Baunatal sits just south of Kassel, and the local cars form a shining stream down the commuter paths. Volkswagen has a major factory here, and there are a host of other auto parts suppliers in the area.
No fewer than four museums are dedicated to an element of the transportation industry, so ladies… if your man hates culture but loves cars, this will be a good way to introduce him to museum life. ;-)
Yet car culture isn’t the only culture here. Read on…
Baunatal native Dorothea Viehmann provided the Brothers Grimm with the source material for 36 of the fairy tales featured in their original collection. She met the Brothers when she was an old woman, and told them all of her tales. The Grimm Brothers comment on Baunatal was “There they keep the old tales firmly in mind.”
You can see this in a number of events and monuments throughout Baunatal. The first way that it evidences itself is in the ancient mystic of the region. Dotted throughout the area are Menhir, pre-Christian “long stones” which served as worship sites and burial markers. You can see them by walking around the suburban area known as Old Rides. Growing out of these pre-Christian rituals come stories and local events like the Easter Fire and Equinox tent festival.
Other festivals include seasonal gatherings, a wine festival, the town days party and of course the Advent and Christmas markets. But you don’t have to be in town during festival time to really enjoy yourself.
In the summer there is also the Aqua Park, which is the largest around with two 80 meter slides. There are also outdoor water aerobics, swim competitions, and themed water parties to attend. It does have a covered swim area, but it is much more fun in the summer to play on the slides! :-)
