank of the Rhine,including part of Lower Katzenelnbogen (Niedergrafschaft Katzenelnbogen,Hesse-Kassel's part of the formerCounty of Katzenelnbogenwhich was held by theappanageHesse-Rotenburg).Emperor Francis IIformally recognised the annexation of the Left Bank in the 1801Treaty of Lunéville.This led in 1803 to theReichsdeputationshauptschluss,a substantial reorganisation (mediatisation) of the states and territories of the Empire. SeveralexclavesofMainzwere mediatised toHesse-KasselandHesse-Darmstadt,and Hesse-Darmstadt also gained theDuchy of WestphaliafromCologne,the parts ofWormson the right-bank of the Rhine, and the formerFree CityofFriedberg.Nassau-Weilburggained the right-bank territories ofTrieramong other territories.Orange-Nassaugained thePrince-Bishopric of Fulda(as thePrincipality of Nassau-Orange-Fulda). TheLandgraveof Hesse-Kassel was also elevated to the status ofPrince-Elector(Kurfürst), with his state thereby becoming theElectorate of Hesseor Electoral Hesse (‹See Tfd›German:Kurhessen,Kurbeing the German-language term for the Empire'sCollege of Electors).

In July 1806 Hesse-Darmstadt, Nassau-Weilburg,Nassau-Usingen,and the newly mergedPrincipality of Isenburgbecame founding members ofNapoleon'sConfederation of the Rhine.Hesse-Darmstadt expanded further in the resulting mediatisation, absorbing numerous small states (includingHesse-Homburgand much of the territory of the Houses ofSolms,ErbachandSayn-Wittgenstein). It was also elevated by Napoleon to the status ofGrand Duchy,becoming theGrand Duchy of Hesse.Orange-Nassau, which refused to join the Confederation, lostSiegen,Dillenburg,HadamarandBeilsteintoBergand Fulda to thePrince-Primateof the Confederation (and former Elector of Mainz)Karl Theodor von Dalberg;the remainder of its territory was merged with that of Nassau-Usingen and Nassau-Weilburg in August 1806 to form theDuchy of Nassau.Waldeckalso joined the Confederation in 1807.

The Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in August 1806,rendering Hesse-Kassel's electoral privilege meaningless. Hesse-Kassel was occupied by the French in October 1806 and the remainder of Lower Katzenelnbogen was annexed to theFrench EmpireasPays réservé de Catzenellenbogen.The rest of its territory was annexed to theKingdom of Westphaliain 1807;Hesse-Hanau(asecundogenitureof Hesse-Kassel) was annexed to theGrand Duchy of Frankfurtin 1810 along with the other territories held by the Prince-primate: Frankfurt, Fulda,AschaffenburgandWetzlar.

As a result of theGerman campaign of 1813the Kingdom of Westphalia and the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt were dissolved and Hesse-Kassel and Hesse-Hanau were restored; Orange-Nassau was also restored in its territories previously lost to Berg.

As a result of the 1815Congress of ViennaHesse-Kassel gained Fulda (roughly the western third of the former Prince-Bishopric, the rest of which went toBavariaandSaxe-Weimar-Eisenach) from Frankfurt and part of Isenburg, while several of its small northernexclaveswere absorbed intoHanover,some small eastern areas were ceded to Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Lower Katzenelnbogen was ceded to Nassau. Hesse-Darmstadt lost the Duchy of Westphalia and the Sayn-Wittgensteiner lands to thePrussianProvince of Westphaliabut gained territory on the left bank of the Rhine centred on Mainz, which became known asRhenish Hesse(Rheinhessen), and the remainder of Isenburg. Orange-Nassau, whose ruler was now also KingWilliam Iofthe Netherlandsand Grand Duke of Luxembourg, was ceded to Prussia but most of its territory aside from Siegen was then ceded on to Nassau. Hesse-Homburg and theFree City of Frankfurtwere also restored.

While the other former Electors had gained other titles, becoming either Kings orGrand Dukes,the Elector of Hesse-Kassel alone retained the anachronistic title of Prince-Elector; a request to be recognised as "King of theChatti"(König der Katten) was rejected by the Congress.

Following mediation, the Congress of Vienna had significantly fewer states remained in the region that is now Hesse: the Hessian states, Nassau, Waldeck and Frankfurt. The Kingdoms of Prussia and Bavaria also held some territory in the region. The Congress established theGerman Confederation,of which they all became members. Hesse-Hanau was (re-)absorbed into Hesse-Kassel in 1821.

German Empire

In the 1866Austro-Prussian Warthe states of the region allied withAustriawere defeated during theCampaign of the Main.Following Prussia's victory and dissolution of the German Confederation, Prussia annexed Electoral Hesse, Frankfurt, Hesse-Homburg, Nassau and small parts of Bavaria and the Grand Duchy of Hesse, which were then combined into theProvince of Hesse-Nassau.The nameKurhessensurvived, denoting the region around Kassel. The Grand Duchy of Hesse retained its autonomy in defeat because a greater part of the country was situated south of the riverMainand it was feared that Prussian expansion beyond the Main might provoke France. However,Upper Hesse(‹See Tfd›German:Oberhessen:the parts of Hesse-Darmstadt north of the Main around the town ofGießen) was incorporated into theNorth German Confederation(Norddeutscher Bund), a tight federation of German states established by Prussia in 1867, while also remaining part of the Grand Duchy. In 1871, after France's defeat in theFranco-Prussian War,the whole of the Grand Duchy joined theGerman Empire.

