Discussion on Joseph Beuys‘ "7000 Eichen – Stadtverwaldung statt Stadtverwaltung"

Cosima von Bonin’s artistic intervention 7000 Palmen has transformed Kassel into a sea of palm trees this summer. The title is meant as a humorous and respectful homage to Joseph Beuys’s cityscape-defining work 7000 Oaks – City Forestation Instead of City Administration.

Over 40 years ago, Beuys began this extraordinary art project at documenta 7 (1982)—one which was to change Kassel and the concept of art forever. Within five years, 7000 trees were planted in the city, each accompanied by a basalt stele. For documenta 8 (1987), the last tree was planted—posthumously—next to the first one on Friedrichsplatz, directly in front of the Fridericianum.

The project is a living, constantly growing intervention in the fabric of the city—with the aim of shaping urban space permanently and positively for all its residents. Initially controversial and greeted with protests, the 7000 Oaks are now an identity-defining feature of Kassel’s public space.

Curator Johanna Adam, former Mayor of Kassel Hans Eichel, and Volker Schäfer from the foundation Stiftung 7000 Eichen discuss the origins, reception, and current relevance of the 7000 Oaks in the context of art, public life, and urban change.

Johanna Adam (*1981, Hanover) is a curator at the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn. Her exhibitions encompass modern and contemporary art as well as cross-temporal cultural history themes. In 2021, she curated the major exhibition at the Bundeskunsthalle marking the centenary of Joseph Beuys’s birth: Beuys – Lehmbruck. Thinking is Sculpture. Since 2024, Johanna Adam has also been Chair at Kunstkommission Düsseldorf. As an author, her work has been published in magazines and catalogs. Prior to her current position, she worked at the Fridericianum in Kassel and for documenta 13 (2012).

Hans Eichel (*1941, Kassel) taught at the Wilhelmsgymnasium in Kassel and at the Theodor-Heuss-Schule in Baunatal from 1968 to 1975. At the same time, he was involved in local politics as a city councilor in Kassel. As Lord Mayor of the City of Kassel (1975–1991) he oversaw the realization of the 7000 Oaks project during his term of office. Hans Eichel was then Minister President of the State of Hesse from 1991 to 1999 and a member of the Hessian State Parliament; in 1998/99, he also took on the role of President of the Bundesrat. From 1999 to 2005, he was Federal Minister of Finance, then a member of the German Bundestag until 2009. He has been a member of the SPD since 1964.

Volker Schäfer (*1948, Schwetzingen) initially worked as a teacher and later as lecturer at the Kunsthochschule Kassel. He held positions as Cultural Commissioner of the City of Kassel, Press Officer of a higher Federal authority, and oversaw public relations for the Grüne party at the Bavarian Parliament. Today, he coaches individuals in the sectors economy, politics, administration, and social service companies, as well as political groups. Furthermore, he is involved in voluntary work—as Chairman of the foundation Stiftung 7000 Eichen, the documenta forum Kassel e.V., and as a member of the advisory board of the Walter Heilwagen-Stiftung.

The talk will be held in German.

Admission is free. No registration required.
Location: Fridericianum