Hesse

Overview

Hesse lies in the centre of Germany and borders most of its neighbouring states. The state capital is Wiesbaden, the largest city Frankfurt am Main. The state covers around 21,100 km² and has about 6.29 million inhabitants (2022 census). Its ISO-3166-2 code is DE-HE. Hesse emerged in 1946 from Greater Hesse, formed by the American occupying power.

Administrative divisions

Hesse is divided into 3 government regions: Darmstadt, Gießen and Kassel. Below them there are 21 rural districts and 5 urban districts (Darmstadt, Frankfurt am Main, Kassel, Offenbach am Main, Wiesbaden).

Major cities

• Frankfurt am Main (around 770,000 inhabitants)
• Wiesbaden (around 280,000 inhabitants)
• Kassel (around 200,000 inhabitants)
• Darmstadt (around 165,000 inhabitants)
• Offenbach am Main (around 130,000 inhabitants)

Transport

Frankfurt am Main is the most important transport hub of the state, with Germany's most important airport, the central ICE hub at the main station and the junction of the motorways A 3 and A 5; the Rhine-Main S-Bahn networks the region.

Economy

Hesse is the leading financial centre of continental Europe (seat of the ECB and the Deutsche Bundesbank in Frankfurt), strong in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries as well as in logistics and the automotive industry (Opel in Rüsselsheim).