Alsfeld

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coat of arms Germany map
Coat of arms of the city of Alsfeld
Alsfeld
Map of Germany, position of the city of Alsfeld highlighted

Coordinates: 50 ° 45 '  N , 9 ° 16'  E

Basic data
State : Hesse
Administrative region : to water
County : Vogelsbergkreis
Height : 268 m above sea level NHN
Area : 129.69 km 2
Residents: 16,037 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density : 124 inhabitants per km 2
Postal code : 36304
Primaries : 06631, 06639 (Berfa, Lingelbach), 06698 (Heidelbach)Template: Infobox municipality in Germany / maintenance / area code contains text
License plate : VB
Community key : 06 5 35 001
LOCODE : DE ALD
City structure: 16 districts

City administration address : 		Marktplatz 1
36304 Alsfeld
Website : www.alsfeld.de
Mayor : Stephan Paule ( CDU )
Location of the city of Alsfeld in the Vogelsbergkreis
Antrifttal Alsfeld Grebenau Schlitz (Vogelsbergkreis) Kirtorf Homberg (Ohm) Mücke (Hessen) Gemünden (Felda) Romrod Schwalmtal (Hessen) Lauterbach (Hessen) Wartenberg (Hessen) Feldatal Lautertal (Vogelsberg) Ulrichstein Herbstein Schotten (Stadt) Grebenhain Freiensteinau Landkreis Marburg-Biedenkopf Schwalm-Eder-Kreis Landkreis Hersfeld-Rotenburg Landkreis Fulda Wetteraukreis Main-Kinzig-Kreismap
About this picture

Alsfeld ( pronunciation ? / I ) is a town in central Hesse Vogelsbergkreis , in the center of the state of Hesse . The city is a state-approved resort . Audio file / audio sample

geography

location

Weir with stepping stone bridge over the Schwalm

Alsfeld is located in the northern part of the Vogelsbergkreis on the south-western edge of the Knüllgebirge , on the western slope of the Alsfeld basin. The city is located west of the confluence of the Eifa in the upper reaches of the Schwalm .

The next larger cities are Bad Hersfeld , about 39 km to the east, Fulda , about 44 km to the southeast, Gießen , about 52 km to the west and Marburg , about 43 km to the northwest.

Neighboring communities

Alsfeld borders in the north on the communities Willingshausen , Schrecksbach and Ottrau (all Schwalm-Eder district ), in the east on the community Breitenbach ( district Hersfeld-Rotenburg ) and Grebenau ( Vogelsberg district ), in the south on the communities Schwalmtal and the city of Romrod as well in the west to the town of Kirtorf and the municipality of Antrifttal , all of which also belong to the Vogelsberg district.

City structure

In addition to the city center (10,681 inhabitants) there are the districts Altenburg (1453), Angenrod (608), Berfa (703), Billertshausen (258), Eifa (837), Elbenrod (451), Eudorf (551), Fischbach (95) , Hattendorf (612), Heidelbach (385), Leusel (816), Liederbach (555), Lingelbach (712), Münch-Leusel (78), Reibertenrod (375) and Schwabenrod (378).

history

Alsfeld was first mentioned in a document in 1069 as "Adelesfelt".

City name

Alsfeld - Excerpt from the Topographia Hassiae by Matthäus Merian 1655

There are some legends about the origin of the city name. The Landgrave of Hesse / Thuringia is said to have ridden over the Vogelsberg around the year 1200 . Arrived on the Homberg (a hill near Alsfeld), a strong wind blew there. So he said: “As if my hat fell off my head.” (“Als”: Upper Hessian for “forever”). “As falls” then became Alsfeld. - The name is more likely to be traced back to the old German personal name "Adalo" (short form of names such as Adalolf = Adolf, Adalbero or Adalwin). 1076 the place is called Adelesfelt . Other historically documented mentions of the place name are:

  • Adelsfelt (1222)
  • Alesvelt (1232)
  • Ailesuelt (1233)
  • Agilsvelt (1249)
  • Alsfelt (1250)
  • Allysfelt (1302)
  • Elsfeldia (1303)
  • Alsfeltd, Alsfeldia (1319)

middle Ages

Excavations in the Walpurgis Church revealed that a Romanesque church had already been located here in the 9th and 10th centuries . Thus, the place probably originated in the Carolingian era . Between 1180 and 1190 the Landgraves of Thuringia built a castle here on the historic trading route of the Kurzen Hessen . This location favored the development of Alsfeld, so that Alsfeld is attested as a town from 1222.

Since 1247 Alsfeld belonged to the Landgraviate of Hesse . In 1254 the city joined the Rhenish Association of Cities . Hermann II built a castle here in 1395, and the city was at times the royal seat.

Early modern age

Alsfeld joined the Reformation early on. Martin Luther stayed here on the trip to and from Worms . The Augustinian monk Tilemann Schnabel , a friend of Luther, began working in Alsfeld as early as 1522 in accordance with the new teaching. But this did not initially result in a decision by the city council to join the Reformation. In this respect, Alsfeld was not the first Hessian city to become Lutheran, as it is called in older depictions (and is still sometimes rumored afterwards). With a sermon from the city wall, Tilemann Schnabel incurred the disgrace of the Landgrave, had to leave the city and was able to return after the vote of the citizens in 1525. With the subsequent transition of the city to the Reformation, the tradition of the Alsfeld Passion Play , which was performed on the market square, also ended.

Since 1567 the city belonged to Hessen-Marburg and from 1604 to the Landgraviate of Hessen-Darmstadt .