Around the turn of the 20th century, Darmstadt was one of the centres of theJugendstil.Until 1907, the Grand Duchy of Hesse used the Hessian red and white lionbarryas its coat-of-arms.

Weimar and Nazi periods

Therevolution of 1918following the German defeat inWWItransformed Hesse-Darmstadt from a monarchy to a republic, which officially renamed itself thePeople's State of Hesse(Volksstaat Hessen). The state parliament, orLandtagconsisted of 70 deputies elected on the basis ofproportional representation.There were sixLandtag electionsbetween 1919 and 1932. Following theNazi seizure of powerin Berlin, theLandtagwas formally abolished as a result of the "Law on the Reconstruction of the Reich"of 30 January 1934, which replaced the Germanfederal systemwith aunitary state.

The parts of Hesse-Darmstadt on the left bank of the Rhine (Rhenish Hesse), as well as those right-bank areas of Hesse-Darmstadt and Hesse-Nassau within 30 km (19 mi) of Koblenz or Mainzwere occupied by French troopsuntil 1930 under the terms of theVersailles peace treatythat officially ended World War I in 1919. The Kingdom of Prussia became theFree State of Prussia,of which Hesse-Nassau remained a province.

In 1929 theFree State of Waldeckwas dissolved and incorporated into Hesse-Nassau. In 1932Wetzlar(Landkreis Wetzlar), formerly an exclave of the PrussianRhine Provincesituated between Hesse-Nassau and the Grand Duchy's Upper Hesse, was transferred to Hesse-Nassau. The former Hessian exclave ofRinteln(Kreis Rinteln,the Hessian part of the formerCounty of Schaumburg) was also detached and transferred to theProvince of Hanover.

On 1 July 1944 the Prussian Province of Hesse-Nassau was formally divided into the provinces ofKurhessenandNassau.At the same time the former HessianSchmalkaldenexclaves (Landkreis Herrschaft Schmalkalden), together with theRegierungsbezirk Erfurtof theProvince of Saxony,were transferred toThuringia.The territories of the new provinces did not directly correspond with their pre-1866 namesakes but rather with the associated NSDAPGaue:Gau Electoral HesseandGau Hesse-Nassau(excluding the areas which were part of the People's State of Hesse).

Post-World War II

AfterWorld War II,the Hessian territory west of the Rhinewas again occupied by France,while the rest of the region was part of theUS occupation zone.On 17 September 1945 theWanfried agreementadjusted the border between American-occupied Kurhessen andSoviet-occupiedThuringia. The United States proclaimed the state ofGreater Hesse(Groß-Hessen) on 19 September 1945, out of the People's State of Hesse and most of what had been the Prussian Provinces of Kurhessen and Nassau. The French incorporated their parts of Hesse (Rhenish Hesse) and Nassau (asRegierungsbezirk Montabaur) into the newly founded state ofRhineland-Palatinate(Rheinland-Pfalz) on 30 August 1946.

On 4 December 1946, Greater Hesse was officially renamedHessen. Hesse in the 1940s received more than a milliondisplaced ethnic Germans.

Due to its proximity to theInner German border,Hesse became an important location ofNATOinstallations in the 1950s, especially military bases of the USV CorpsandUnited States Army Europe.

The first elected minister president of Hesse wasChristian Stock,followed byGeorg-August Zinn(bothSocial Democrats). The German Social Democrats gained an absolute majority in 1962 and pursued progressive policies with the so-calledGroßer Hessenplan.TheCDUgained a relative majority in the 1974 elections, but the Social Democrats continued to govern in a coalition with theFDP.Hesse was first governed by the CDU underWalter Wallmannduring 1987–1991, replaced by a SPD-Greens coalition underHans Eichelduring 1991–1999. From 1999, Hesse was governed by the CDU underRoland Koch(retired 2010) andVolker Bouffier(incumbent as of 2020). Frankfurtduring the 1960s to 1990s developed into one of the major cities of West Germany. As of 2016, 12% of the total population of Hesse lived in the city of Frankfurt.

Geography

See also:List of places in HesseandList of mountains of Hesse

The most important rivers, mountains, and cities of Hesse

The only state to straddle west and central portions of Germany where the eightordinal directions(compass points) and the centre is considered, Hesse borders six other states. These are, from north, clockwise:Lower Saxony,Thuringia,Bavaria,Baden-Württemberg,Rhineland-Palatinate,andNorth Rhine-Westphalia.

The most populous towns and cities of Hesse are in the southwest, theFrankfurt Rhein-Main RegionnamelyFrankfurt am Main,Wiesbaden,Darmstadt,Offenbach,Hanau,Giessen,Wetzlar,andRüsselsheim am Main.Outside, but very near the south-west corner of Hesse are four populous, highly technologised, places:Worms,Ludwigshafen,Mannheim,andHeidelberg.

