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104-540: Bad Arolsen is situated roughly 45 km west of Kassel . The German- Dutch holiday road called the Orange Route runs through the town, joining towns, cities and regions associated with the House of Orange . Bad Arolsen neighbours are: the town of Diemelstadt to the north, the town of Volkmarsen (both belonging to the county of Waldeck-Frankenberg); the town of Wolfhagen in the southeast ( Kassel district);

208-562: A climatic spa. The inescutcheon shows the town's (original) initial, and the eight-pointed star of Waldeck. The original arms were dropped in 1938 owing to a perceived reference to Freemasonry , which was not officially tolerated in Nazi Germany . The charge in question was "God's Eye" – a triangle with the sun's rays shining out of it, such as may still be seen in Bad Krozingen 's civic coat of arms. Bad Arolsen's old arms showed

312-521: A consequence of improved Dutch-German cooperation, since 2014 two of the three Royal Netherlands Army Brigades are under German Command. In 2014, the 11th Airmobile Brigade was integrated into the German Division of fast forces (DSK). The Dutch 43rd Mechanized Brigade will be assigned to the 1st Panzer Division of the German army, with the integration starting at the beginning of 2016, and

416-400: A dynamic economic and social development in the recent years, reducing the unemployment rate by half and attracting many new citizens so that the population has grown constantly. Several international operating companies have factories or headquarters in the city (Volkswagen, Mercedes Benz, SMA, Wintershall, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, Rheinmetall, Bombardier). The city is home of several hospitals;

520-588: A few key reformers, such as General Ulrich de Maiziere , General Graf von Kielmansegg , and Graf von Baudissin , who reemphasised some of the more democratic parts of Germany's armed forces history in order to establish a solid civil-military basis to build upon. After an amendment of the Basic Law in 1955, West Germany became a member of NATO. The first public military review took place at Andernach , in January 1956. In 1956, conscription for all men between

624-709: A number of large-scale training exercises resulting in operational casualties. The first such incident was in June 1957, when 15 paratroop recruits drowned in the Iller river, Bavaria . At the time of reunification, the German military boasted a manpower of some 585,000 soldiers. As part of the German reunification process, under the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany (Two-Plus Four Treaty), which paved

728-504: A number of low-floor buses complete the Kassel public transport system. The introduction of low-floor buses led to the development of the Kassel kerb which improves the accessibility at bus stops. The city is connected to the national rail network at two stations, Kassel Central , and Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe . The traditional central station (Hauptbahnhof) has been reduced to the status of

832-508: A plan to increase the power of the German military, pledging €100 billion ($ 112.7 billion) of the 2022 budget for the armed forces and repeating his promise to reach the 2% of gross domestic product spending on defense in line with (as editorialized by Deutsche Welle ) NATO "demands". According to information from defense politicians of the federal German parliament, representatives of the armaments industry and other experts, in October 2022

936-535: A regional station since the opening of the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line in 1991 and its station (Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe) on the high-speed line at which the InterCityExpress (ICE) and InterCity services call as well as Nightjet and Flixtrain . Kassel is connected to the motorways A 7 , A 49 and A 44 . The city is served by Kassel Calden Airport . The current mayor of Kassel

1040-624: A simple majority. This has led to some discontent with Germany's allies about troop deployments e.g. in Afghanistan since parliamentary consent over such issues is relatively hard to achieve in Germany. The combat forces of the Army are organised into three combat divisions and participate in multi-national command structures at the corps level. The Air Force maintains three divisions and the Navy

1144-526: Is Sven Schoeller of Alliance 90/The Greens , who was elected in March 2023. He succeeded Christian Geselle ( SPD ), who had been in office since 2017. The Kassel city council ( Stadtverordnetenversammlung ) governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 14 March 2021, and the results were as follows: The University of Kassel is a public higher education institution and

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1248-420: Is a remarkable piece of city landscaping. It is a broad avenue running one mile from east to west lined by some 880 German oak trees in a six-line arrangement. Particularly during the warm months of spring, summer and fall it attracts scores of people strolling and enjoying the shady park-like atmosphere. The avenue was built in 1676 as a prestigious connecting way for the carriages between the "Residenzschloss" and

1352-663: Is also handled by buses of the North Hesse Transport Association ( Nordhessischer Verkehrsverbund ; NVV). The town is also served by the BRS ( Busverkehr - Ruhr - Sieg ) bus company. Since 1946, Bad Arolsen has been headquarters to the International Tracing Service , an organization dedicated to finding missing civilians, typically lost to family and friends as a result of war or political unrest during World War II . The institution