The statistical-topographical-historical description of the Grand Duchy of Hesse reports on Alsfeld in 1830:

“Alsfeld (L. Bez. Gl. N.) city; is located on the Schwalm, 12 hours northeast of Giessen, 1001 Hess. (770 par.) Feet above the sea and at the foot of a ridge, in a beautiful and fertile area. The road from Wetzlar to Cassel runs through Alsfeld; the city is also connected to Lauterbach by means of a road. The city has four gates, namely the Mainzer-, the Fulder-, the Hersfelder and the Hoher or Ober-Thor and four main streets, namely the Mainzer-, the Fulder-, the Hersfelder- and the Hoher- or Obergasse. At the place of the moat there are now meadows and gardens, which are called the former parts of the moat. The market place is very spacious. Of the buildings the following are noteworthy: 1) the St. Catharines or Walpurgis Church; the tower collapsed at the beginning of the 14th century. The origins of this church are in the dark. 2) the Augustinian Trinity Church; it has a cheerful appearance. This church probably got its name from the Augustinian hermit monastery that existed here, which must be counted among the oldest of this order, which was confirmed in 1241, and which arose after Gerstenberger in 1244; 3) the Todtenkirche, outside the city; 4) the city wine house; this was built in 1538 and is characterized by its extraordinary underground vaults. In 1650 the town received an inheritance from the Landgrave "as a reward for its steadfast loyalty in the war times of that time", according to which it receives the wine and brandy from the regent as a fief. The city uses its wine house through its own manager, and every city landlord has to take his wine from the city cellar, or pay 2 fl. For each ohm into the city treasury. The brandy wine to be tapped must be taken from the town wine house. There are also 2 parsonages, 1 office building, 1 main customs office building with economic buildings, 1 town hall, 1 boys' school house. 1 hospital with eight beneficiaries, 1 new detention house, 1 pharmacy, 8 grinding, 3 oil, 1 cutting and 1 fulling mill. The city also has a Latin school and a post office. A sword is also shown, which Carl the Great is said to have given the city. There are 502 houses and 3684 residents, all of whom are Protestant except for 26 Catholics and 61 Jews. Alsfeld is the seat of the district council, the district court, the tax commissioner's rent office and a main customs office. The industrial establishments have grown in size for several years. There are five linen manufacturers; the Kochische linen factory is the most excellent. The Kick- and Schwarzische Manufaktur, as well as several smaller manufacturers, produce considerable quantities of Leinenzwilch. The makes are valued and are being shipped abroad a lot. There are also 140 woolen cloth manufacturers, many of whom work for other masters, 19 linen weavers and 6 cloth makers. With the factories already noted, these tradespeople manufacture many woolen cloths, stanets, beavers, barkers, foot rugs, double and trilchs, canvas, sackcloth and packing canvas. Furthermore 6 dyers who dye cloths in all shades. The bleaching establishments, especially for linen yarn, have improved a great deal, and bleach partly according to the method customary at Elberfeld and Barmen, partly also with hydrochloric acid, which is used especially in the preparation of the tow into a cotton-like material which is made into bedbarchent. The 3 important tobacco factories deserve a special mention, such as the well-equipped Schwarz'sche Brand wine distillery. Of the other trades, the following are also mentioned: 18 tanners, 6 white tanners (successful attempts have been made with Saffian tanning), 112 shoemakers, 8 saddlers, 25 butchers. 1 glue smithy, 18 shopkeepers, 44 bakers, 3 rope makers, 18 carpenters, 16 locksmiths and blacksmiths (including some coppersmiths), 19 tailors, etc. The arable and fruit growing is characterized and has reached a rare height. One notices the most beautiful meadow grounds; the soil provides grain in abundance, chiefly wheat, grain, and barley of special quality. Two wool markets and several cattle and grocer's markets are held here every year and one fruit market every week. - Alsfeld, a Fulda and most likely gegebenesfiefdom, is rightly named as one of the oldest Hessian cities; but much of what the chroniclers tell of the old age of this city deserves no faith at all, and is in part highly inconsistent. The oldest document that Alsfeld mentions is from 1069 and once again it is occasionally mentioned as a donation which Count Gerhard made to the Fulda monastery in 1076. In documents from 1247, at which time Alsfeld belonged to the landgraves for some time, it is called a city, and in the same year it appears among the cities that had joined the Rhenish league established at that time to maintain the peace. This fact, as well as the fact that Alsfeld was already inhabited by a large number of nobility in the 14th century, suggests the importance of the city. In 1312 Alsfeld was besieged by the Fulda abbot Heinrich von Wylnau; he devastated the area but had to withdraw. A fire, probably at the beginning of the 14th century, reduced the city to ashes; along with the town hall, all documents were also destroyed. Before the sixteenth century the town was surrounded by a moat to defend it, and in front of the upper gate there was an outer works connected to the town by means of a drawbridge. In the Thirty Years' War, 1621, Alsfeld was requested by Duke Christian von Braunschweig Lünneburg to surrender, and in the following year he moved in. A general pillage ensued; the inhabitants who had not fled were severely ill-treated, and the threatened cremation of the city had to be bought with 6000 Reichsthalers; however, the damage suffered at that time was estimated at 71,429 florins. The Swedes laid down more than 40 houses in ashes in 1636, and in the following year, on July 2nd, 500 Ziegenhainische Reuters and miners attacked the city, opened a gate through Pe1arden, but had to leave with great losses. On November 5th, 1643 the city was bombarded by a 5000 strong corps, led by General Geysa, and taken after a manly resistance. The city suffered the greatest loss in this war from the Lower Hessian troops, which surrounded it on Sept. 30, 1646 and took them by piece on Oct. 5, only after the third storm. Thirty buildings had gone up in fire from the shells thrown into them; all the suburbs were razed and 200 houses in them were demolished. The names Schellngasse and Kloppengasse still remain from the destroyed suburbs. At the end of the last century a death cellar was discovered here, in which there were many thousands of well-layered skulls and bones. - The parish set belonged to the St. Jacob's Monastery in Mainz, which left it to the Mainz Cathedral in 1247. "

20th century

In 1961 the 1st Hessentag took place in Alsfeld , as did the 25th Hessentag in 1985. The 50th Hessentag in 2010 was not held in Alsfeld as planned for financial reasons.