Other large Hessian towns areFuldain theeast,KasselandMarburg an der Lahnin thenorthandLimburg an der Lahnin the west. All of the "on the river" suffixes are locally and, informally far beyond, omitted of these cities. The plain between the rivers Main, Rhine, and lower Neckar, and the Odenwald ridge of low mountains or very high hills is called the Ried which continues to north, across the Main, as the Wetterau. Both plains which are quite densely populated also have a substantial built environment such as the country's largest airport, contrasting with the more forested, hillier middle and northern thirds of Hesse.

RiverLahninRunkel

Taunuslandscape withGroßer Feldbergin the center of the background

The longest rivers in Hesse are theEderand moreover its distributary theFuldadraining most of the north, theLahnin the centre-west and, as to those navigable by large vessels, theMainand very broadRhinein the south. The countryside is hilly and the topographical map, inset, names 14 short, low to medium-height mountain ranges including theRhön,theWesterwald,theTaunus,theVogelsberg,theKnülland theSpessart.The notable range forming the southern taper of Hesse (shared with a narrowing of the Ried, the Rhine's eastern plain) and briefly spanning the middle Neckar valley which begins directly east of Heidelberg (thus also inBaden-Württemberg) is theOdenwald.Forming a mid-eastern tiny projection into mostly Thuringia is the uppermost part of theUlster,commanding the west valley side of which is the Hessian highest point,Wasserkuppeat 950m above sea level – in the Rhön.

The Rhine forms the long southwest border of Hesse. Two notablesoxbow lakes,theStockstadt-Erfelder AltrheinandLampertheimer Altrheinare in the south-west fringe.

Hesse, 42% forest, is by that measure the greenest state in Germany.

Administration

Hesse is aunitary stategoverned directly by theHessian governmentin the capital city Wiesbaden, partially through regional vicarious authorities calledRegierungspräsidien.Municipal parliaments are, however, elected independently from the state government by the Hessian people. Local municipalities enjoy a considerable degree ofhome rule.

Districts

The state is divided into three administrative provinces (Regierungsbezirke):Kasselin the north and east,Gießenin the centre, andDarmstadtin the south, the latter being the most populous region with theFrankfurt Rhine-Mainagglomeration in its central area. The administrative regions have no legislature of their own, but are executive agencies of the state government.

The state chancellery building in the capital city ofWiesbaden

Frankfurt am Mainskyline

KasselwithBergpark Wilhelmshöhe

Darmstadt

Offenbach am Main

Hesse is divided into 21 districts (Kreise) and five independent cities, each with their own local governments. They are, shown with abbreviations as used on vehicle number plates:

1. Bergstraße(Heppenheim)(HP)
2. Darmstadt-Dieburg(Darmstadt)(DA, DI)
3. Groß-Gerau(Groß-Gerau)(GG)
4. Hochtaunuskreis(Bad Homburg)(HG, USI)
5. Main-Kinzig-Kreis(Gelnhausen)(MKK, GN, HU, SLÜ)
6. Main-Taunus-Kreis(Hofheim am Taunus)(MTK)
7. Odenwaldkreis(Erbach)(ERB)
8. Offenbach(Dietzenbach)(OF)
9. Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis(Bad Schwalbach)(RÜD, SWA)
10. Wetteraukreis(Friedberg)(FB, BÜD)
11. Gießen(Gießen)(GI)
12. Lahn-Dill-Kreis(Wetzlar)(LDK, DIL, WZ)
13. Limburg-Weilburg(Limburg)(LM, WEL)
14. Marburg-Biedenkopf(Marburg)(MR, BID)
15. Vogelsbergkreis(Lauterbach)(VB)
16. Fulda(Fulda)(FD)
17. Hersfeld-Rotenburg(Bad Hersfeld)(HEF, ROF)
18. Kassel(Kassel)(KS, HOG, WOH)
19. Schwalm-Eder-Kreis(Homberg (Efze))(HR, ZIG, FZ)
20. Werra-Meißner-Kreis(Eschwege)(ESW, WIZ)
21. Waldeck-Frankenberg(Korbach)(KB, FKB, WA)

Independent cities:

1. Darmstadt(DA)
2. Frankfurt am Main(F)
3. Kassel(KS)
4. Offenbach am Main(OF)
5. Wiesbaden(WI)

Rhenish Hesse

Main article:Rhenish Hesse

The term "Rhenish Hesse" (‹See Tfd›German:Rheinhessen) refers to the part of the former Grand Duchy ofHesse-Darmstadtlocated west of theRhine.It has not been part of the State of Hesse since 1946 due to divisions in the aftermath of World War II. This province is now part of the State ofRhineland-Palatinate.It is a hilly countryside largely devoted to vineyards; therefore, it is also called the "land of the thousand hills". Its larger towns includeMainz,Worms,Bingen,Alzey,Nieder-Olm,andIngelheim.Many inhabitants commute to work in Mainz, Wiesbaden, or Frankfurt.

State symbols and politics

Main article:Politics of Hesse

Hesse has been a parliamentary republic since 1918, except duringNazi rule(1933–1945). The German federal system has elements of exclusive federal competences, shared competences, and exclusive competences of the states. Hesse is famous for having a rather brisk style in its politics with the ruling parties being either the center-rightChristian Democratic Union(CDU) or the center-leftSocial Democratic Party of Germany(SPD). Due to the Hessian electoral laws, the biggest party normally needs a smaller coalition partner.