1456-473: Is derived from the black cross insignia of the medieval Teutonic knights ; since 1813 the symbol has been used to denote a military decoration for all ranks. When the Bundeswehr was established in 1955, its founding principles were based on developing a completely new military force for the defence of West Germany . In this respect the Bundeswehr did not consider itself to be a successor to either

1560-495: Is divided into 23 local districts, each of which has a local council with a local mayor as chairman. The local councils are elected every five years by the population of the local districts. The local advisory board can be heard on all important issues affecting the local district. However, the final decision on a measure rests with the Kassel city council. Around Kassel is the administrative district ( Landkreis ) of Landkreis Kassel . The following cities and municipalities border

1664-866: Is divided into a military part (armed forces or Streitkräfte ) and a civil part, the military part consisting of the German Army , the German Navy , the German Air Force , the Joint Support Service , the Joint Medical Service , and the Cyber and Information Domain Service . As of 31 May 2024 , the Bundeswehr had a strength of 180,215 active-duty military personnel and 80,761 civilians, placing it among

1768-565: Is located at Henning von Tresckow Kaserne ( Schwielowsee ) near Potsdam and is headed by a Generalleutnant (3-star general). The role of the Bundeswehr is described in the Constitution of Germany (Art. 87a) as absolutely defensive only. Its only active role before 1990 was the Katastropheneinsatz (disaster control). Within the Bundeswehr , it helped after natural disasters both in Germany and abroad. After 1990,

1872-447: Is scheduled to end in 2025. Bad Arolsen's civic coat of arms might heraldically be described thus: In argent a nine-leaved oak tree vert with four acorns Or, before which an inescutcheon within which in Or a bar-topped letter "A" sable surmounted by a halved eight-pointed star sable. The oak tree stands for the surrounding woods and indirectly the fresh air that Bad Arolsen is known for as

1976-576: Is structured into two flotillas. The Joint Support Service and the Joint Medical Service are both organized in four regional commands of identical structure. All of these services also have general commands for training, procurement, and other general issues. The Armed Forces Operational Command ( Einsatzführungskommando der Bundeswehr ) is the only joint military command of the Bundeswehr. It controls all missions abroad. The command

2080-772: Is the Druselturm; the Brüderkirche and the Martinskirche are also, in part, of medieval origin. The towers of the Martinskirche are from the 1950s. The main Protestant church of Kassel, it was begun in 1364 and finished in 1462. Severely damaged by British bombing in 1943, it was later reconstructed in a more modern style between 1954 and 1958. St. Bonifatius was designed and built in 1956 by Josef Bieling . The complex includes Wilhelmshöhe Palace (with

2184-409: The Bundeswehr acknowledged in October chronic equipment problems that rendered its armed forces "unable to deliver its defensive NATO promises". Among the problems cited were dysfunctional weapons systems, armored vehicles, aircraft, and naval vessels unfit for immediate service due to a neglect of maintenance, and serious equipment and spare parts shortages. The situation was so dire in 2016 that it

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2288-531: The Bundeswehr as "perhaps (the) world's best army". The Army consisted of three corps with 12 divisions, most of them heavily armed with tanks and APCs. The Luftwaffe owned significant numbers of tactical combat aircraft and took part in NATO's integrated air defence (NATINAD) . The Navy was tasked and equipped to defend the Baltic Approaches , to provide escort reinforcement and resupply shipping in

2392-520: The Bundeswehr is to play a greater role as "anchor army" for smaller NATO states, by improving coordination between its divisions and smaller members' Brigades . A further proposal by Minister of Defence Ursula von der Leyen , to allow non-German EU nationals to join the Bundeswehr , was met in July 2016 by strong opposition, even from her own party. It was announced in February 2017 that

2496-495: The Bundeswehr were awarded new contracts and new ranks, dependent on their individual qualification and experience. Many were granted and accepted a lower rank than previously held in the Volksarmee . In general, the unification process of the two militaries – under the slogan " Armee der Einheit " (or "Army of Unity") – has been seen publicly as a major success and an example for other parts of

2600-524: The Reichstag . Similar events also take place across the German Republic. Since 2011, when conscription was suspended, the wording of the ceremonial vow for full-time recruits and volunteer personnel is: Serving Bundeswehr personnel replace " Ich gelobe , ..." with " Ich schwöre , ..." ("I swear..."). After World War II the responsibility for the security of Germany as a whole rested with

2704-684: The Reichswehr (1921–1935) of the Weimar Republic or Hitler's Wehrmacht (1935–1945), and did not adhere to the traditions of any former German military organization. Its official ethos is based on three major themes: One of the most visible traditions of the modern Bundeswehr is the Großer Zapfenstreich . This is a form of military tattoo that has its origins in the landsknecht era. The FRG reinstated this formal military ceremony in 1952, three years before