In 1975 Alsfeld was declared a “European model city” by the Council of Europe. As a result, many of the 400 half-timbered houses from seven centuries as well as the town hall , the pillory and one of the oldest houses in Germany were restored. When the half-timbered houses were uncovered, the use of the wrong wood colors damaged many of the timber-framed beams and now have to be restored.

In memory of those victims of National Socialism who lived in Alsfeld, Gunter Demnig moved the first 16 stumbling blocks in Alsfeld on October 24, 2009 . Another 13 stumbling blocks followed on September 7, 2010 and September 28, 2011.

Territorial history and administration

The following list gives an overview of the territories in which Alsfeld was located and the administrative units to which it was subordinate:

Courts since 1803

In the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt , the judicial system was reorganized in an executive order of December 9, 1803. The “Hofgericht Gießen” was set up as a court of second instance for the province of Upper Hesse . The jurisdiction of the first instance was carried out by the offices or the landlords . The court court was the second instance court for normal civil disputes, and the first instance for civil family law cases and criminal cases. The superior court of appeal in Darmstadt was superordinate .

With the establishment of the Grand Duchy of Hesse in 1806, this function was retained, while the tasks of the first instance were transferred to the newly created regional courts in 1821 as part of the separation of jurisdiction and administration. "Alsfeld Regional Court" was therefore the name of the court of first instance in Alsfeld from 1821 to 1879, today's district court.

On the occasion of the introduction of the Courts Constitution Act with effect from October 1, 1879, as a result of which the previous grand-ducal Hessian regional courts were replaced by local courts in the same place, while the newly created regional courts now functioned as higher courts, the name was changed to the Alsfeld district court and the district was assigned to the district of the regional court Pouring . In the Federal Republic of Germany, the superordinate instances are the Regional Court of Giessen, the Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main and the Federal Court of Justice as the last instance.

Historic water supply

The supply of street cleaning and fire extinguishing water is considered a specialty among the locals: The Liederbach (local: Lerrebach ) was dammed for many centuries on today's station grounds . As a rule, the brook then flowed from there via Ludwigsplatz into Obergasse. Skillfully using the natural gradient, the stream was branched off into other alleys. Their course in paved gutters was followed by the weakening brook, only to leave the city walls again at the Fulder Tor towards the Schwalm. If necessary, the barriers to the Liedenteich were pulled so that a larger amount of water was available.

The residents supplied themselves with drinking water from wells in the house: every house in the city center is said to have had its own well. In two restaurants near the market, the house fountains can still be viewed today (cf. “ Judgment Bell ” of the Walpurgis Church).

Incorporations

Altenburg has been part of Alsfeld since December 1st, 1969. On December 31, 1971, as part of the regional reform in Hesse , the previously independent communities of Angenrod , Billertshausen , Eifa , Elbenrod , Eudorf , Fischbach , Heidelbach , Leusel , Münch-Leusel , Reibertenrod and Schwabenrod were incorporated. Berfa , Hattendorf , Liederbach and Lingelbach were added by state law on August 1, 1972.

Alsfeld district

In the Grand Duchy of Hesse , the Alsfeld district existed from 1821 to 1832 . From 1832 to 1972 (with a short break after the March Revolution , see Alsfeld administrative district ), Alsfeld was the seat of the district of the same name , which was merged with the Lauterbach district and parts of the Schotten district to form the Vogelsbergkreis during the Hessian territorial reform in 1972 .

The decision of the Hessian Ministry of the Interior to designate the centrally located Lauterbach as the district town led to some bitterness in Alsfeld at the time, which strained the relationship with Lauterbach for years. Due to the protests in the Alsfeld area, for example, the Alsfeld motor vehicle registration office did not assign the originally intended LAT (Lauterbach) license plate between 1972 and 1978 , but continued to assign license plates with the abbreviation ALS, until VB was established as the Vogelsberg district's license plate in 1978.

population

Population structure

According to the 2011 census , there were 16,382 residents in Alsfeld on May 9, 2011. These included 857 (5.2%) foreigners, of whom 233 came from outside the EU , 400 from other European countries and 224 from other countries. 11.8% of the German residents had a migration background . The inhabitants lived in 7378 households. Of these, 2576 were single households , 2074 couples without children and 1898 couples with children, as well as 672 single parents and 258 shared apartments .

