Eschwege
Encyclopedia
Eschwege (ˈɛʃveːɡə), the district seat of the Werra-Meißner-Kreis
, is a town in northeastern Hesse
, Germany
.
at the foot of the Leuchtberg (mountain) northwest of the Schlierbachswald (range) and east of the Hoher Meißner
. The valley basin where the town is located includes a series of small lakes along the southern side of the river.
The nearest city in Hesse is Kassel
(roughly 52 km to the northwest), and the nearest in Lower Saxony
is Göttingen
(roughly 55 km to the north). It lies more or less in the geographical centre of Germany.
and the community of Meinhard
, in the east on the town of Wanfried
(all three in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis), in the southeast on the town of Treffurt
(in Thuringia
’s Wartburgkreis
), in the south on the communities of Weißenborn
and Wehretal
, in the west on the community of Meißner
, and in the northwest on the community of Berkatal
(all four in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis).
In 974, eskinivvach had its first documentary mention. This name stems from an old Germanic language
and means “Settlement near the ash tree
s at the water”. This origin is noteworthy for showing that the town arose before Franks
overran the area, which was some time between 500 and 700. As far back as Merovingian times, a Frankish royal court arose here, which kept watch as a border defence over the ford (crossing)
on the Werra leading into Thuringia, and which still stood in the 10th and 11th centuries. At this time, Saint Denis
was still the foremost saint, having been the Merovingians’ main saint, to whom the church in the Old Town is consecrated.
The first documentary mention is found in a document from Emperor Otto II
, in which he bequeathed the royal court and the settlement to his wife Theophanu
. Their daughter Sophia founded on the Cyriakusberg about 1000 a canonical foundation for women (in which women did not take vows, but nonetheless lived in a convent
into Hesse in 1527. All that is left of it now, though, is the Karlsturm (tower). Market rights were granted about 1188, and town rights followed by 1249. It was in this time that the groundwork was laid for the cloth- and leather
making that flourished on into modern times.
Beginning in 1264, as a result of the Thuringian-Hessian War of Succession, Eschwege belonged, under Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse
, to Hesse. On 12 May 1292, he offered King Adolf of Germany the town of Eschwege as an Imperial fief and was given it straight back along with the Imperial castle Boyneburg as an hereditary Imperial fief, thereby raising Henry to Imperial Prince, greatly strengthening his power in Hesse.
In 1385, Landgrave Balthasar of Thuringia moved to town and in 1386 he built a castle
. In 1433, the town passed back to the Landgraviate of Hesse
. Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse
, William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
and Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
expanded the castle into a palatial residence. From 1627 to 1632, this was Maurice’s “old man’s seat” after he had abdicated
, and from 1632 to 1655, Landgrave Frederick of Hesse-Eschwege, a sideline in the so-called Rotenburger Quart of the house of Hesse-Kassel, was resident here, although he did not actually live in the town until some time after 1646. In the Thirty Years' War
, Eschwege was sacked and widely laid waste by fire in 1637 by Imperial Croats under General Johann von Götzen. After Frederick’s death in 1655, his (part-)landgraviate passed to his brother Ernst of Hesse-Rheinfels. After 1731, his grandson, Christian of Hesse-Wanfried transferred the residence of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Wanfried to Eschwege. After the Hesse-Wanfried male line died out in 1755, the landgraviate passed to the Hesse-Rotenburg line. Once their male line also died out in 1834, the whole Quart passed back to the main house of Hesse-Kassel.
The town acquired in 1875 a railway link when the line from Bebra
to Eschwege was built. Niederhone station (as of 1938, Eschwege-West) was the junction of two lines, the Cannons railway and the Bebra–Göttingen line.
After the Second World War ended in 1945, Eschwege belonged to the United States
Zone of Occupation. The US military administration set up a displaced persons camp
to lodge Jewish citizens. This camp, in which up to 3,300 people lived at times, was dissolved in 1949.
. It was occupied by US Army troops for a short time after the war and is now a training center for the German Federal Police
.
Older people living in town and nearby also say Eschewei or Ischewei. These names may stem from High German and come from Eschwege’s original Germanic name.
parishes in the main town and one each in the outlying centres of Albungen, Eltmannshausen, Niddawitzhausen, Niederdünzebach, Oberdünzebach, Niederhone and Oberhone. Furthermore, there are two Catholic parishes in the main town, a state church community (Bismarkstraße 7), an Evangelical Free Church parish (Baptists) and a New Apostolic
parish, whose members attend services at the former synagogue
(Vor dem Berge 4). Today (as at 31 December 2006), 13,967 of the town’s 22,574 inhabitants (61.87%) belong to the Evangelical Church and 3,403 (15.07%) belong to the Catholic Church.