2808-434: The documenta , an international exhibition of modern and contemporary art , has been held regularly in Kassel. The documenta now takes place every five years. As a result of the documenta 6 (1977), Kassel became the first town in the world to be illuminated by laser beams at night (Laserscape, by artist Horst H. Baumann). This laser installation is nowadays still visible at weekends. Artworks from former editions of

2912-541: The Baltic states or Indonesia (the latter received 39 former Volksmarine vessels of various types). With reunification, all restrictions on the manufacture and possession of conventional arms that had been imposed on the Bundeswehr as a condition for West German rearmament were lifted. Since 1996, Germany also has its own special forces, the Kommando Spezialkräfte (Special Forces Command). It

3016-547: The Czech Republic 's 4th Rapid Deployment Brigade and Romania 's 81st Mechanized Brigade would be integrated into Germany's 10 Armoured Division and Rapid Response Forces Division. As of 31 December 2022 , the number of active military personnel in the Bundeswehr was 183,051. Military expenditure in Germany was at $ 52.8 billion in 2020. At the end of February 2022, in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine , chancellor Olaf Scholz announced

3120-824: The Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71). However, after the project for a European Defence Community failed in the French National Assembly in 1954, France agreed to West German accession to NATO and rearmament. With growing tensions between the Soviet Union and the West, especially after the Korean War , this policy was to be revised. While the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was already secretly rearming,

3224-739: The Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71 Napoléon III was imprisoned in Wilhelmshöhe. In 1918, Wilhelmshöhe became the seat of the German Army High Command (OHL): it was there that the military commanders Hindenburg and Ludendorff prepared the German capitulation. Another large park and also part of the European Garden Heritage Network is the Karlsaue along the Fulda River. Established in

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3328-536: The German Mine Sweeping Administration ( Deutscher Minenräumdienst ) continued to exist, but they remained unarmed and under Allied control and did not serve as a national defence force. The Federal Border Protection ( Bundesgrenzschutz ), a mobile, lightly armed police force of 10,000 men, was formed on 14 March 1951 and expanded to 20,000 men on 19 June 1953. A proposal to integrate West German troops with soldiers of France, Belgium,

3432-566: The Great Recession and the European debt crisis . In 2011/12, a major reform of the Bundeswehr was announced under Thomas de Maizière , further limiting the number of military bases and soldiers. The land forces of the Bundeswehr would have three large units at divisional level. There are currently five. The number of brigades decreased from eleven to eight. German military expenditures are lower than comparable countries such as

3536-669: The Museum Fridericianum was founded in 1779. By the end of the 19th century the museum held one of the largest collections of watches and clocks in the world. Other art museums in Kassel include: Hessen Kassel is the football club in the city, who plays in the Hessenliga after being relegated from the Regionalliga Südwest in the 2017/2018 season. The city's own football stadium, the Auestadion

3640-673: The North Sea and to contain the Soviet Baltic Fleet . During the Soviet-Afghan War in the 1980s, German special forces of the Bundeswehr were deployed as part of a covert operation. During this time, Operation Summer Rain played a significant role. The German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) conducted this secret mission, where special forces were infiltrated from West Germany to Pakistan and then into Afghanistan . The primary task of these special units

3744-807: The Oktogon ( Hercules monument ) and of the Orangerie . In the late 18th Century, Hesse-Kassel became infamous for selling mercenaries ( Hessians ) to the British crown to help suppress the American Revolution and to finance the construction of palaces and the Landgrave's opulent lifestyle. In the early 19th century, the Brothers Grimm lived in Kassel. They collected and wrote most of their fairy tales there. At that time, around 1803,

3848-600: The Panavia Tornado . Germany considered increasing the size of the army, and in May 2016 it announced it would spend €130 billion on new equipment by 2030 and add nearly 7,000 soldiers by 2023 in the first German military expansion since the end of the Cold War. In February 2017, the German government announced another expansion, which would increase the number of its professional soldiers by 20,000 by 2024. As

3952-471: The Protestant stronghold against Catholic enemies. Secret societies, such as Rosicrucianism flourished, with Christian Rosenkreutz's work Fama Fraternitatis first published in 1617. In 1685, Kassel became a refuge for 1,700 Huguenots who found shelter in the newly established borough of Oberneustadt. Landgrave Charles , who was responsible for this humanitarian act, also ordered the construction of

4056-520: The United States and allow survivors and historians of the Holocaust access to 47 million pages of documents, although an eleven-nation accord had to decide unanimously that this was to be done. More than 12 million of the documents have now being digitally scanned and shared with research institutions around the world. The archive fully opened when France, Italy and Greece ratified changes to