Population development

• 1791: 2836 inhabitants
• 1800: 2836 inhabitants
• 1806: 3006 inhabitants, 499 houses (with Reibertenrod)
• 1829: 3684 inhabitants, 502 houses
• 1867: 3537 inhabitants, 519 houses
Alsfeld: Population from 1791 to 2015
year     Residents
1791
  
 2,836
1800
  
 2,836
1806
  
 3,006
1829
  
 3,684
1834
  
 3,775
1840
  
 4,257
1846
  
 4.214
1852
  
 4,228
1858
  
 4.149
1864
  
 3,633
1871
  
 3,612
1875
  
 3,730
1885
  
 3,984
1895
  
 4,290
1905
  
 4,613
1910
  
 5,001
1925
  
 5,058
1939
  
 6,026
1946
  
 8,191
1950
  
 8,928
1956
  
 9,164
1961
  
 9,940
1967
  
 10,437
1970
  
 10,941
1972
  
 17,735
1975
  
 18.091
1980
  
 17,906
1985
  
 16,931
1990
  
 17,353
1995
  
 17,721
2000
  
 18,060
2005
  
 17,467
2010
  
 16,351
2011
  
 16,382
2015
  
 16,142
Data source: Historical municipality register for Hesse: The population of the municipalities from 1834 to 1967. Wiesbaden: Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt, 1968.
Further sources:; 1972 :; from 1975 :; 2011 census
From 1972 including the towns incorporated into Hesse as part of the regional reform .

Religious affiliation

• 1829: 3597 Protestant (= 97.64%), 61 Jewish (= 1.66%) and 26 Catholic (= 0.70%) residents
• 1961: 7486 Protestant (= 75.31%) and 2075 (= 20.88%) Catholic residents
• 2011: 11280 Protestant (= 69.4%), 2420 Catholic (= 14.9%), 220 Orthodox (= 1.4%), 360 non-believers (= 2.2%), 1890 other (= 11.6%) residents

politics

City Council

The town hall of Alsfeld

The local elections on March 6, 2016 produced the following results, compared to previous local elections:

Distribution of seats in the 2016 city council
    
A total of 37 seats
  • SPD : 12
  • ALA : 3
  • CDU : 18
  • UWA : 4
 Parties and constituencies %
2016 		Seats
2016 		%
2011 		Seats
2011 		%
2006 		Seats
2006 		%
2001 		Seats
2001
SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany 31.9 12 41.5 15th 42.6 16 41.6 15th
CDU Christian Democratic Union of Germany 47.9 18th 35.9 13 39.5 15th 33.9 13
UWA Independent voter community Alsfeld 12.0 4th 10.0 4th 8.9 3 14.9 5
ALA Alternative list Alsfeld 8.2 3 9.5 4th 5.6 2 - -
FDP Free Democratic Party - - 3.1 1 3.4 1 2.0 1
GREEN Alliance 90 / The Greens - - - - - - 7.6 3
total 100 37 100 37 100 37 100 37
voter turnout 51.7% 48.5% 49.8% 55.5%

magistrate

The magistrate consists of the mayor Stephan Paule (CDU) and 10 honorary city councilors.

mayor

The past mayoral elections produced the following results:

year Candidates Political party Result
2013 Stephan Paule CDU 55.8%
Arno Hedrich 44.2%
Voter turnout 50.6%
2007 a Ralf Becker SPD 54.3%
Ulrich Kuenz 45.7%
Voter turnout 60.3%
2007 Ralf Becker SPD 42.0%
Stephan Rühl ALA 14.8%
Ulrich Kuenz 43.2%
Turnout 59.7%
year Candidates Political party Result
2005 Herbert Diestelmann SPD 52.7%
Gerhard Bennemann CDU 47.3%
Turnout 55.0%
1999 Herbert Diestelmann SPD 83.9%
Edith Köhn-Müller Green 16.1%
Turnout 45.6%
1993 Herbert Diestelmann SPD 72.0%
Oswin Veith CDU 28.0%
Turnout 59.6%
a Runoff

Stephan Paule (CDU) was elected on May 26, 2013, the only other candidate was Arno Hedrich.

In the penultimate election on September 9, 2007 Ralf Becker (SPD) won the runoff election with 54.3% against Ulrich Künz (CDU), who achieved 45.7%. The turnout was 60.3%.

The then incumbent mayor Herbert Diestelmann (SPD) was the first directly elected mayor in Hesse with the votes of his own party and at his own request on May 24, 2007 by the city council after 19 years. The reason for this is the unauthorized granting of loans from the municipal budget. He has now been finally convicted.

Gerhard Ramspeck determined the fortunes of the city as mayor from 1825 to 1871. His son Werner Ramspeck also became mayor. August Rosenkranz was the first mayor after the Second World War from 1945 to 1946 .

coat of arms

DEU Alsfeld COA.svg
 Blazon : "The coat of arms shows on a blue field an upright, right-turned, golden crowned and golden armored red lion, on the right a sword with a silver edge and golden handle, above a helmet with buffalo horns and outwardly set leaf stalks as well as red and blue leaf decorations."
Foundation of the coat of arms: The oldest seal of the city showed the Landgrave of Hesse around 1234 as a judge with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. This shield showed the coat of arms of the Landgraves of Hessen (the lions of Hessen of the Ludowingers ). The current arrangement on the coat of arms appeared from the late 14th century. Since then there have only been minor changes in color, for example the lion, which used to be divided seven times by silver and red, was described as monochrome (red) by Georg Eberhard Happel in his "Alsfeld election and sermon on the coat of arms" as early as 1648 . In contrast, the coat of arms of the heraldists Otto Hupp and Stadler (middle of the last century) is shown again ( heraldically corrected ) with the Hessen lion.

Banner Alsfeld.svg 00Banner: "The banner is in a ratio of 1: 7: 1 red-white-red striped lengthways with the coat of arms above the middle."

Town twinning

Alsfeld maintains city ​​partnerships with:

Culture and sights

Buildings

The city is known for its old town with closed historical buildings.