The town’s oldest church was built in the 10th century on the spot where now stands the Marktkirche (“Market Church”)
, there were Jews living in Eschwege (first reference in 1301). In the persecution
arising in the time of the Black Death
, the Jewish community was wiped out. In 1457, a Judengasse (“Jews’ Lane”) was mentioned, and from 1507 comes mention of the vicus iudaicus. The Judengasse lay in the town centre between Kohlenmarkt and Neuer Steinweg. In 1580, 30 Jewish inhabitants were counted in town. By the mid 18th century, this had risen to 171 (4.9% of the whole population). The families earned their livelihood at first almost exclusively from livestock trading and goods trading (textiles). In the 19th century, however, many Jewish trading, business and industrial operations arose, which earned great importance to the town’s economic life. Even in public life, the Jewish inhabitants readily took part. The community belonged to the Lower Hesse
(Kassel) Rabbinate Region, although it had its own district rabbinate. The Jewish population peaked in 1885, when there were 549. As early as 1838, a synagogue had been dedicated. Its interior was utterly destroyed on Kristallnacht
(9 November 1938). Since 1954, the former synagogue has served as Eschwege’s New Apostolic church.
After 1933, some of the Jewish community’s members left Eschwege or emigrated as Jews were being stripped of their rights and subjected to reprisals. Four hundred and twenty-one left in 1933 alone, many of them for the United States
(80). In 1941 and 1942, the last hundred or so Jewish residents were deported to the death camps.
After 1945, a displaced persons camp
to lodge Jewish death camp survivors was set up under the supervision of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
and lasted a few years. Almost all the camp dwellers emigrated to Israel
once that state had been founded. The Jews left in Eschwege were in the long run too few in number to be able to form a community.
Social Democrats and the FDP work together on town council.
might be described thus: Gules a castle embattled with two towers with peaked roofs argent, between the towers an ash twig with three pinnate leaves vert.
The town of Eschwege has passed a bylaw governing the use of the coat of arms.
, Val-de-Marne
, France
since 1989 Mühlhausen
, Thuringia
since 1989 Regen
, Bavaria
since 1997; town friendship since 1967
Moreover, there are sponsorship arrangements with the German Navy’s supply ship Werra, the Eschwege of the Bundespolizei See and the Lufthansa aircraft D-ACPH, which has been christened Eschwege.
Eschwege still has a mediaeval
town core with rows of timber-frame
houses. Moreover, the following buildings are worth seeing:
There is also sailing on the Werratalsee. The Werrertalsee und Segelclub WSSC 1969 Eschwege e.V. yearly organizes spring and autumn regattas. During the season, guests are welcome at the marina.
A further sporting event is the “WerraMan” Triathlon, staged by the town since 2004. The contest is held each year on the first weekend in September. The “WerraMan” and all other watersport events are supported by the local DLRG
group Eschwege-Wanfried e. V.
The riding facility right near the Werratalsee is year after year the showplace for North Hesse Championships in show jumping
and dressage
.
Football is played in Eschwege in the clubs SV 07 Eschwege (Landesliga), FC Eschwege 1988 e.V (Kreisliga B2) and FFV Palm Strikers Eschwege (Kreisliga C2).
The Eschwege Gymnastic and Sport Club unites nine departments under one roof. It offers, among others, team handball, table tennis, gymnastics, swimming and athletics. Since 2005 there has also been a cycling sport department, making it the district’s biggest sport club.
The town’s biggest tennis club is TC 51 Eschwege. Its men’s team plays in the Gruppenliga (fifth highest class in Germany).
Through the town run Bundesstraße
n 27, 249 and 452. Furthermore, Eschwege lies on the Regionalbahn
line R7 (Göttingen
–Eschwege–Bebra
–Bad Hersfeld
–Fulda
) and belongs to the Nordhessischer Verkehrsverbund (“North Hesse Transport Association”, NVV). The nearby Autobahn A 44
(Kassel
–Eisenach
) is currently under construction.
At the timetable change on 13 December 2009, the Nordhessischer Verkehrsverbund (North Hesse Transport Association) added a service between Eschwege West and Eschwege town on its own infrastructure, which it had brought back into service and modernised. The old line, part of a closed section of the Kanonenbahn, was joined to the Göttingen–Bebra line north and south of Eschwege West station. This meant that Eschwege West station was bypassed and it was closed for scheduled passenger services. A new station was opened at Eschwege-Niederhone. A two-storey car park and a central bus station was opened at Eschwege town station.
s) and Georg Sahm GmbH & Co. KG (dishwashers and high-performance winders for the textile industry) are active.
Working in the field of household and system technology is the firm Stiebel Eltron
GmbH & Co.KG (Eschwege works), and Friedola Gebr. Holzapfel GmbH manufactures leisure articles and table and floor coverings.
