As a landscape Middle Hesse is dominated by former active volcanoes, uplands and plains, but most of all by the river Lahn which runs its course roughly from East to West through Middle Hesse. Along with parts of the Taunus hills the Vogelsberg and Gladenbacher Bergland with their hills add vast woodlands. Middle Hesse includes the rural districts of Limburg-Weilburg, Lahn-Dill, Gießen, Marburg-Biedenkopf and Vogelsberg.

Uplands with dense woods and forests also dominate North Hesse, including hillsides like the Rothaargebirge, the Fulda-Werra-Bergland, the Kellerwald and also the Rhön with its highest summit, the Wasserkuppe (950.2 metres). North Hesse includes the city district Kassel along with the rural districts of Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Schwalm-Eder-Kreis, Waldeck-Frankenberg and the Werra-Meißner-Kreis.

In contrast to Southern Hesse with its mild and warm climate dominated by the valleys of rivers Rhine and Main, Middle and North Hesse, locate beyond the barrier of the Taunus Hills, have a much rougher climate. Hills and woods add to the rather harsh aspect of the scenery in North Hesse. Both regions have much less inhabitants in comparison with Southern Hesse, and it is no coincidence that the single national park of Hesse, the National Park Kellerwald-Edersee, is situated in North Hesse. Along with it there exist some nature reserves like the Meißner-Kaufunger Wald and the Nature Park Diemelsee.

Even though Middle Hesse is also much less settled than its neighbour in the south, the Rhein-Main-Region, it can boast of quite a few of well-known and important towns like Gießen, Marburg, Wetzlar and Limburg which are well worth visiting with their universities and their attractive and well-preserved old town quarters. The valleys of the rivers Lahn and Dill add certain sweetness to the landscape of Middle Hesse which is missing altogether in harsh North Hesse.

More information: http://www.nordhessen.de/en/index.html; http://www.region-mittelhessen.de/en/index.html

Photo: In the Botanic Garden of Marburg (RG)