This is typical of medieval cities: around the market square as the center, the city ​​wall, which is almost circular for strategic reasons, runs some distance away . This contains openings on the traffic routes that were built in the past. From these openings, the city gates, you can get to the center of the city on a mostly straight path. In Alsfeld, the course of the city wall can be guessed at the streets that were not used for cross-regional traffic. In more peaceful times, the city wall was torn down and no longer stood in the way of the new houses and traffic requirements that were then created.

It is strange that the trade route (today's street: Hersfelder Strasse, Untergasse, Obere Fulder Gasse, Markt) running from the northeast, from the trade fair city of Leipzig and from Kassel to Frankfurt am Main , runs as winding within the city as it is far outside the city.

At the market in the center of the old town is the half-timbered town hall in the early frame construction , which was built from 1512 to 1516, with the stone substructure being built in the first phase from 1512 to 1514 and the half-timbered structure in the second from 1514 to 1516. The stone substructure was previously used as a market hall. From 1960 to 1972, the then district of Alsfeld had the town hall in the district coat of arms. The town hall was shown again on a postage stamp in Germany in 2011.

Pillory at the wine house

The Weinhaus is located near the town hall, and the pillory is still located on the corner . The pillory is a lockable iron ring that was placed around the neck of those who violated medieval rules. In their defenselessness, the actual or alleged rule violators were exposed to the ridicule or even the physical disregard (for example spitting on) of the other residents. The pillory is equipped with a stepping stone and shows clear signs of use.

The wine house was built in 1538 by Hans von Frankfurt with a stepped gable . It was built as a municipal wine warehouse and bar. The old arched curtain windows were changed in 1840. Today the Weinhaus is the headquarters of the administration of the city of Alsfeld and is a listed building .

The oldest half-timbered house in the city is attached to the wine house. It was built in a column construction. The oldest parts of the house date from 1350. Further extensions and renovations took place after partial destruction in 1403 and 1464. Under the house there are two cellars with barrel vaults that date from the time the city was founded.

Behind these three buildings is the Walpurgis Church from the second half of the 13th century. The choir was rebuilt in 1393, the tower was rebuilt after the collapse in 1394, but only completed in 1543 and shortened by one storey in 1836. The Gothic nave was converted into a church hall from 1472 onwards. In 1963 , Charles Crodel created the overall glazing that characterizes the church interior in a visual language that matches the architectural forms . The Walpurgis Church has had a carillon that sounds every day at noon since December 3, 2006.

In the immediate vicinity of the Walpurgis Church is the late Gothic ossuary , which was first mentioned in 1368 and expanded in 1510. It was used to store the bones from the cemetery.

At the southern end of the old town is the Dreifaltigkeitskirche , the former Augustinian monastery church from the 14th century. It has a two-aisled, asymmetrical hall structure, which was built around 1435. As is customary with the buildings of mendicant orders , the church has no steeple.

In the ruins of the monastery buildings, a piece of the old city wall with the Leonhardsturm , a defense tower of the former city fortifications, which was built in 1386, has been preserved.

The magnificent synagogue was destroyed in the pogrom on November 9, 1938 . The synagogue's Torah was saved by members of the Museum and History Association that still exists today and is on display in the regional museum. A plaque commemorating the synagogue can be found on the corner of Lutherstrasse and Hinter der Mauer.

Bilingual, numbered explanations are attached to particularly interesting buildings, the “Alsfeld Pearls”. A thematic city tour is possible with the help of a leaflet.

The narrow streets of the core city cause considerable problems with the delivery of goods, garbage disposal, winter service, fire protection at the turn of the year or, for example, when residents move.

Cultural monuments

See the list of cultural monuments in Alsfeld

  • Town hall, wine house, oldest half-timbered house and Walpurgis Church

  • Town hall: stone base with half-timbered structure

  • Half-timbered house romance in Alsfeld

  • Walpurgis Church in Alsfeld

  • Interior view of the Walpurgis Church

  • Interior view of the Walpurgis Church

Museums

Entrance to the Alsfeld Regional Museum
  • Alsfeld Regional Museum , Rittergasse, in the patrician houses Neurathhaus (built in 1688) and the Minnigerode House (built in 1687), often smaller, varied special exhibitions
  • Alsfeld fairy tale house with dollhouse floor, corner of cul-de-sac and Samuel-Spier-Gasse

theatre

  • Regional theater in the town hall
  • annual theater of the local secondary schools (ASS / MES)
  • frequent performances by the Alsfeld market play group

Concerts

  • Regular rock, pop and folk concerts in the Hessenhalle and Stadthalle
  • regular alternative concerts in the old youth center

Regular events

  • Alsfeld cheese market
  • Alsfeld herb and fairy tale day
  • Alsfeld Whitsun Market
  • Alsfeld salt cake festival
  • Alsfeld chocolate market
  • Alsfeld town and local festival (1st Saturday in August)
  • Alsfeld Christmas market
  • Honest & Loud Festival
  • Magical Night (last Saturday of September)
  • Vogelsberg specialties: Various popular activities Alsfeld residents on the 1st Saturday of the month
  • Specialty market on the 3rd Saturday of the month
  • International Germany Cup (every four years, organized by the "show and brass band", formerly Alsfeld's Spielmanns- und Fanfarenzug, most recently in 2011)

Infrastructure and economy

Land use

The municipality covers a total area of ​​12,669 hectares, of which in hectares are:

Type of use 2011 2015
Building and open space 729 744
from that Living 324 325
Business 113 124
Operating area 36 34
from that Mining land 16 16
Recreation area 56 56
from that Green area 28 28
traffic area 833 833
Agricultural area 6823 6796
from that moor 0 0
pagan 0 0
Forest area 4336 4351
Water surface 105 106
Other use 50 49

traffic

Alsfeld is located directly on the federal motorway 5 with the junctions Alsfeld Ost and Alsfeld West. The "Pfefferhöhe" service station at the Alsfeld West junction is the second highest on the BAB 5 after the Rimberg service station and is also a popular meeting point for commuters and long-distance bus travelers due to its accessibility via the B 49 .