The Eschweger Klosterbrauerei GmbH (Eschwege monastery brewery) is a long established firm, having been brewing in town since the early 19th century. It regularly earns medals from the German Agricultural Society
for its beers.
s, Anne-Frank-Schule and Brüder-Grimm-Schule, and also the Gymnasium
Friedrich-Wilhelm-Schule (levels 5 to 10) and the Oberstufengymnasium (“upper-level Gymnasium”)
Among primary schools are the Alexander-von-Humboldt-Schule, the Geschwister-Scholl-Schule and the Struthschule. The school for pupils with learning difficulties is called the Pestalozzischule.
Moreover, there are the Berufliche Schulen des Werra-Meißner-Kreises (district vocational schools) and the private school Freie Waldorfschule Werra-Meißner.
Further training and continuing education institutions are the Bundespolizei (German Federal Police) basic and advanced training centre Mitte, the folk high school
and the family training centre.
Werra-Meißner-Kreis
Werra-Meißner is a Kreis in the north of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Göttingen, Eichsfeld, Unstrut-Hainich, Wartburgkreis, district-free Eisenach, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Schwalm-Eder, Kassel.-History:...
, is a town in northeastern Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Location
The town lies on a broad plain tract of the river WerraWerra
The Werra is a river in central Germany, the right-source river of the Weser. The Werra has its source near Eisfeld in southern Thuringia. After 293 km the Werra joins the river Fulda in the town of Hann. Münden, forming the Weser....
at the foot of the Leuchtberg (mountain) northwest of the Schlierbachswald (range) and east of the Hoher Meißner
Hoher Meißner
Hoher Meissner is a mountain massif with a height of 753.6 m and is located in the Meissner Kaufunger nature park in Hesse, Germany.-Geography:...
. The valley basin where the town is located includes a series of small lakes along the southern side of the river.
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
(roughly 52 km to the northwest), and the nearest in Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
is Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
(roughly 55 km to the north). It lies more or less in the geographical centre of Germany.
Neighbouring communities
Eschwege borders in the north on the town of Bad Sooden-AllendorfBad Sooden-Allendorf
-Location:The spa town of Bad Sooden-Allendorf lies in the Werra valley near the Hoher Meißner, right on the boundary with Thuringia, almost at Germany’s geographical centre, 33 km east of Kassel.-Neighbouring communities:...
and the community of Meinhard
Meinhard
Meinhard is a community in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.-Location:The community lies in the North Hesse Low Mountain Range landscape on the edge of the Werra valley, 3 km from the district seat of Eschwege....
, in the east on the town of Wanfried
Wanfried
Wanfried is a town in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in northeasternmost Hesse, Germany. It is classified as a Landstadt, a designation given in Germany to a municipality that is officially a town , but whose population is below 5,000. It literally means “country town”.-Location:The town lies right on the...
(all three in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis), in the southeast on the town of Treffurt
Treffurt
Treffurt is a town in the Wartburgkreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Werra, 19 km northwest of Eisenach, and 18 km southwest of Mühlhausen in the Naturpark Eichsfeld-Hainich-Werratal nature park. Treffurt is well known for its old beautiful villas and...
(in Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
’s Wartburgkreis
Wartburgkreis
Wartburgkreis is a Kreis in the west of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the districts Unstrut-Hainich, Gotha, Schmalkalden-Meiningen, and the districts Fulda, Hersfeld-Rotenburg and Werra-Meißner in Hesse...
), in the south on the communities of Weißenborn
Weißenborn, Hesse
Weißenborn is a community in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Weißenborn lies in the North Hesse Uplands some 8 km southeast of Eschwege and abuts a section of the boundary with Thuringia. It is found in the Schlierbachswald, onto which borders the Ringgau not far south...
and Wehretal
Wehretal
Wehretal is a community in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in northeastern Hesse, Germany.-Location:Wehretal lies roughly 50 km southeast of the North Hesse city of Kassel...
, in the west on the community of Meißner
Meißner, Hesse
Meißner is a community in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Meißner lies at the Krösselberg between the Hoher Meißner and the Werra valley in the Meißner-Kaufunger Wald Nature Park, some 40 km southeast of Kassel and 10 km west of Eschwege.-Neighbouring...
, and in the northwest on the community of Berkatal
Berkatal
-Location:Berkatal lies in the Meißner-Kaufunger Wald Nature Park at the foot of the Hoher Meißner massif. The river Berka rises within community limits.-Neighbouring communities:...
(all four in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis).
Constituent communities
Eschwege’s Stadtteile, besides the main town, also called Eschwege, are Albungen, Eltmannshausen, Niddawitzhausen, Niederdünzebach, Niederhone, Oberdünzebach and Oberhone.History
Germanic languages
The Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic , which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe...
and means “Settlement near the ash tree
Ash tree
Fraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...
s at the water”. This origin is noteworthy for showing that the town arose before Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
overran the area, which was some time between 500 and 700. As far back as Merovingian times, a Frankish royal court arose here, which kept watch as a border defence over the ford (crossing)
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
on the Werra leading into Thuringia, and which still stood in the 10th and 11th centuries. At this time, Saint Denis
Denis
Saint Denis is a Christian martyr and saint. In the third century, he was Bishop of Paris. He was martyred in connection with the Decian persecution of Christians, shortly after A.D. 250...
was still the foremost saint, having been the Merovingians’ main saint, to whom the church in the Old Town is consecrated.
Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto II , called the Red, was the third ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty, the son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy.-Early years and co-ruler with Otto I:...
, in which he bequeathed the royal court and the settlement to his wife Theophanu
Theophanu
Theophanu , also spelled Theophania, Theophana or Theophano, was born in Constantinople, and was the wife of Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor.-Family:...
. Their daughter Sophia founded on the Cyriakusberg about 1000 a canonical foundation for women (in which women did not take vows, but nonetheless lived in a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
into Hesse in 1527. All that is left of it now, though, is the Karlsturm (tower). Market rights were granted about 1188, and town rights followed by 1249. It was in this time that the groundwork was laid for the cloth- and leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
making that flourished on into modern times.
Beginning in 1264, as a result of the Thuringian-Hessian War of Succession, Eschwege belonged, under Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse
Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse
Henry I of Hesse "the Child" was the first Landgrave of Hesse. He was the son of Henry II, Duke of Brabant and Sophie of Thuringia.-Life:...
, to Hesse. On 12 May 1292, he offered King Adolf of Germany the town of Eschwege as an Imperial fief and was given it straight back along with the Imperial castle Boyneburg as an hereditary Imperial fief, thereby raising Henry to Imperial Prince, greatly strengthening his power in Hesse.
In 1385, Landgrave Balthasar of Thuringia moved to town and in 1386 he built a castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
. In 1433, the town passed back to the Landgraviate of Hesse
Landgraviate of Hesse
The Landgraviate of Hesse was a Landgraviate of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed as a unity from 1264 to 1567, when it was divided between the sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse.-History:...
. Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse
Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse
Philip I of Hesse, , nicknamed der Großmütige was a leading champion of the Protestant Reformation and one of the most important of the early Protestant rulers in Germany....
, William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
William IV of Hesse-Kassel , also called William the Wise, was the first Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel . He was the founder of the oldest line, which survives to this day.-Life:...
and Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
-External links:...
expanded the castle into a palatial residence. From 1627 to 1632, this was Maurice’s “old man’s seat” after he had abdicated
Abdication
Abdication occurs when a monarch, such as a king or emperor, renounces his office.-Terminology:The word abdication comes derives from the Latin abdicatio. meaning to disown or renounce...
, and from 1632 to 1655, Landgrave Frederick of Hesse-Eschwege, a sideline in the so-called Rotenburger Quart of the house of Hesse-Kassel, was resident here, although he did not actually live in the town until some time after 1646. In the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
, Eschwege was sacked and widely laid waste by fire in 1637 by Imperial Croats under General Johann von Götzen. After Frederick’s death in 1655, his (part-)landgraviate passed to his brother Ernst of Hesse-Rheinfels. After 1731, his grandson, Christian of Hesse-Wanfried transferred the residence of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Wanfried to Eschwege. After the Hesse-Wanfried male line died out in 1755, the landgraviate passed to the Hesse-Rotenburg line. Once their male line also died out in 1834, the whole Quart passed back to the main house of Hesse-Kassel.
The town acquired in 1875 a railway link when the line from Bebra
Bebra
Bebra is a small town in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany.-Location:Bebra lies some 45 km south of Kassel on the Fulda. The town is easy to find on most maps thanks to its prominent location on the Fuldaknie...
to Eschwege was built. Niederhone station (as of 1938, Eschwege-West) was the junction of two lines, the Cannons railway and the Bebra–Göttingen line.
After the Second World War ended in 1945, Eschwege belonged to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Zone of Occupation. The US military administration set up a displaced persons camp
Displaced persons camp
A displaced persons camp or DP camp is a temporary facility for displaced persons coerced into forced migration. The term is mainly used for camps established after World War II in West Germany and in Austria, as well as in the United Kingdom, primarily for refugees from Eastern Europe and for the...
to lodge Jewish citizens. This camp, in which up to 3,300 people lived at times, was dissolved in 1949.
Military history
Eschwege is also home to old barracks, formerly used by the German Army during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was occupied by US Army troops for a short time after the war and is now a training center for the German Federal Police
German Federal Police
The Bundespolizei is a uniformed federal police force in Germany. It is subordinate to the Federal Ministry of the Interior...
.
Town’s historical names
At the time of founding, Eschwege was known as Eskiniwach, meaning “Settlement near the ash trees at the water”.Older people living in town and nearby also say Eschewei or Ischewei. These names may stem from High German and come from Eschwege’s original Germanic name.
