The northern part of the state is absolutely beautiful. With the typical cynicism of people from the Rhine-Main conurbation, we used to call it Hesse’s Katanga province. But now that’s where I like to be the most because at some point or other as life progresses you gain new insights and wisdom, and learn to love the unspectacular.

If Hesse has any characteristic landscape, then it’s the highland region of the “Mittelgebirge.” In German this term sounds pretty boring. The name itself tends to provoke little more than disinterest, yet it denotes a varied landscape that’s full of surprises, and you can often roam there for hours without meeting a single soul, or even seeing any traces of human life. There are dark forests reminiscent of fairy tales and robbers, both of which are in greater supply than most people can ever imagine. Here, in the contemplative north of Hesse, you can see exactly what is meant by a real forest.