The federal highways 254 and 62 run through the city. The federal highway 49 also begins here .

Alsfeld can also be reached by train via the (upper) Vogelsbergbahn Gießen – Alsfeld – Fulda (since October 30, 1870 from Lauterbach, 18.97 km). The current station building of Alsfeld station was built in 1914/15. Since April 1, 1916, Alsfeld could be approached from Niederaula with the Gründchenbahn . Passenger traffic was stopped here on May 25, 1974. The last train, a freight train, left Alsfeld on May 28, 1988 for Eifa. Since then, the route between Alsfeld and Breitenbach has been renatured in different ways.

The threading of the Gründchenbahn required a redesign of the railway facilities, the magnificent neoclassical reception building dates from this time. The station building and the dimensions of the train station (with locomotive station) give an idea of ​​the transport and economic importance of Alsfeld for the agrarian surrounding area.

Alsfeld also has its own city bus line, which runs as a VGO line VB-10 within the city center as a circular route.

retail trade

The Alsfeld retailers and Alsfeld restaurateurs have joined forces under the umbrella brand Erlebnis Alsfeld in order to jointly communicate the offers and events in the half-timbered town on the Internet and thus create an alternative to growing online shopping.

media

  • Erlebnis.alsfeld.de
  • vogelsberg-nachrichten.de
  • osthessen-news.de
  • nh24.de
  • Alsfelder Allgemeine Zeitung
  • Oberhessische Zeitung
  • oberhessen-live.de

Established businesses

The largest companies (measured by employees) in Alsfeld include: Kreiskrankenhaus des Vogelsbergkreis, VR Bank HessenLand eG, CEKA Büromöbelwerke, STI -Corrugated GmbH, Sealed Air Verpackungen GmbH, Wellemöbel GmbH (in liquidation since April 2019 after two insolvencies and unsuccessful search for investors ), Krause-Werk GmbH & Co. KG, Brewery Alsfeld AG and Hartmann Spezialkarosserien.

Alsfeld also offers three commercial areas for companies to settle in: the Disröder Feld commercial area is located on the western edge of the city, the industrial and commercial park East is located in the eastern part of the city and the Elpersweide industrial and commercial area is in the immediate vicinity of the A5 motorway.

Public facilities

Agencies and public authorities

Alsfeld is a court of ordinary jurisdiction , the Local Court Alsfeld resident. Other local authorities are the Alsfeld-Lauterbach tax office, the Alsfeld employment agency and various district administration offices.

Educational institutions

Facilities for children
  • Angenrod daycare center (urban; children from 3–7 years)
  • Municipal kindergarten Bechtelsberger Strolche (municipal; children from 3–7 years)
  • Wichtelland day care center (urban; children from 1–7 years)
  • Evangelical day care center Altenburg (children from 3–7 years)
  • Protestant day care center Am Rodenberg (children from 3–7 years)
  • Protestant kindergarten Noah's Ark (children from 3–7 years)
  • Integrative day care center In der Krebsbach (Protestant; children from 3–7 years)
  • Kindergarten rainbow e. V. (for students of the Alsfeld city school)
  • Cafe Online (school-related youth work for students aged 8-16 years)
General education schools
Special schools
  • The Erich-Kästner -Schule is a school for learning assistance with 50 students in grades 2 to 10, which spans all grades. The EKS also includes a special educational advisory and support center.
Vocational schools
  • The Aenne and Konrad-Geisel-Schule is a training institute for basic, advanced and advanced training in care for the elderly , sponsored by the Vogelsberg Association for Vocational Training. V. It includes a specialist library .
Adult education

In the area of adult education , the Vogelsbergkreis in Alsfeld maintains a statutory, non-profit and public further education institution with the adult education center.

Other educational institutions
  • The Alsfeld city library provides around 23,000 media units.
  • The Alsfeld city archive collects city files (at least 30 years old), official books and documents from the past centuries that go back to the year 1327 - u. a. the Korebrief from 1429 with the constitution of the city of Alsfeld valid until 1821.
  • The Alsfeld Music School is a state-sponsored music school with currently around 480 students.

Retirement and care facilities

  • Haus Stephanus retirement and nursing home
  • Rambachhaus Alsfeld - retirement and nursing home

Facilities for disabled people

In Alsfeld there are various facilities for the support of people with intellectual disabilities, which are supported by associations or church facilities and financed mainly from social assistance funds:

Mental disability
  • Accompanied living in families (Disabled Aid Vogelsbergkreis e.V.)
  • In-patient assisted living (see above)
  • Alsfeld residence (see above)
  • Alsfeld workshop and day care center for people with intellectual disabilities (see above)
Physical and sensory disabilities
  • Special schools (see above under educational institutions)
  • Care facilities (see above under old people's and care facilities)
  • Youth and parent counseling center
  • Early intervention and advice center (Disabled Aid Vogelsbergkreis e.V.)
  • Practice for integrative learning support
  • Early intervention and counseling center for early childhood development
Mental handicap
  • Day care center of the Vogelsberg habitats (Vogelsberg habitats e.V.)
  • Rehabilitation workshop in Alsfeld (Hephata Hessisches Diakoniezentrum e.V.)
  • Alsfeld dormitory (Vogelsberger Habitat e.V.)
Addiction disorders
  • Inpatient places for addicts (Vogelsberger Habitat e.V.)
  • Alsfeld residential group of the Herzberghaus residential facility (Hephata Hessisches Diakoniezentrum e.V.)
  • Alsfelder organic meat (workshop for disabled people; Hephata)
Special living conditions with social difficulties
  • Specialist advice center and day care center La Strada
  • Assisted living by the Diakonisches Werk Vogelsberg - La Strada Homeless Aid