Head of state

As Hesse is a partly sovereignfederated state,its constitution combines the offices of thehead of stateandhead of governmentin one office called theMinister-President(German:Ministerpräsident) which is comparable to the office of aprime minister.

Most recent state election

In the2018 state electionsthe two leading parties, CDU and SPD, lost 11.3% (7 seats) and 10.9% (8 seats) of the vote respectively. The Green party, a member of Hesse's previous governing coalition with CDU, gained 8.7% (16 seats). The largest gains during the election were made byAlternative for Germany(AfD) at 13.1%. As AfD had not passed the 5% threshold in the2013 state election,this marked its first entry into theHessian parliament(Hessischer Landtag). The two other parties also made gains. The major losses of the two leading parties (whosecoalitionmade up the federal cabinet during the election) closely mirrors the results of the2018 state elections in Bavaria.In the current parliament the conservative CDU holds 40 seats, the centre-left SPD and the leftist Green party each hold 29 seats, the right-wing AfD holds 19 seats, the liberalFDPparty holds 11 seats and the socialist partyThe Leftholds 9 seats.

The Hessian parliament as of the 2018 election

Foreign affairs

As a member state of the German federation, Hesse does not have a diplomatic service of its own. However, Hesse operates representation offices in such foreign countries as the United States, China, Hungary, Cuba, Russia, Poland, and Iran. These offices are mostly used to represent Hessian interests in cultural and economic affairs. Hesse has also permanent representation offices in Berlin at thefederal government of Germanyand inBrusselsat theinstitutions of the European Union.

Flag and anthem

The flag colors of Hesse are red and white, which are printed on a Hessian sack. The civil flag of Hesse resembles that ofMonaco's and, particularly,Indonesia's. TheHessian coat of armsshows a lion rampant striped with red and white. The official anthem of Hesse is called "Hessenlied"(" Song of Hesse ") and was written by Albrecht Brede (music) and Carl Preser (lyrics).

Demographics

See also:List of cities in Hesse by population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1950	4,343,720	—
1955	4,577,198	+1.05%
1960	4,783,352	+0.88%
1965	5,170,449	+1.57%
1970	5,424,529	+0.96%
1975	5,549,823	+0.46%
1980	5,601,031	+0.18%
1985	5,529,413	−0.26%
1990	5,763,310	+0.83%
1995	6,009,913	+0.84%
2001	6,077,826	+0.19%
2011	5,971,816	−0.18%
2022	6,207,278	+0.35%
source:

Significant foreign resident populations

Nationality	Popul­ation (31 Dec­ember 2022)	Popul­ation (31 Dec­ember 2023)
Turkey	160,250	166,885
Ukraine	88,075	95,915
Romania	82,025	83,510
Poland	83,760	79,530
Italy	76,155	73,990
Syria	60,365	62,655
Afghanistan	49,650	62,260
Croatia	58,640	56,220
Bulgaria	53,300	55,690
Greece	40,655	36,285
Serbia	32,865	33,835
Spain	29,340	29,465
India	24,415	27,910
Bosnia and Herzegovina	25,645	26,665
Russia	20,470	22,115
Morocco	21,830	21,255
Pakistan	18,725	19,925
Eritrea	19,695	18,685

Hesse has a population of over 6 million,nearly 4 million of which is concentrated in the Rhein-Main region (German:Rhein-Main Gebiet) in the south of the state, an area that includes the most populous city,Frankfurt am Main,the capitalWiesbaden,andDarmstadtandOffenbach.The population of Hesse is predicted to shrink by 4.3% by 2030, with the biggest falls in the north of the state, especially in the area around the city ofKassel.Frankfurt is the fastest growing city with a predicted rise in population of 4.8% by 2030.Frankfurt's growth is driven by its importance as a financial centre and it receives immigrants from all over the world: in 2015 over half of the city's population had an immigrant background.

Vital statistics

Source:

• Births January–March 2017 =14,537
• Births January–March 2018 =14,202
• Deaths January–March 2017 =19,289
• Deaths January–March 2018 =18,831
• Natural growth January–March 2017 =−4,752
• Natural growth January–March 2018 =−4,629

Language

Three different languages or dialect groups are spoken in Hesse: The Far North is part of theLow Saxonlanguage area, divided into a tinyEastphalianand a largerWestphaliandialect area. Most of Hesse belongs to theWest Middle Germandialect zone. There is some disagreement as to whether all Hessian dialects south of theBenrath linemay be subsumed under one dialect group: Rhine Franconian, or whether most dialects should be regarded as a dialect group of its own: Hessian, whereas only South Hessian is part of Rhine Franconian. Hessian proper can be split into Lower Hessian in the north, East Hessian in the East aroundFuldaand Central Hessian, which covers the largest area of all dialects in Hesse. In the extreme Northeast, theThuringiandialect zone extends into Hesse, whereas in the Southeast, the state border toBavariais not fully identical to the dialect border betweenEast Franconianand East Hessian.

Since approximately World War II, a spoken variety ofStandard Germanwith dialect substrate has been superseding the traditional dialects mentioned so far. This development knows a north-to-south movement, the north being early to supplant the traditional language, whereas in the south, there is still a considerable part of the population that communicates in South Hessian. In most of the areas, however, the traditional language is close to extinction, whereas until the first half of the 20th century, almost the entire population spoke dialect in almost all situations. The Upper Class started to speak Standard German beginning in the late 19th century, so for decades, the traditional language served as a sociolect.