Amalgamations
In 1936, Niederhone was amalgamated, and in 1973 in the course of municipal reform, the other six communities named above were also amalgamated.Population development
(in each case at 31 December)| Year | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inhabitants | 22,094 | 21,951 | 21,723 | 21,625 | 21,597 | 21,387 | 21,086 | 20,847 | 20,610 | 20,372 | 20,153 | 20,018 |
Churches
In Eschwege there are four EvangelicalEvangelical Church in Germany
The Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
parishes in the main town and one each in the outlying centres of Albungen, Eltmannshausen, Niddawitzhausen, Niederdünzebach, Oberdünzebach, Niederhone and Oberhone. Furthermore, there are two Catholic parishes in the main town, a state church community (Bismarkstraße 7), an Evangelical Free Church parish (Baptists) and a New Apostolic
New Apostolic Church
The New Apostolic Church is a chiliastic church, converted to Protestantism as a free church from the Catholic Apostolic Church. The church has existed since 1879 in Germany and since 1897 in the Netherlands...
parish, whose members attend services at the former synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
(Vor dem Berge 4). Today (as at 31 December 2006), 13,967 of the town’s 22,574 inhabitants (61.87%) belong to the Evangelical Church and 3,403 (15.07%) belong to the Catholic Church.
The town’s oldest church was built in the 10th century on the spot where now stands the Marktkirche (“Market Church”)
Jewish community
Already by the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, there were Jews living in Eschwege (first reference in 1301). In the persecution
Persecution
Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution, ethnic persecution, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms. The inflicting of suffering, harassment, isolation,...
arising in the time of the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
, the Jewish community was wiped out. In 1457, a Judengasse (“Jews’ Lane”) was mentioned, and from 1507 comes mention of the vicus iudaicus. The Judengasse lay in the town centre between Kohlenmarkt and Neuer Steinweg. In 1580, 30 Jewish inhabitants were counted in town. By the mid 18th century, this had risen to 171 (4.9% of the whole population). The families earned their livelihood at first almost exclusively from livestock trading and goods trading (textiles). In the 19th century, however, many Jewish trading, business and industrial operations arose, which earned great importance to the town’s economic life. Even in public life, the Jewish inhabitants readily took part. The community belonged to the Lower Hesse
Lower Hesse
Lower Hesse a historic designation for an area in northern Hesse, Germany.The term Lower Hesse originated in the Middle Ages for the so-called "lower principality" of Hesse, which was separated until 1450 from the so-called "upper principality" by the area Ziegenhain...
(Kassel) Rabbinate Region, although it had its own district rabbinate. The Jewish population peaked in 1885, when there were 549. As early as 1838, a synagogue had been dedicated. Its interior was utterly destroyed on Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
(9 November 1938). Since 1954, the former synagogue has served as Eschwege’s New Apostolic church.
After 1933, some of the Jewish community’s members left Eschwege or emigrated as Jews were being stripped of their rights and subjected to reprisals. Four hundred and twenty-one left in 1933 alone, many of them for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(80). In 1941 and 1942, the last hundred or so Jewish residents were deported to the death camps.
After 1945, a displaced persons camp
Displaced persons camp
A displaced persons camp or DP camp is a temporary facility for displaced persons coerced into forced migration. The term is mainly used for camps established after World War II in West Germany and in Austria, as well as in the United Kingdom, primarily for refugees from Eastern Europe and for the...
to lodge Jewish death camp survivors was set up under the supervision of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration was an international relief agency, largely dominated by the United States but representing 44 nations. Founded in 1943, it became part of the United Nations in 1945, was especially active in 1945 and 1946, and largely shut down...
and lasted a few years. Almost all the camp dwellers emigrated to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
once that state had been founded. The Jews left in Eschwege were in the long run too few in number to be able to form a community.
Town council
The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:| Parties and voter communities | % 2006 |
Seats 2006 |
% 2001 |
Seats 2001 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDU | Christian Democratic Union of Germany | 32.0 | 12 | 32.9 | 12 |
| SPD | Social Democratic Party of Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
44.8 | 17 | 43.7 | 16 |
| GREENS | Bündnis 90/Die Grünen | 5.7 | 2 | 5.7 | 2 |
| FDP | Free Democratic Party (Germany) Free Democratic Party (Germany) The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government... |
8.9 | 3 | 9.8 | 4 |
| FWG | Freie Wählergemeinschaft Eschwege | 8.6 | 3 | 7.9 | 3 |
| Total | 100.0 | 37 | 100.0 | 37 | |
| Voter turnout in % | 47.2 | 50.0 | |||
Social Democrats and the FDP work together on town council.
Executive
The town’s executive (Magistrat) is made up of two fulltime members (Mayor Alexander Heppe (CDU) and treasurer Reiner Brill) and seven other councillors, of whom 3 are from the SPD, 2 from the CDU and one each from the FDP and the FWG.Mayor
The current mayor is Alexander Heppe (CDU), who was elected Mayor after winning 52.0% of the votes in a run-off election (second ballot) on the 21st of June 2009, edging the other candidate from the SPD.Coat of arms
The town’s armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
might be described thus: Gules a castle embattled with two towers with peaked roofs argent, between the towers an ash twig with three pinnate leaves vert.