4160-447: The documenta (mainly sculptures) can be found in many places in Kassel; among those are the " 7000 Oaks ", a work of land art by the German artist Joseph Beuys . The latest/current edition of the documenta , known as " documenta 15 ", runs from 18 June until 25 September 2022. Kassel experiences an oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ) but not so far from marine climates, with a more notable continental influence than Berlin . Using

4264-778: The 16th century, it is famous for the Orangerie , a palace built in 1710 as a summer residence for the landgraves. Today, the Orangerie contains the Museum of Astronomy and Technology, with a scale model of the Solar System spanning the entire park and beyond. In addition, the Park Schönfeld contains a small, municipal botanical garden , the Botanischer Garten Kassel . Europe's first public museum,

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4368-622: The 1961–1990 normal and 0 °C isotherm, the city already had a humid continental climate ( Dfb ). Kassel has a population of about 200,000 and is the 3rd largest city in Hesse state and the only large city in the North Hesse region. Kassel is often called the city that located on the center of Germany, due to its position; however, the real center of Germany is not far away. Kassel first reached its first population peak of over 100,000 in 1899 and its second in 1943 with about 225,000. Kassel

4472-518: The 30 largest military forces in the world, and making it the second largest in the European Union behind France . In addition, the Bundeswehr has approximately 34,600 reserve personnel (2024). With German military expenditures at $ 66.8 billion (2023), the Bundeswehr is the seventh highest-funded military in the world, though military expenditures have until recently remained low at an average at 1.5% of national GDP, well below

4576-474: The Antiquities Collection and Old Masters), the Hercules monument, and the Lions Castle. Wilhelmshöhe Palace above the city was built in 1786, by landgrave Wilhelm IX of Hesse-Kassel. The palace is now a museum and houses an important collection of Graeco-Roman antiques and a fine gallery of paintings comprising the second largest collection of Rembrandts in Germany. It is surrounded by the beautiful Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe with many appealing sights. The complex

4680-418: The Bundeswehr only had enough ammunition in stock for one or two days during wartime. A report made by the Ministry of Defence revealed problems in the Bundeswehr such as limited preparedness and lack of equipment. In the letter accompanying the report which was sent to the federal German parliament , the Minister of Defence noted that the situation would improve but "closing the gaps takes time". With

4784-410: The Bundeswehr – to remedy years of underinvestment – along with raising the budget to above 2% GDP . The name Bundeswehr was first proposed by former Wehrmacht general and Liberal politician Hasso von Manteuffel . The Iron Cross (Eisernes Kreuz) , a symbol that has a long association with the military of Germany, is its official emblem. The Schwarzes Kreuz

4888-429: The Chatti, a German tribe that had lived in the area since Roman times. Another assumption is a portmanteau from Frankonian cas , meaning "valley or recess", and sali meaning "hall or service building", which can be interpreted as "(town) hall in a valley". A deed from 1189 certifies that Cassel had city rights, but the date when they were granted is not known. The first castle in Kassel was constructed in 1277, which

4992-424: The German federal president, or provide the conclusion to large military exercises. Another important tradition in the modern German armed forces is the Gelöbnis : the solemn oath made by serving professional soldiers, and recruits ( and formerly conscripts ) during basic training. There are two kinds of oath: a pledge for recruits, and a solemn vow for full-time personnel. The pledge is made annually on 20 July,

5096-450: The Karlsaue park in the Southern city district. Several courts are located in Kassel, including: Kassel is twinned with: [REDACTED] Media related to Kassel at Wikimedia Commons [REDACTED] Kassel travel guide from Wikivoyage Bundeswehr The Bundeswehr ( German: [ˈbʊndəsˌveːɐ̯] , literally Federal Defence ) is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany . The Bundeswehr

5200-492: The Landgraviate was elevated to a Principality and its ruler to Prince-elector . Shortly after, it was annexed by Napoleon and in 1807 it became the capital of the short-lived Kingdom of Westphalia under Napoleon's brother Jérôme . The Electorate was restored in 1813. Having sided with Austria in the Austro-Prussian War to gain supremacy in Germany, the principality was annexed by Prussia in 1866. The Prussian administration united Nassau , Frankfurt and Hesse-Kassel into

5304-445: The Netherlands, Luxembourg and Italy in a European Defence Community was proposed but never implemented. There was a discussion among the United States, the United Kingdom and France over the issue of a revived (West) German military. In particular, France was reluctant to allow Germany to rearm in light of recent history (Germany had invaded France twice in living memory, in World War I and World War II , and also defeated France in

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5408-416: The United Kingdom, or countries of the European Union such as France, especially when taking into account Germany's larger population and economy. This discrepancy is often criticized by Germany's NATO allies, as far back as Obama -era US Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates . As one result of the 2014 NATO Wales summit which was attended by both Merkel and Ursula von der Leyen in September 2014,