The prominent written language in Hesse has been Standard German since the 16th century. Before, the Low Saxon part usedMiddle Low German,the rest of the LandEarly Modern Germanas prominent written languages. These had supplantedLatinin theHigh Middle Ages.

Religion

View of the Stadtpfarrkirche St. Blasius inFulda

In 2016Christianitywas the most widespread religion in the state (63%).In 2011, 40% of Hessians belonged to theProtestant Church in Hesse and NassauorEvangelical Church of Hesse Electorate-Waldeck(members of theProtestant Church in Germany), 25% adhered to theRoman Catholic Church,while other Christians constituted some 3%; the next most common religion of the Hessian population wasIslam,adhered to by 7%.

Education and research

Higher education

The Hessian government has overall responsibility for the education within the state. Hesse has the following universities:

• Goethe University Frankfurt(43,972 students; Budget: €666,4 Mio.)
• Technical University of Darmstadt(25,355 students; Budget: €482,8 Mio.)
• Justus Liebig University Giessen(28,480 students; Budget: €425,4 Mio.)
• Philipps University of Marburg(24,394 students; Budget: €374,3 Mio.)
• University of Kassel(25,103 students; Budget: €291,5 Mio.)

None of Hesse's universities are included inGerman Excellence Universities.

• 
  Goethe University Frankfurt, Campus Westend
• 
  Technical University of Darmstadt, Main Entrance
• 
  Justus Liebig University Giessen
• 
  Philipps University of Marburg, Biomedical Research Center
• 
  University of Kassel, Entrance Holländischer Platz

There are many international schools in Hesse, primarily centred in and around Frankfurt.

Hesse is the only state in Germany where students have to study all three stanzas of the "DasDeutschlandlied".

Research

Physics and astronomy

TheGSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion ResearchinDarmstadt-Wixhausen,with 1,520 employees, is a major research institute in Hesse. TheFacility for Antiproton and Ion Researchis under construction and is expected to be completed in 2025.

Two major European space organizations, theEuropean Space Operations Centerand theEuropean Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites,are based inDarmstadt.

Health and medicine

• Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research,Bad Nauheim
• Max Planck Institute for Brain Research,Frankfurt-am-Main
• Max Planck Institute of Biophysics,Frankfurt-am-Main
• Max Planck Research Center for Neurogenetics,Frankfurt-am-Main
• Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology,Frankfurt-am-Main
• Paul Ehrlich Institute(vaccines),Langen
• Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology,Marburg
• Institute of Virology (Marburg)(researh ofEbolavirusandMarburgvirus;Parasitology) withBSL4-Labor,Marburg
• Center for undiagnosed and rare diseases,Marburg
• Marburg Heavy Ion Beam Therapy Center,Marburg
• Sigmund Freud Institute(psychoanalysis),Frankfurt-am-Main

Informatics and software

• German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence,Darmstadt
• Hessian Center for Artificial Intelligence(hessian.AI), HQ inDarmstadt,more locations in Hesse
• Athene (research center),Darmstadt
• Center for Advanced Security Research Darmstadt,Darmstadt
• Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology,Darmstadt
• Fraunhofer Institute for Graphic Data Processing,Darmstadt

Others

• Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability,Darmstadt
• Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology,HQ inKassel,other location inRothwestenandBad Hersfeld
• Fraunhofer Facility for Material Cycles and Resource Strategy,Hanau
• Max-Planck-Institut für europäische Rechtsgeschichte,Frankfurt-am-Main
• Institut für Sozialforschungat Johann Wolfgang Goethe-UniversitätFrankfurt-am-Main
• Leibniz-Institut für Bildungsforschung und Bildungsinformation,Frankfurt-am-Main
• Forschungsinstitut für Deutsche Sprache – Deutscher Sprachatlas – at Philipps-Universität Marburg
• Paul-Ehrlich-Institut,* Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main
• Peace Research Institute Frankfurt,Frankfurt-am-Main
• Institut für sozial-ökologische Forschung,Frankfurt-am-Main

Culture

Hesse has a rich and varied cultural history, with many important cultural and historical centres and several UNESCO world-heritage sites.

Architecture, art, literature and music

Darmstadthas a rich cultural heritage as the former seat of theLandgravesandGrand Dukesof Hesse. It is known as centre of theArt NouveauJugendstiland modern architecture and there are also several important examples of 19th century architecture influenced by British and Russian imperial architecture due to close family ties of the Grand Duke's family to the reigning dynasties inLondonandSaint Petersburgin theGrand Duchy period.Darmstadt is an important centre for music, home of theDarmstädter Ferienkurseforcontemporary classical musicand the Jazz Institute Darmstadt, Europe's largest public jazz archive.

Frankfurt am Mainis a major international cultural centre. Over 2 million people visit the city's approximately 60 exhibition centres every year.Amongst its most famous art galleries are theSchirn Kunsthalle,a major centre for international modern art,and theStädel,whose large collections include over 3000 paintings, 4000 photographs, and 100,000 drawings including works byPicasso,Monet,RembrandtandDürer.Goethewas born in Frankfurt and there is a museum in hisbirthplace.Frankfurt has many music venues, including an award-winningopera house,theAlte Oper,and theJahrhunderthalle.Its several theatres include the English Theatre, the largest English-speaking theatre on the European continent.

