Eschede (German pronunciation:['ɛʃədə]) is a municipality in the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Situated approximately 15 km northeast of Celle, Eschede lies at the border of the renowned Südheide Nature Park, a protected area of large forests and heaths. Today around 20 small villages are part of the "Samtgemeinde Eschede". In 1975, a large fire destroyed vast tracts of forests in the area. The place is known for the 1998 Eschede train disaster, in which an ICE train crashed, killing 101 and making it the worst German rail accident since the Second World War. The painter Albert König (1881-1944) was born in Eschede, and the "Albert-König-Museum" can be visited in Unterlüß nearby.