is a German Autobahn. It consists of three main parts and a few smaller parts. It begins in Aachen at the German–Belgian border and ends near Kassel. Before the German unification it was an unimportant provincial motorway but after this event it became an integral part of the German highway system. The A 44 is a highly frequented link between the Rhine-Ruhr-Area and the new German states, especially Thuringia.