5512-406: The access protocol. Information kept hidden from the public since its inception was finally opened to the public in November 2007. Kassel Kassel ( German pronunciation: [ˈkasl̩] ; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926 ) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse , in central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and

5616-409: The ages of 18 and 45 was reintroduced, later augmented by a civil alternative with longer duration (see Conscription in Germany ). In response, East Germany formed its own military force, the Nationale Volksarmee (NVA), in 1956, with conscription being established only in 1962. The Nationale Volksarmee was eventually dissolved with the reunification of Germany in 1990. Compulsory conscription

5720-449: The ancient buildings in the city centre were not restored, and large parts of the inner city area were completely rebuilt in the style of the 1950s. A few historic buildings, however, such as the Museum Fridericianum (see below), were restored. In 1949, the interim parliament (" Parlamentarischer Rat ") eliminated Kassel in the first round as a city to become the provisional capital of the Federal Republic of Germany ( Bonn won). In 1964,

5824-600: The casualties were civilians or wounded soldiers recuperating in local hospitals, whereas factories survived the attack generally undamaged. Karl Gerland replaced the regional Gauleiter , Karl Weinrich , soon after the raid. The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Kassel at the beginning of April 1945. The US 80th Infantry Division captured Kassel in bitter house-to-house fighting during 1–4 April 1945, which included numerous German panzer-grenadier counterattacks, and resulted in further widespread devastation to bombed and unbombed structures alike. Post-war , most of

5928-434: The championship playoffs, losing to Adler Mannheim , and reached the semi-finals on three more occasions. The Huskies ran into financial difficulties and dissolved in 2010. The "Young Huskies", which is a junior and youth hockey club, decided to enter a men's team in the Hessenliga. This is the fifth division and the lowest men's competition in the state of Hesse . The new club was expecting no more than 3,000 supporters for

6032-402: The citizens in 2017 had a migration background). Kassel was first mentioned in 913 AD, as the place where two deeds were signed by King Conrad I . The place was called Chasella or Chassalla and was a fortification at a bridge crossing the Fulda river . There are several yet unproven assumptions about the name's origin. It could be derived from the ancient Castellum Cattorum , a castle of

6136-402: The city of Kassel (starting clockwise in the north): Ahnatal , Vellmar , Fuldatal , Staufenberg , Niestetal , Kaufungen , Lohfelden , Fuldabrück , Baunatal , Schauenburg , Habichtswald . Of these, Vellmar and Fuldatal in the north, Kaufungen in the east, Lohfelden in the southeast and Baunatal in the south are growing ever closer to the urban area. In 1558 the first German observatory

6240-410: The city. During World War I the German military headquarters were located in the Wilhelmshöhe Palace. In the late 1930s, Nazis destroyed Heinrich Hübsch 's Kassel Synagogue . During World War II Kassel was the headquarters for Germany's Wehrkreis IX, and a local subcamp of Dachau concentration camp provided forced labour for the Henschel facilities , which included tank production plants. There

6344-407: The date on which a group of Wehrmacht officers attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944. Recruits from the Bundeswehr 's Wachbataillon make their vow ( Gelöbnis ) at the Bendlerblock in Berlin. This was the headquarters of the resistance and also where the officers were summarily executed following the failure of the attempt. National commemorations are held nearby within the grounds of

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6448-416: The definition given by Defence Minister Peter Struck (2002 to 2005), it may be necessary to defend Germany even at the Hindu Kush . This requires the Bundeswehr to take part in operations outside of the borders of Germany, as part of NATO or the European Union and mandated by the UN. Since the early 1990s the Bundeswehr has become more and more engaged in international operations in and around

6552-426: The district of the same name , and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020. The former capital of the state of Hesse-Kassel , it has many palaces and parks, including the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe , which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site . Kassel is also known for the documenta exhibitions of contemporary art . Kassel has a public university with 25,000 students (2018) and a multicultural population (39% of

6656-402: The famous water features take place. They start at the Oktagon and during a one-hour walk through the park visitors can follow the water's way until they reach the lake of the Wilhelmshöhe Palace, where a fountain of about 50 metres (160 ft) marks the end of the spectacle. The Löwenburg ("Lions Castle") is a replica of a medieval castle, also built during the reign of Wilhelm IX. After

6760-407: The first home game in the Hessenliga. However, they had over 5,000 supporters come to watch. Kassel has seven tram lines (1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), with trams arriving usually every 15 minutes. The city also operates a light rail Stadtbahn network called RegioTram using Regio Citadis low-floor trams which run on both tram and main line railway tracks with three lines (RT1, RT4, RT5). Moreover,