The town of Eschwege has passed a bylaw governing the use of the coat of arms.
Town partnerships
Saint-MandéSaint-Mandé
Saint-Mandé is a commune of the Val-de-Marne department in Île-de-France in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe.-History:...
, Val-de-Marne
Val-de-Marne
Val-de-Marne is a French department, named after the Marne River, located in the Île-de-France region. The department is situated to the southeast of the city of Paris.- Geography :...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
since 1989 Mühlhausen
Mühlhausen
Mühlhausen is a city in the federal state of Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the Unstrut-Hainich district, and lies along the river Unstrut. Mühlhausen had c. 37,000 inhabitants in 2006.-History:...
, Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
since 1989 Regen
Regen
Regen is a town in Bavaria, Germany, capital of the district of Regen.-Division of the town:Originally the town consisted of 4 districts, Bürgerholz, Grubhügel, Riedham and St...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
since 1997; town friendship since 1967
Moreover, there are sponsorship arrangements with the German Navy’s supply ship Werra, the Eschwege of the Bundespolizei See and the Lufthansa aircraft D-ACPH, which has been christened Eschwege.
Museums
- Stadtmuseum Eschwege (town museum)
- Eschweger Zinnfiguren- und Miniaturenkabinett (tin figures and miniatures cabinet)
- “Freunde der Eisenbahn” (railway museum)
- Heimatmuseum in the scenic Old Town, has a marketplace surrounded by timber-frameTimber framingTimber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
houses.
Buildings
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
town core with rows of timber-frame
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
houses. Moreover, the following buildings are worth seeing:
- Neustädter Kirche St. Katharina (church)
- Marktkirche St. Dionys (market church)
- Eschwege Landgraves’ Palace (Schloss Eschwege), since 1821 seat of the district administration (1386 built as a castle, expanded into a palace in 16th and 17th centuries), with Frau HolleMother HuldaMother Hulda is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and first published in 1812 as part of Children's and Household Tales. It was originally known as Frau Holle and is tale number 24.- Synopsis :...
well and Dietemann tower, containing the Dietemann, the figure of a man with a horn, the symbol of the Eschweger, which is located in the castle tower and appears every hour to blow its horn. Also scenic are the views along the river Werra. - Hochzeitshaus (“Wedding House”, a municipal community centre from 1578)
- Schulberg (Cyriakusberg, mountain) with the Karlsturm (tower, last remnant of a “women’s foundation” built in the 11th century)
- Nikolaiturm (former church tower from 1455)
- Bismarckturm (tower) on the Leuchtberg (from 1903)
- Schäferhalle (Pavilion on the west slope of the Leuchtberg)
- Former synagogueSynagogueA synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
, today a New ApostolicNew Apostolic ChurchThe New Apostolic Church is a chiliastic church, converted to Protestantism as a free church from the Catholic Apostolic Church. The church has existed since 1879 in Germany and since 1897 in the Netherlands...
church - Hospital chapel
- Monastery, seat of the Eschwege monastery brewery
- Hexenkeller (“Witches’ Cellar”)
Parks
- Palace garden
- Botanical garden
- Sophiengarten
- Leuchtbergpark (with paths in and around the Greater and Lesser Leuchtberg)
- Werratalsee (lake, a local recreation area between Eschwege and Schwebda)
Sport
On the Werratalsee lies a rowing regatta course, unique in Hesse, with six lanes and a length of 1 500 m. It was expanded in 2008 to 2 000 m, giving it international dimensions, allowing the Eschwege rowing club to soon stage international competitions. Already for some years, the Hesse rowing championships have been being held here.There is also sailing on the Werratalsee. The Werrertalsee und Segelclub WSSC 1969 Eschwege e.V. yearly organizes spring and autumn regattas. During the season, guests are welcome at the marina.
A further sporting event is the “WerraMan” Triathlon, staged by the town since 2004. The contest is held each year on the first weekend in September. The “WerraMan” and all other watersport events are supported by the local DLRG
DLRG
The Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft e.V. is a relief organization for life saving in Germany. The DLRG is a non-profit, independent organization based on volunteers.-Tasks:...
group Eschwege-Wanfried e. V.
The riding facility right near the Werratalsee is year after year the showplace for North Hesse Championships in show jumping
Show jumping
Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping," "open jumping," or "jumpers," is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes commonly are seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics...
and dressage
Dressage
Dressage is a competitive equestrian sport, defined by the International Equestrian Federation as "the highest expression of horse training." Competitions are held at all levels from amateur to the World Equestrian Games...
.
Football is played in Eschwege in the clubs SV 07 Eschwege (Landesliga), FC Eschwege 1988 e.V (Kreisliga B2) and FFV Palm Strikers Eschwege (Kreisliga C2).