Kasselhas many palaces and parks, includingBergpark Wilhelmshöhe,a Baroque landscape park and UNESCO World Heritage site.TheBrothers Grimmlived and worked in Kassel for 30 years and the recently opened Grimmwelt museum explores their lives, works and influence and features their personal copies of theChildren's and Household Tales,which are on the UNESCO World Heritage "Memory of the World" Document register.TheFridericianum,built in 1779, is one of the oldest public museums in Europe.Kassel is also home to thedocumenta,a large modern art exhibition that has taken place every five years since the 1950s.

The Hessian Ministry of the Arts supports numerous independent cultural initiatives, organisations, and associations as well as artists from many fields including music, literature, theatre and dance, cinema and the new media, graphic art, and exhibitions. International cultural projects aim to further relations with European partners.

From an archaeological point of view, the old watercourses of Hesse provide evidence of the wider history of the landscape and their protection has required cooperation.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Hesse has several UNESCO World Heritage sites.These include:

• Bergpark Wilhelmshöhein Kassel
• Kellerwald-Edersee National Parkin North Hesse
• Lorsch Abbey
• TheMessel Fossil Pit.Exhibits from the Messel Pit can be seen in Messel town museum,the Museum of Hessen in Darmstadt,and theSenckenberg Museumin Frankfurt.
• TheSaalburg,part of theRoman Limes.
• Darmstadt Artists' Colony

Sports

Deutsche Bank Park(football stadium) inFrankfurt

Frankfurt hosts the following professional sports teams or clubs:

• 1. FFC Frankfurt(1998–2020),football(women)
• Eintracht Frankfurt,football(men, women)
• FSV Frankfurt,football(men)
• Rot-Weiss Frankfurt,football
• Frankfurter FC Germania 1894,football
• Skyliners Frankfurt,basketball
• Frankfurt Galaxy(1991–2007),American football
• Frankfurt Universe(2007–present),American football
• Frankfurter Löwen(1979–1984),American football
• Frankfurt Sarsfields GAA,Gaelic football
• Frankfurt Lions(until 2010),ice hockey
• Löwen Frankfurt(since 2010),ice hockey
• SC 1880 Frankfurt,rugby union

Frankfurt is host to theclassic cycleraceEschborn-Frankfurt City Loop(known asRund um den Henninger-Turmfrom 1961 to 2008). The city hosts also the annualFrankfurt Marathonand theIronman Germany.

Outside Frankfurt, notable professional sports teams includeKickers Offenbach,SV Darmstadt 98,Marburg Mercenaries,Gießen 46ers,MT Melsungen,VfB Friedberg,and theKassel Huskies.

TV and radio stations

The Hessian state broadcasting corporation is called HR (Hessischer Rundfunk). HR is a member of the federalARDbroadcasting association. HR provides a statewide TV channel as well as a range of regional radio stations (HR 1, HR 2, HR 3, HR 4, you fm and HR info). Besides the state run HR, privately run TV stations exist and are an important line of commerce. Among the commercial radio stations that are active in Hesse, Hit Radio FFH, Planet Radio, Harmony FM, Radio BOB and Antenne Frankfurt are the most popular.

Economy

Financial

With Hesse's largest cityFrankfurt am Mainbeing home of theEuropean Central Bank(ECB), theGerman Bundesbankand theFrankfurt Stock Exchange,Hesse is home to the financial capital of mainland Europe. Furthermore, Hesse has always been one of the largest and healthiest economies in Germany. ItsGDPin 2013 exceeded €236 billion (about US$316 billion).This makes Hesse itself one of the largest economies in Europe and the 38th largest in the world.According to GDP-per-capita figures, Hesse is the wealthiest state (after thecity-statesHamburgandBremen) in Germany with approx. US$52,500.

Frankfurt is crucial as afinancial center,with both theEuropean Central Bankand theDeutsche Bundesbank's headquarters located there. Numerous smaller banks andDeutsche Bank,DZ Bank,KfW Bank,Commerzbankare also headquartered in Frankfurt, with the offices of several international banks also being housed there. Frankfurt is also the location of the most important German stock exchange, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.Insurancecompanies have settled mostly inWiesbaden.The city's largest private employer is theR+V Versicherung,with about 3,900 employees, other major employers areDBV-Winterthur,theSV SparkassenVersicherungand theDelta Lloyd Group.

• 
  European Central Bank
• 
  Deutsche Bank
• 
  Commerzbank

Chemical and pharma

TheRhine-Main Regionhas the second largest industrial density in Germany after theRuhr area.The main economic fields of importance are thechemicalandpharmaceuticalindustries withSanofi,Merck,Heraeus,Stada,Messer Griesheim,Bayer Crop Science,SGL Carbon,Celanese,Cabot,Clariant,Akzo Nobel,Kuraray,Ineos,LyondellBasell,AllessaandEvonik Industries.But also other consumer goods are produced byProcter & Gamble,CotyandColgate Palmolive.The Rhine-Main Region is not restricted only to Hesse, smaller part is inRhineland-Palatinate.There situated 2 important pharma companies:BioNTech(HQ), which found the first mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 in the world (licensed toPfizer), andBoehringer Ingelheim,close to Hesse's border inMainzandIngelheimrespectively. It supports fromMax Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research,Max Planck Institute for Brain ResearchandPaul Ehrlich Institute.