6864-535: The former Yugoslavia , and also in other parts of the world like Cambodia or Somalia . After the 11 September 2001 attacks , German forces were employed in most related theaters except Iraq . Currently (1 April 2024) there are 1,084 Bundeswehr soldiers deployed in: In addition to the numbers above, 51 soldiers are on permanent stand-by for medical evacuation operations around the world in assistance of ongoing German or coalition operations ( STRATAIRMEDEVAC ). In support of Allied stabilization efforts in Iraq,

6968-404: The foundation of the Bundeswehr . Today it is performed by a military band with 4 fanfare trumpeters and timpani, a corps of drums, up to two escort companies of the Bundeswehr 's Wachbataillon (or another deputized unit) and Torchbearers. The Zapfenstreich is only performed during national celebrations or solemn public commemorations. It can honour distinguished persons present such as

7072-449: The four occupying Allied Powers : the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union . Germany had been without armed forces since the Wehrmacht was dissolved following World War II . When the Federal Republic of Germany was founded in 1949, it was without a military. Germany remained completely demilitarized and any plans for a German military were forbidden by Allied regulations. Some naval mine-sweeping units such as

7176-484: The growing number of missions abroad it was recognized that the Bundeswehr required a new command structure. A reform commission under the chairmanship of the former President Richard von Weizsäcker presented its recommendations in spring 2000. In October 2000 the Joint Support Service , the Streitkräftebasis , was established to concentrate logistics and other supporting functions such as military police, supply and communications under one command. Medical support

7280-407: The international situation changed from east–west confrontation to one of general uncertainty and instability. After a ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court in 1994 the term "defence" has been defined to not only include protection of the borders of Germany, but also crisis reaction and conflict prevention, or more broadly as guarding the security of Germany anywhere in the world. According to

7384-478: The later Federal Ministry of Defence , was formed the same year to prepare the establishment of the future forces. Hasso von Manteuffel , a former general of the Wehrmacht and Free Democratic Party politician, submitted the name Bundeswehr for the new forces. This name was later confirmed by the West German Bundestag . The Bundeswehr was officially established on the 200th birthday of Scharnhorst on 12 November 1955. In personnel and education terms,

7488-427: The most important initial feature of the new German armed forces was to be their orientation as citizen defenders of a democratic state, fully subordinate to the political leadership of the country. A personnel screening committee was created to make sure that the future colonels and generals of the armed forces were those whose political attitude and experience would be acceptable to the new democratic state. There were

7592-546: The new Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau . Kassel ceased to be a princely residence but soon developed into a major industrial centre, as well as a major railway junction. Henschel & Son , the largest railway locomotive manufacturer in Germany at the end of the nineteenth century, was based in Kassel. In 1870, after the Battle of Sedan , Napoleon III was sent as a prisoner to the Wilhelmshöhe Palace above

7696-458: The non-binding NATO target of 2%. In 2024, Germany fulfilled NATO obligations of spending 2% of its GDP on its armed forces. Germany is aiming to expand the Bundeswehr to around 203,000 soldiers by 2025 to better cope with increasing responsibilities. Following concerns from the Russian invasion of Ukraine , Germany announced a major shift in policy, pledging a €100 billion special fund for

7800-584: The princely "Lustschloss", the latter having been torn down in the year 1725. Of particular economic importance to the town was its role as a garrison. In 1994 the Belgian Army deactivated its garrison and left the town. On 17 December 2004, the Bundeswehr deactivated its camp in Mengeringhausen. Bad Arolsen is located on the railway line from Kassel to Korbach . Local public transport

7904-468: The public Klinikum Kassel is one of the largest hospitals in the federal state, offering a wide range of health services. Kassel is the largest city in the north of the federated state of Hesse in the south-western part of Germany, about 70 kilometers northwest of the geographic center of Germany. It is located on both sides of the river Fulda. Kassel's deepest point is in the north-eastern Fulda valley at 132.9 m above sea level. The urban area of Kassel

8008-416: The same inescutcheon over this, but "God's Eye" was replaced with an oak tree in 1938. [2] Worthy of note is the town's baroque layout near the stately home. The street grid shows a chequered pattern that was typical of that time. It was originally planned to build a mirror-image layout to the stately home's east and west, but the plans were never fully carried out; after completing the developments west of

8112-478: The seeds of a new West German force started in 1950 when former high-ranking German officers were tasked by Chancellor Konrad Adenauer to discuss the options for West German rearmament . The results of a meeting in the monastery of Himmerod formed the conceptual base to build the new armed forces in West Germany. The Amt Blank (Blank Agency, named after its director Theodor Blank ), the predecessor of

8216-852: The service chiefs form the Military Command Council ( Militärischer Führungsrat ) with functions similar to those of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the United States. Subordinate to the CHOD is the Armed Forces Operational Command ( Einsatzführungskommando ) . For smaller missions one of the service HQs (e.g. the Fleet Command) may exercise command and control of forces in missions abroad. The Bundestag must approve any foreign deployment by