The Eschwege Gymnastic and Sport Club unites nine departments under one roof. It offers, among others, team handball, table tennis, gymnastics, swimming and athletics. Since 2005 there has also been a cycling sport department, making it the district’s biggest sport club.
The town’s biggest tennis club is TC 51 Eschwege. Its men’s team plays in the Gruppenliga (fifth highest class in Germany).
Regular events
Eschwege is the home of a famous four day music and drinking festival called the Johannisfest, which attracts several thousand visitors and is said to be the best showcase of the quaint town besides the Open Flair, the largest music festival in the region.- Weekly market at the Obermarkt (“Upper Market”) every Wednesday and Saturday morning
- Johannisfest, traditionally on the first Sunday in July, but if summer holidays in Hesse begin in June, held on the last Sunday before they begin. Friday: town festival with traditional Kränzewickeln (“wreath winding”); Saturday: Maienzug (parade) of Eschwege school classes; Sunday: festival parade of Eschwege school classes with the Dietemann (a local mascot); Monday: festival conclusion and lantern sendoff by the Eschwege Rowing Club, fireworks.
- Open Flair Festival (so called, even in GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
) usually on the second weekend in August, is a 3-day concert/festival featuring several famous international and German bands and performers - Pub festival in the inner town with live music in spring and autumn
- Brewery festival (Eschwege monastery brewery)
- Wurschtfest in Eschwege in September (sausage festival)
- Eschweger Puppen-Festtage (dolls), first weekend in November
- Eschwege Automobile Exhibition in the inner town in May
- Hüttenzauber, impressive before-Christmas event at the marketplace
- Christmas market at the marketplace/Obermarkt (“Upper Market”)
- Eschwege Spring festival
- Eschwege shooting festival, first weekend in September
- Fritz Jordan memorial rowing; late September on the Werra
- WerraMan - Eschwege popular triathlon (400 m swimming, 23 km cycling and 5 km walking), late August/early September
Transport
Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
n 27, 249 and 452. Furthermore, Eschwege lies on the Regionalbahn
RegionalBahn
The Regionalbahn is a type of local passenger train in Germany.-Service:Regionalbahn trains usually call at all stations on a given line, with the exception of RB trains within S-Bahn networks, these may only call at selected stations...
line R7 (Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
–Eschwege–Bebra
Bebra
Bebra is a small town in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany.-Location:Bebra lies some 45 km south of Kassel on the Fulda. The town is easy to find on most maps thanks to its prominent location on the Fuldaknie...
–Bad Hersfeld
Bad Hersfeld
The festival and spa town of Bad Hersfeld is the district seat of Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany, roughly 50 km southeast of Kassel....
–Fulda
Fulda
Fulda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district .- Early Middle Ages :...
) and belongs to the Nordhessischer Verkehrsverbund (“North Hesse Transport Association”, NVV). The nearby Autobahn A 44
Bundesautobahn 44
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...
(Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
–Eisenach
Eisenach
Eisenach is a city in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated between the northern foothills of the Thuringian Forest and the Hainich National Park. Its population in 2006 was 43,626.-History:...
) is currently under construction.
At the timetable change on 13 December 2009, the Nordhessischer Verkehrsverbund (North Hesse Transport Association) added a service between Eschwege West and Eschwege town on its own infrastructure, which it had brought back into service and modernised. The old line, part of a closed section of the Kanonenbahn, was joined to the Göttingen–Bebra line north and south of Eschwege West station. This meant that Eschwege West station was bypassed and it was closed for scheduled passenger services. A new station was opened at Eschwege-Niederhone. A two-storey car park and a central bus station was opened at Eschwege town station.
Established businesses
In the field of machine building, the firms Präwema Antriebstechnik GmbH (machine tools), Hyco Pacoma GmbH (hydraulic cylinders), Baumer Thalheim GmbH & Co. KG (rotary encoderRotary encoder
A rotary encoder, also called a shaft encoder, is an electro-mechanical device that converts the angular position or motion of a shaft or axle to an analog or digital code. The output of incremental encoders provides information about the motion of the shaft which is typically further processed...
s) and Georg Sahm GmbH & Co. KG (dishwashers and high-performance winders for the textile industry) are active.
Working in the field of household and system technology is the firm Stiebel Eltron
Stiebel Eltron
Stiebel Eltron is a company based in Holzminden, Germany that manufactures central heating products such as heat pumps. The UK office was set up on the Wirral Peninsula in 2008....
GmbH & Co.KG (Eschwege works), and Friedola Gebr. Holzapfel GmbH manufactures leisure articles and table and floor coverings.
The Eschweger Klosterbrauerei GmbH (Eschwege monastery brewery) is a long established firm, having been brewing in town since the early 19th century. It regularly earns medals from the German Agricultural Society
German Agricultural Society
The German Agricultural Society , commonly known as DLG, is an organisation for agricultural industry in Germany. DLG was founded in the year 1885 by Max Eyth, has over 23,000 members as of 2011 and is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main...
for its beers.