Personalities

Honorary citizen

  • Karl Müller (1825–1905), pastor and dean in Alsfeld, natural scientist

sons and daughters of the town

Sorted by year of birth

Personalities who have worked in this city

literature

Web links

Further content in the
sister projects of Wikipedia:

Commons-logo.svg Commons - multimedia content
Wikisource-logo.svg Wikisource - Sources and full texts
Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg Wikivoyage - Travel Guide

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hessian State Statistical Office: Population status on December 31, 2019 (districts and urban districts as well as municipalities, population figures based on the 2011 census) ( help ).
  2. ↑ 78th meeting of the specialist committee for health resorts, recreational areas and healing fountains in Hesse on November 15, 2012 . In: State pointer for the state of Hesse . No. 7 , 2013, p. 309 .
  3. ↑ Districts with population figures on Alsfeld.de
  4. ↑ Tilman Struve , Gerhard Lubich , Dirk Jäckel (arrangement): Regesta Imperii , Part 3: Salisches Haus: 1024–1125 , Section 3: The Regests of the Empire under Heinrich IV .: 1056–1106 , 2nd delivery: 1065– 1075 . Böhlau, Vienna 2010, ISBN 978-3-412-20531-7 , p. 72 f., Certificate no.512.
  5. ^ Dieter Berger: Geographical names in Germany. (= Duden Taschenbücher. Volume 25.) 2nd edition. Mannheim 1999, p. 38.
  6. ↑ a b c Alsfeld, Vogelsbergkreis. Historical local dictionary for Hessen. (As of March 23, 2018). In: Landesgeschichtliches Informationssystem Hessen (LAGIS).
  7. ↑ For example Richard Froning (ed.): The Drama of the Middle Ages. (= Deutsche National-Literatur. Volume 14.) Deutsche Verlags-Gesellschaft, Stuttgart 1891, Volume 2, p. 552.
  8. ^ Georg Wilhelm Sante (ed.): Handbook of the historical sites of Germany . Volume 4: Hessen (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 274). 3rd, revised edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 1976, ISBN 3-520-27403-5 , p. 3.
  9. ↑ Alwin Michael Rueffer: The Alsfeld Passion 1517 . (Transfer of the Central German text by Rudolf Hagelstange ) Langewiesche, Königstein im Taunus 1978, ISBN 3-7845-6015-6 , p. 3.
  10. ^ A b c Georg Wilhelm Justin Wagner : Statistical-topographical-historical description of the Grand Duchy of Hesse: Province of Upper Hesse . tape 3 . Carl Wilhelm Leske, Darmstadt August 1830, OCLC 312528126 , p. 3 ff . ( Online at google books ).
  11. ^ Michael Rademacher: German administrative history from the unification of the empire in 1871 to the reunification in 1990. State of Hesse. (Online material for the dissertation, Osnabrück 2006).
  12. ^ Grand Ducal Central Office for State Statistics (ed.): Contributions to the statistics of the Grand Duchy of Hesse . tape 1 . Großherzoglicher Staatsverlag, Darmstadt 1862, DNB  013163434 , OCLC 894925483 , p. 49 ff . ( Online at google books ).
  13. ^ The affiliation of the Alsfeld office based on maps from the Historical Atlas of Hessen : Hessen-Marburg 1567–1604 . , Hessen-Kassel and Hessen-Darmstadt 1604–1638 . and Hessen-Darmstadt 1567–1866 .
  14. ↑ a b Hessen-Darmstadt state and address calendar 1791 . In the publishing house of the Invaliden-Anstalt, Darmstadt 1791, p.  174 ( online in the HathiTrust digital library ).
  15. ↑ Wilhelm von der Nahmer: Handbuch des Rheinischen Particular-Rechts: Development of the territorial and constitutional relations of the German states on both banks of the Rhine: from the first beginning of the French Revolution up to the most recent times . tape 3 . Sauerländer, Frankfurt am Main 1832, OCLC 165696316 , p. 6 ( online at google books ).
  16. ↑ Latest countries and ethnology. A geographical reader for all stands. Kur-Hessen, Hessen-Darmstadt and the free cities. tape  22 . Weimar 1821, p. 414 ( online at Google Books ).
  17. ^ Georg W. Wagner: Statistical-topographical-historical description of the Grand Duchy of Hesse: Province of Upper Hesse . tape 3 . Carl Wilhelm Leske, Darmstadt 1830, p. 6th ff . ( online at Google Books ).
  18. ^ Ordinance on the implementation of the German Courts Constitution Act and the Introductory Act to the Courts Constitution Act of May 14, 1879 . In: Grand Duke of Hesse and the Rhine (ed.): Grand Ducal Hessian Government Gazette. 1879 no. 15 , p. 197–211 ( online at the information system of the Hessian state parliament [PDF; 17.8 MB ]).
  19. ↑ Law on the reorganization of the Alsfeld and Lauterbach districts (GVBl. II 330-12) of August 1, 1972 . In: The Hessian Minister of the Interior (ed.): Law and Ordinance Gazette for the State of Hesse . 1972 No. 17 , p. 215 , § 2 ( online at the information system of the Hessian state parliament [PDF; 1,2 MB ]).