8320-529: The society. With the reduction, a large amount of the military hardware of the Bundeswehr , as well as of the Volksarmee , had to be disposed of. Most of the armoured vehicles and fighter jet aircraft (the Bundesluftwaffe  – due to reunification – was the only air force in the world that flew both Phantoms and MIGs) were dismantled under international disarmament procedures. Many ships were scrapped or sold, often to

8424-399: The stately home, there was no money left to do the eastern part. Instead, the mirrored layout is illustrated by landscaping the area with trees and bushes. Some of the development's buildings are protected by law. Since 1999 there has been a Gestaltungssatzung – or "design code" – in place to ensure the townscape's current form through collective protection. The Grosse Allee ("Grand Avenue")

8528-461: The time 1.3% of GDP, by 6.2% over the following five years, allowing the Ministry of Defense to fully modernize the army. The 2015 reform set a required strength of 185,000 soldiers. Plans were also announced to significantly expand the tank fleet to a potential number of 328, order 131 more Boxer armored personnel carriers , increase the submarine fleet, and to develop a new fighter jet to replace

8632-451: The town hosted the 43rd Hessentag state festival. The town council's 37 seats are apportioned in accordance with municipal elections held on 26 March 2006: Note: "FWG" is a citizens' coalition. Offene Liste is the independent "Open List". The town is governed by the town magistrate which is headed by the Mayor of Bad Arolsen. The incumbent Mayor is Jürgen van der Horst (Independent), first elected in 2007. His current six-year term

8736-652: The town hosted the fourth Hessentag state festival (again in 2013). In 1972 the Chancellor of West Germany Willy Brandt and the prime minister of the German Democratic Republic Willy Stoph met in Wilhelmshöhe Palace for negotiations between the two German states. In 1991, the central rail station moved from "Hauptbahnhof" ( main station ) (today only used for regional trains) to "Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe". The city had

8840-626: The town of Waldeck to the south, the community of Twistetal to the southwest; the community of Diemelsee to the west (the last three in Waldeck-Frankenberg county) and the town of Marsberg ( Hochsauerlandkreis in North Rhine-Westphalia ). Besides the main district (8,300 inhabitants), which bears the same name as the town, Bad Arolsen consists of the following subdivisions: The earliest documents mentioning Arolsen date back to 1131 when an Augustinian nunnery

8944-561: The unit becoming operational at the end of 2019. In February 2016 it was announced that the Seebatallion of the German Navy would start to operate under Royal Dutch Navy command. The Dutch-German military cooperation was seen in 2016 by von der Leyen and Dutch Minister of Defence Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert as an example for setting up a European defense union. According to a policy dictated by von der Leyen in February 2017,

9048-535: The university in 2017. The university offers a wide range of study programs from organic agriculture to social work. Furthermore, it offers several English master's programs as well as two short-term international programs, the Summer University and the Winter University . The Kunsthochschule Kassel (University of Fine Arts) is also part of the university with a satellite campus directly at

9152-544: The way for reunification, the Bundeswehr was to be reduced to 370,000 personnel, of whom no more than 345,000 were to be in the Army and Air Force. This would be Germany's contribution to the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe , and the restrictions would enter into force at the time the CFE treaty would. As a result, the Bundeswehr was significantly reduced, and the former East German Nationale Volksarmee (NVA)

9256-636: Was acknowledged that most of Germany's fighter aircraft and combat helicopters were not in deployable condition, although the Air Force had almost 38,000 soldiers, and von der Leyen's daycare system to boot. In 2015, as a result of the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation , Germany announced what was termed "a major increase" in defense spending. In May 2015, the German government approved an increase in defense spending, at

9360-594: Was also a camp for Sinti and Romani people (see Romani Holocaust ). Allied prisoners of war from the Stalag IX-A POW camp were deployed to forced labour in the local arms industry in violation of the Geneva Conventions . The most severe bombing of Kassel in World War II destroyed 90% of the downtown area, and some 10,000 people were killed and 150,000 were made homeless. Most of

9464-553: Was built in 1953 and is able to hold 18,737 people. It is located in the south of Kassel at the quarter Südstadt, next to the Karlsaue. Kassel has a long ice hockey tradition, but it was not until 1977 that the Kassel ice rink (Eissporthalle) opened on a private initiative. The Kassel Huskies were founding members of the DEL in 1994, belonging to the league from 1994 to 2006 and again from 2008 to 2010. In 1997 , they were runners-up in