Media
In Eschwege appear the Werra-Rundschau and the Marktspiegel. The local radio Rundfunk Meißner has been broadcasting from here since 1997.Public institutions
Besides the customary institutions in a district seat, and those mentioned under “Culture and sightseeing”, there are a town library and the “espada” leisure pool.Education
In Eschwege there are two comprehensive schoolComprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
s, Anne-Frank-Schule and Brüder-Grimm-Schule, and also the Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
Friedrich-Wilhelm-Schule (levels 5 to 10) and the Oberstufengymnasium (“upper-level Gymnasium”)
Among primary schools are the Alexander-von-Humboldt-Schule, the Geschwister-Scholl-Schule and the Struthschule. The school for pupils with learning difficulties is called the Pestalozzischule.
Moreover, there are the Berufliche Schulen des Werra-Meißner-Kreises (district vocational schools) and the private school Freie Waldorfschule Werra-Meißner.
Further training and continuing education institutions are the Bundespolizei (German Federal Police) basic and advanced training centre Mitte, the folk high school
Folk high school
Folk high schools are institutions for adult education that generally do not grant academic degrees, though certain courses might exist leading to that goal...
and the family training centre.
Sons and daughters of the town
- Christian Friedrich von Cochenhausen (1769–1839), lieutenant general and war minister under Elector Wilhelm II of Hesse, library founder
- Markus “Zimbl” Zimmer (1964–2006), singer and bassist of the music group The BatesThe BatesThe Bates was a German punk band, founded in Eschwege, federal state of Hesse, Germany in 1987. The name referred to the character Norman Bates from Alfred Hitchcock's film, Psycho....
- G. G. Anderson, hit singer
- Otto Heinemann, father of former Federal President Gustav HeinemannGustav HeinemannGustav Walter Heinemann, GCB was a German politician. He was Mayor of the city of Essen from 1946 to 1949, West German Minister of the Interior from 1949 to 1950, Minister of Justice from 1966 to 1969 and President of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1969 to 1974.-Early years and professional...
- Rolf HochhuthRolf HochhuthRolf Hochhuth is a German author and playwright. He is best known for his 1963 drama The Deputy and remains a controversial figure for his plays and other public comments, such as his insinuation of Pope Pius XII's sympathies for Hitler's extermination of the Jews in the 1963 play The Deputy and...
(1931– ), writer and playwright - Aliza OlmertAliza OlmertAliza Olmert is an Israeli artist, photographer, author and social worker. Olmert is married to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.- Biography :...
(1946– ), writer, Israeli prime minister’s wife - Paul Westheim, art historian
- Rita Russek (1952– ), actress and director
- Markus SchulzMarkus SchulzMarkus Schulz, born , is a German trance music DJ and producer who resides in Miami, Florida, USA. He is best-known for his weekly radio show titled Global DJ Broadcast that airs on Digitally Imported radio, After Hours FM and other online stations...
, Trance musicTrance musicTrance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
DJDisc jockeyA disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Wolfram SpyraWolfram SpyraWolfram Spyra is a German composer of ambient music.Spyra was born in Eschwege. He began his career in the early 1990s constructing 'soundscapes' and installations around Germany. He has collaborated with a wide range of visual artists, musicians, producers and DJs. He has released several...
sound artist and composer - Grete Kletke (1892–?), member of the Hesse Landtag 1950–1962, vice-president 1958–1962
- Jürgen Menzel (b. 18 May 1951), Son of a native woman and an americ. soldier. Ethologist (wild horses & wolf); one of Europes most recognized horse trainers of the "natural - horsemanship".
People associated with the town
- Eitel Oskar Höhne, member of the Hesse Landtag 1950–1970; Landrat of Eschwege district and the Werra-Meißner-Kreis 1961–1988; Chairman of the Hessian Broadcasting Administration Council for many years, born in Dresden
- Ruth Hammeran (1922–2007), Gymnasium teacher and lyricist
- Hartmut Holzapfel, Hesse education minister 1991–1999, born in Ringgau-Röhrda, until AbiturAbiturAbitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...
in Eschwege - Erika Wagner, member of the Hesse Landtag 1978–1995; vice-president 1991–1995), born in Wanfried
- Dietrich Meister, member of the Hesse Landtag 1970-1991
- Julius Hackethal, surgeon and book author, 1946-1950 attending and chief physician at Eschwege district hospital
- Heinz Fromm (b. 10 July 1948 in Meinhard-Frieda) has been since June 2000 president of the Federal office for Constitutional Protection, until Abitur in Eschwege
- Lothar Quanz (b. 2 September 1949 in Burghaun), Hesse politician (SPD) and First Vice-President of the Hesse Landtag, worked for years as a teacher at the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Schule in Eschwege.