Also in other part of Hesse there is important pharma and medical manufacturers, especially inMarburgwhere there is industry park based on ex-Behring Werke:BioNTech(mRNA vaccines),CSL Behring,TemmlerandMelsungenwithB. Braun.Pharma activity inMarburgis also supported from research facilities:Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology,Center for undiagnosed and rare diseases,Institute of Virology (Marburg)(researh ofEbolavirusandMarburgvirus;Parasitology) withBSL4-Labor,Marburg Heavy Ion Beam Therapy Center.

Merckcontrols ca. 60% of world'sliquid crystalmarket.

Heraeus,UmicoreandEvonik Industriesmanufacture different type of catalysts fromPlatinum metals,Vanadium,Neodymium,Manganese,Copperetc.

In eastFuldathere is the tire plant (Fulda Reifen). 2 other tire plants are inKorbachfromContinentalandHanaufromGoodyear.

• 
  Sanofiin Industrial Park "Höchst"
• 
  MerckinDarmstadt
• 
  Industrial Park "Behringwerke"

Metallurgy and nuclear

Specialised metallurgical industry focused onplatinum metalshas been represented byHeraeusandUmicoreand magnetic materials have been a focus ofVacuumschmelzebased inHanau.Also inHanauthere used to be a plant producing nuclear fuel (classical uranium, but alsoMOX fuel), but the production has stopped and the facility has been mothballed.Heraeuscontinues to manufacture irradiation sources fromCobaltandIridium.

Engineering

In the mechanical and automotive engineering fieldOpelin Rüsselsheim is worth mentioning. After acquisition Opel byStellantis,it is in rapid decline of production and employment. Which has also negative effect on automotive parts supplier,Continentalwill close a plant inKarbenand cut jobs at other location in Hesse. In northern Hesse, inBaunatal,Volkswagen AGhas a large factory that manufactures spare parts, not far-away from it there is also aDaimler Truckplant, which produces an axes.

Alstom,after takeover ofBombardier,has a large plant that manufacturesTraxxlocomotivesinKassel.Industrial printers (Manroland,Gallus Holding), x-ray airport check equipment (Smiths), handling and loading equipment (Dematic), chemical equipment (Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions), vacuum pumps (Pfeiffer Vacuum), vacuum industrial furnace (ALD Vacuum Technologies), textile machines (Karl Mayer), shavers (Braun), medical (Fresenius,Sirona) and industrial (Schenck Process,Samson) apparatuses are produced in Rhine-Main Region.

Manufacturing ofheating boilersandheat pumpsare typical for Hesse and represented withBosch ThermotechnikandViessmann.

Vistec produceselectron-beam lithographysystems for semiconductor industry inWeilburg,also there is manufacturing of inspection, testing and measurement equipment for semiconductor fabrication process fromKLA-Tencor. Leica Microsystemsmanufactures different types of microscopes, inclusive they with special light microscopic optics, which are used in wafer and photo mask testing. PVA TePla fromWettenbergis specialist for crystal growing process (Si, Ge, GaAs, GaP, InP) withCzochralski Process,Float-Zone Process,High-Temperature Chemical Vapor Deposition,Vertical Gradient Freeze equipment, quality inspection apparatus, plasma and vacuum machine.ABBRobotics is inFriedberg.Satisloh is a machine manufacturer inWetzlarfor the production of lenses and components for the optical industry.

Aerospace

The company operatingFrankfurt Airportis one of the largest employers in Hesse with nearly 22,000 employees.Aerospace cluster contains alsoRolls-Royce'saviation engine work inOberurselandAPUmanufacturing plant and service center ofHoneywellinRaunheim.

Optics and electronics

Companies with an international reputation are located outside the Rhine-Main region inWetzlar.There is the center of the optical, electrical and precision engineering industries,Leitz,Leica,Minox,Hensoldt (Zeiss) andBritawith several plants in central Hesse.

Oculus Optikgeräte manufacturesScheimpflugtomographs for examining the anterior segment of the eye, topographers for measuring the anterior surface of the cornea, tonometers for assessing the biomechanical properties of the cornea, a wide-angle observation system for vitreous body surgery, universal trial goggles for subjective refraction, various perimeters for visual field testing and vision testing devices for testing eyesight.

Electrical transformers are produced by Hitachi ABB Power Grids inHanauandSiemens EnergyinFrankfurt-am-Main.SMA Solar Technologymanufactures an inverters for photovoltaic systems.Rittalis specialized onelectrical enclosuresituated inHerbornandEschenburg.Power semiconductors fromIXYSinLampertheimand UV and infrared lamps fromHeraeus.

IT and telecom

Many IT and telecommunications companies are located in Hesse, many of them in Frankfurt and Darmstadt, likeSoftware AG(Darmstadt),T-Systems(Frankfurt and Darmstadt),Deutsche Telekom(laboratories in Darmstadt),DB Systel(Frankfurt),Lufthansa Systems(Raunheim near Frankfurt) andDE-CIX(Frankfurt).

