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Introducing Hesse
Though relatively small in surface area, Hesse (Hessen in German) is Germany’s economic powerhouse, with the highest per capita income of all German states.
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Originally part of what is now Thuringia, Hesse won independence in the mid-13th century and in the Middle Ages was influenced by one figure – the margrave Philip I (Philip the Magnanimous). A bigamist who sired 19 children, Philip embraced the Reformation early, but two distinct entities emerged after his death, the resulting carve-up between his sons: Lutheran Darmstadt-Hesse in the south, and Calvinistic Kassel in the north. During the Thirty Years’ War these two principalities fought on opposite sides. For most of its history, Frankfurt was either a free imperial city or, following the Napoleonic wars, an independent city state.
About two-thirds of Hesse’s population lives in the Rhine-Main region, a large basin and urban conglomeration that includes Wiesbaden, Darmstadt, Frankfurt-am-Main and lots of smaller towns. Wiesbaden is the political capital, but Frankfurt wields the economic clout. In fact, Wiesbaden’s parliament was where the taxi-driving former foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, rocked boats by taking his first ministerial oath wearing tennis shoes, and Frankfurt was a hotbed of student politics and the squatting movement in the 1960s and ’70s. Ironically, Frankfurt is the most un-German city, but the first contact many will have with Germany.
Although the cities are the main attraction for visitors, the Rhön and Odenwald mountain ranges, as well as the picturesque Lahn River valley, are also splendid places to explore and get to know in this interesting part of Germany.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