9568-583: Was built in Kassel, and a later version from 1714 survives as the Bellevue Palace . The Ottoneum , the first permanent German theatre building, was built in 1604. The old building is today the Natural History Museum, and the now-called Staatstheater Kassel is located in a nearby building that was constructed in the 1950s. Since 1927 Kassel has been home to Bärenreiter , one of the world's most important music publishers. Since 1955

9672-544: Was destroyed during World War II and became an industrial city in 1950s. Today, Kassel is home to a few companies and universities. The bombing raids of 1943 destroyed 90% of the city center. The city center was almost completely rebuilt during the 1950s and is a combination of renovated or reconstructed old buildings and architecture of the 1950s. Outside the city center, the suburbs are dominated by 19th-century architecture. Timber-framed old towns are situated in suburbs like Harleshausen and Bad Wilhelmshöhe. The oldest monument

9776-453: Was disbanded, with a portion of its personnel and materiel being absorbed into the Bundeswehr . About 50,000 Volksarmee personnel were integrated into the Bundeswehr on 2 October 1990. This figure was rapidly reduced as conscripts and short-term volunteers completed their service. A number of senior officers (but no generals or admirals) received limited contracts for up to two years to continue daily operations. Personnel remaining in

9880-587: Was established there with the name of "Aroldessen". The nunnery was secularized in 1526 and in 1655 became the residence of the Counts (later Princes) of Waldeck , who converted it into a stately home. It was torn down in 1710 and replaced with a new Baroque structure (1713–1728) by Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1676–1728). From 1918 to 1929 Arolsen was capital of the Free State of Waldeck-Pyrmont (after 1922: Free State of Waldeck), which

9984-671: Was formed after German citizens had to be rescued from the Rwandan genocide by Belgian Para-Commandos as the Special Commands of the Federal Police were not capable of operating in a war zone. A major event for the German military was a series of defense spending cuts and the suspension of the compulsory conscription for men in 2011. These were introduced by Chancellor Angela Merkel and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble as part of austerity measures in response to

10088-529: Was founded in 1971 as a so-called reform university offering new and innovative models of teaching. It is the newest university in the state of Hessen and has an urban and lively inner-city campus between the city center and the Northern city district, a typical working-class area with a multicultural population. There were 25,000 students enrolled at the university in 2018, 3381 of them non-Germans. Two hundred and twenty-four students obtained their doctorate from

10192-584: Was later replaced by a Renaissance castle, the Kassel City Palace , which burned down in 1811. In 1567 the Landgraviate of Hesse , until then centered in Marburg , was divided among four sons, with Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) becoming one of its successor states. Kassel was its capital and became a centre of Calvinist Protestantism in Germany. Strong fortifications were built to protect

10296-905: Was led and administered until December 2012 by the International Committee of the Red Cross and funded by the Federal Republic of Germany ; it is now administered by the Federal Republic of Germany. A venue for millions of documents related to the Nazi-attempted extermination of the Jewish people and others, the ITS holds vast archives of Nazi -related documents. In April 2006, German justice minister Brigitte Zypries announced that Germany would cooperate with

10400-469: Was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013. The Hercules monument is a huge octagonal stone structure carrying a giant replica of Hercules "Farnese" (now at Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples, Italy). From its base down to Wilhelmshöhe Palace runs a long set of artificial cascades which delight visitors during the summer months. Every Sunday and Wednesday afternoon at 14:30 (from May until October)

10504-521: Was reorganised with the establishment of the Joint Medical Service . In 2016, the Bundeswehr created its youngest branch the Cyber and Information Space Command . The Minister of Defence is supported by the Chief of Defense (CHOD, Generalinspekteur ) and the service chiefs ( Inspekteure : Inspector of the Army , Inspector of the Air Force , Inspector of the Navy ) and their respective staffs in his or her function as commander-in-chief. The CHOD and

10608-598: Was subsequently incorporated into Prussia . During World War II , in 1943–1945, the Nazis operated a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp , which housed a total of 185 prisoners, of whom 35% were from German-occupied Poland , 30% from German-occupied Russia and 15% from Germany. After the war, it was located within the American-occupied zone of Germany , and became part of West Germany . In 2003,

10712-537: Was suspended – but not completely abolished as an alternative – in January 2011. During the Cold War the Bundeswehr was the backbone of NATO's conventional defence in Central Europe . It had a strength of 495,000 military and 170,000 civilian personnel. Although Germany had smaller armed forces than France and the United States, Cold War historian John Lewis Gaddis assesses

10816-404: Was to clandestinely acquire Soviet weapon technology, including armor for combat helicopters, vehicles, landmines, modern ammunition such as uranium rounds, rocket warheads, night vision devices, and navigation technology. Collaboration with the insurgent Mujahideen was central to this covert operation. During this time the Bundeswehr did not take part in combat operations. However, there were

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