Food and beverage

Sweet making is typical, there are 2 big factories:Ferrero,Stadtallendorfand Baronie (Sarotti),Hattersheim am Main.Frankfurter Sausageis famous, but there is also other sorts likeFrankfurter Rindswurst,Ahle Wurst.

Beverage industry is well-developed and manufactures sparkling wine (Sekt), white wine (Riesling), mineral waters (Selters), beers (Radeberger) andcider.

• 
  Green Sauce Monument

InFrankfurt-Oberradexists growing of wild herbs forgreen sauceand monument.

Defunct industries

The leather industry was predominantly based inOffenbach,but is now extinct, existing only in museums. The same happened with Frankfurt's fur industry and Hanau's jewelry industry.

Typical Hesse's products

• 
  Opel Insignia
• 
  Braun Shaver
• 
  Leica Q2
• 
  LocomotiveTRAXX
• 
  Warp knitting machine (Karl Mayer)
• 
  Printing machine (MAN Roland Colorman)
• 
  Apfelwein (Cider)
• 
  Rieslingwine

Unemployment

TheHochtaunuskreishas the lowest unemployment rate at 3.8% while the independent city of Kassel has the highest rate nationally at 12.1%.In October 2018 the unemployment rate stood at 4.4% and was lower than the national average.

Year	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Unemployment rate in %	7.3	6.6	7.0	7.9	8.2	9.7	9.2	7.5	6.5	6.8	6.4	5.9	5.7	5.8	5.7	5.5	5.3	5.0	4.6	3.1	4.1	3.8

Traffic and public transportation

Road transport

Hesse has a dense highway network with a total of 24 motorways. The internationally important motorway routes through Hesse are the A3, A5, and A7. Close to Frankfurt Airport is theFrankfurter Kreuz,Germany's busiest and one of Europe's busiest motorway junctions, where the motorwaysA3(Arnhem-Cologne-Frankfurt-Nuremberg-Passau) andA5(Hattenbach-Frankfurt-Karlsruhe-Basel) intersect. The A5 becomes as wide as four lanes in each direction near the city of Frankfurt am Main, and during the rush-hour, it is possible to use the emergency lanes on the A3 and A5 motorway in theRhine-Main Region,adding additional lanes. Other major leading Hesse highways are theA4,theA44,theA45,the Federal HighwayA66and theA67.There are also a number of smaller motorways and major trunk roads, some of which aredual carriageways.

Railway transport

Hesse is accessed by many major rail lines, including the high-speed linesCologne–Frankfurt(op.speed 300 km/h) andHanover–Würzburg.Other north-south connections traverse major east–west routes from Wiesbaden and Mainz to Frankfurt and from Hanau and Aschaffenburg to Fulda and Kassel. The Frankfurt Central Station is the most important hub for German trains, with over 1,100 trains per day.

The region around Frankfurt has an extensiveS-Bahnnetwork, theS-Bahn Rhein-Main,which is complemented by many regional train connections. In the rest of the country, the rail network is less extensive. Since 2007, the region around Kassel has been served by theRegioTram,atram-train-concept similar to theKarlsruhe model.

Air transport

Frankfurt Airportis by far the largest airport in Germany with more than 57 million passengers each year, is and among the world's ten largest.Frankfurt Egelsbach Airportlies to the south, and is frequented bygeneral aviationand private planes.Kassel Airportoffers a few flights to holiday destinations, but has struggled to compete. There are also a number of sports airfields.Low-cost airlines,especiallyRyanair,useFrankfurt-Hahn Airportas a major base, although the airport is actually located about 100 km from Frankfurt in the neighbouring state ofRhineland-Palatinate.The DFS (German air traffic control) has its headquarters inLangen.ABoeing 747owned byLufthansawas named after Hesse, on 20 November 1974, the aircraftcrashedinKenyakilling 59 of the 157 passengers and crew on board.

Sources

• Ingrao, Charles W. TheHessian mercenary state: ideas, institutions, and reform under Frederick II, 1760–1785(Cambridge University Press, 2003).
• Ingrao, Charles. "" Barbarous Strangers ": Hessian State and Society during the American Revolution."American Historical Review87.4 (1982): 954–976.online
• Wegert, Karl H. "Contention with Civility: The State and Social Control in the German Southwest, 1760–1850."Historical Journal34.2 (1991): 349–369.online
• Wilder, Colin F. "" The rigor of the law of exchange ": How People Changed Commercial Law and Commercial Law Changed People (Hesse-Cassel, 1654–1776)."Zeitschrift für Historische Forschung(2015): 629–659.online
• Clay, John-Henry (2010).In the Shadow of Death: Saint Boniface and the Conversion of Hessia, 721-54.Brepols.ISBN978-2-503-53161-8.
• Rau, Reinhold (1968).Briefe des Bonifatius, Willibalds Leben des Bonifatius; Nebst Einigen Zeitgenössischen Dokumenten.Ausgewählte Quellen zur Deutschen Geschichte des Mittelalters (in German). Vol. IVb. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.

External links

• Hessian Bibliography

• Official government portal
• "Hesse".Catholic Encyclopedia.
• Geographic data related toHesseatOpenStreetMap