  20. ^ Federal Statistical Office (ed.): Historical municipality directory for the Federal Republic of Germany. Name, border and key number changes in municipalities, counties and administrative districts from May 27, 1970 to December 31, 1982 . W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart / Mainz 1983, ISBN 3-17-003263-1 , p. 347 .
  21. ^ A b Population by nationality group: Alsfeld, Stadt. In: Zensus2011. Bavarian State Office for Statistics , accessed in January 2020 .
  22. ↑ Migration background in%: Alsfeld, city. In: Zensus2011. Bavarian State Office for Statistics , accessed in January 2020 .
  23. ^ Households by family: Alsfeld, city. In: Zensus2011. Bavarian State Office for Statistics , accessed in January 2020 .
  24. ↑ Hessen-Darmstadt state and address calendar 1800 . In the publishing house of the Invaliden-Anstalt, Darmstadt 1800, p.  184 ( online in the HathiTrust digital library ).
  25. ↑ Hessen-Darmstadt state and address calendar 1806 . In the publishing house of the Invaliden-Anstalt, Darmstadt 1806, p.  224 ( online in the HathiTrust digital library ).
  26. ^ Ph. AF Walther : Alphabetical index of the residential places in the Grand Duchy of Hesse . G. Jonghaus, Darmstadt 1869, OCLC 162355422 , p. 2 ( online at google books ).
  27. ↑ Community data sheet : Alsfeld. (PDF; 222 kB) In: Hessisches Gemeindelexikon. HA Hessen Agency GmbH ;
  28. ^ Local elections 1972; Relevant population of the municipalities on August 4, 1972 . In: The Hessian Minister of the Interior (ed.): State Gazette for the State of Hesse. 1972 No.  33 , p. 1424 , point 1025 ( online at the information system of the Hessian state parliament [PDF; 5.9 MB ]).
  29. ↑ a b Hessian Statistical Information System In: Statistics.Hessen.
  30. ↑ Religion: Alsfeld, city. In: Zensus2011. Bavarian State Office for Statistics , accessed in January 2020 .
  31. ^ Result of the municipal election on March 6, 2016. Hessian State Statistical Office, accessed in April 2016 .
  32. ^ Hessian State Statistical Office: Result of the municipal elections on March 27, 2011
  33. ^ Hessian State Statistical Office: Result of the municipal elections on March 26, 2006
  34. ↑ Town hall chief threatens to be voted out of office. In: Frankfurter Rundschau. May 24, 2007.
  35. ^ Alsfeld: ex-mayor condemned. On: FAZ.net , September 25, 2009.
  36. ^ Main statute of the city of Alsfeld. (PDF; 201 kB) § 2 Paragraph 1. Alsfeld City Council, May 16, 1995, accessed on August 25, 2020 .
  37. ^ Section: City arms , website of the city of Alsfeld; accessed on January 26, 2018.
  38. ↑ Certificate: HStAD inventory R 6 C No. 5  In: Archive Information System Hessen (Arcinsys Hessen), accessed on January 26, 2018.
  39. ↑ Alsfeld. Heraldry of the World, May 11, 2012; accessed January 26, 2018 .
  40. ↑ Partner cities Alsfeld , on the website of the city of Alsfeld. Accessed June 2018.
  41. ^ Sister town of Chavilles , on the website of the city of Alsfeld. Accessed June 2018.
  42. ↑ Wellemöbel: Final report of the industry platform möbelkultur.de from March 29, 2019, accessed on May 10, 2020
  43. ^ City of Alsfeld: Commercial properties
  44. ↑ Gerhart Hauptmann School. Retrieved June 4, 2018 .
  45. ↑ Our school - 100 years - in the middle of Alsfeld. Stadtschule Alsfeld, accessed on March 21, 2013 .
  46. ↑ School program, from September 26, 2011 (PDF; 568 kB) State Technical School Alsfeld, accessed on March 21, 2013 .
  47. ^ Brothers Grimm School. Retrieved June 4, 2018 .
  48. ↑ Erich Kästner School. Retrieved June 3, 2018 .
  49. ↑ BFZ Special Education Advisory and Support Center. Erich Kästner-Schule, accessed on June 4, 2018 .
  50. ↑ Max Eyth School Alsfeld. Retrieved June 4, 2018 .
  51. ↑ Image brochures. (PDF; 3.59 MB) Alsfeld State Technical Academy. Technical college for civil engineering, accessed on June 4, 2018 .
  52. ↑ Vogelsberger Care Academy. Aenne and Konrad-Geisel-Schule, accessed on June 4, 2018 .
  53. ↑ training. City of Alsfeld, accessed on March 21, 2013 .
  54. ↑ Alsfeld City Library. City of Alsfeld, accessed on March 21, 2013 .
  55. ^ The Alsfeld city archive. City of Alsfeld, accessed on March 21, 2013 .
  56. ↑ The offers of the Alsfeld Music School. Alsfeld Music School, accessed on June 4, 2018 .
  57. ↑ Social map with offers for people with intellectual disabilities. (No longer available online.) Landeswohlfahrtsverband Hessen, archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; Retrieved March 21, 2013 .
  58. ↑ Social map with offers for people with a physical or sensory disability. (No longer available online.) Landeswohlfahrtsverband Hessen, archived from the original on July 3, 2010 ; Retrieved March 21, 2013 .
  59. ↑ Social map with offers for people with mental disabilities, with addictive disorders as well as for the non-sedentary / (single) homeless. (No longer available online.) Landeswohlfahrtsverband Hessen, archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; Retrieved March 21, 2013 .