Berkatal

coat of arms	Germany map
	Coordinates: 51 ° 15 '  N , 9 ° 55'  E
Basic data
State :	Hesse
Administrative region :	kassel
County :	Werra-Meißner district
Height :	250 m above sea level NHN
Area :	19.56 km 2
Residents:	1463 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density :	75 inhabitants per km 2
Postal code :	37297
Primaries :	05657, 05652
License plate :	ESW, WIZ
Community key :	06 6 36 002
Community structure:	3 districts
Address of the municipal administration:	Berkastraße 54 37297 Berkatal
Website :	www.berkatal.de
Mayor :	Friedel Lenze ( SPD )
Location of the Berkatal community in the Werra-Meißner district

Berkatal is a municipality in the Werra-Meißner district in Hesse (Germany).

geography

location

Berkatal is located in the geo-nature park Frau-Holle-Land (Werratal.Meißner.Kaufunger Wald) at the foot of the Hoher Meißner mountain range . The Berka rises in the municipality.

Neighboring communities

Berkatal borders the city of Bad Sooden-Allendorf to the west and north , the city of Eschwege to the east, the municipality of Meißner (municipality) to the south, and the two cities of Hessisch Lichtenau and Großalmerode (all in the Werra-Meißner district ) to the southwest ).

Community structure

The community consists of the three districts of Frankenhain , Frankershausen (seat of the municipal administration) and Hitzerode . The next largest city is the district town of Eschwege. Berkatal is about 40 km south of Göttingen and 45 km east of Kassel.

history

Frankershausen

The Frankershausen district is first mentioned in a document from the year 876, making it one of the oldest localities in the region. Initially, Frankershausen belonged to the domain of the Counts of Bilstein , the last of whom, Otto II., Sold the village and all of his other possessions to Landgrave Heinrich I of Hesse in 1301 . The Landgraves of Hesse enfeoffed various noble families with rights in Frankershausen in the further course of local history. Originally, the town center extended around the village church, which was extended in a classical style. With the beginning of the salt trade in the 16th century, the valley was settled on both sides of the Berka . In the course of time, large courtyards with stately houses with cellars were built, in which the wine from the Rhineland intended for sale was stored. The preserved houses from the late 18th century along "Berkastraße" and "Am Wasser" still testify to the prosperity of the Frankershausen salt and wine merchants. In Frankershausen today there are numerous craft businesses, trade and a medium-sized metalworking company. In 1976 the 1200th anniversary of the place was celebrated.

Frankenhain

The Frankenhain district is first mentioned in documents in 1360 and is the third oldest place in the municipality. The town received an economic boost in the 17th and 18th centuries as a result of the flourishing salt and wine trade, to which the inhabitants of the entire Meißnervorland have dedicated themselves since the 16th century. The resident carters built spacious courtyards with the typical large cellars intended for the storage of wine in the course of today's "Meißnerstrasse". In the 19th century, mining and crucible production became the main sources of income for the residents of Frankenhain. Even today there is a crucible production company in Frankenhain that sells its products worldwide.

Heat electrode

Hitzerode was first mentioned in 1195 in a document from Pope Celestine III. mentioned, in which this confirmed the possession of the Germerode monastery . Around 1300 Hitzerode fell to the Landgraves of Hesse. In 1498 one half belonged to the Landgraviate of Hesse , the other half was the landgrave fief of those of Völkershausen , then from 1416 of the landgrave bailiff on Bilstein , Apel Appe zu Aue, and his sons Hans and Apel Appe and, after their departure from 1463, of the lords by marriage with them from Eschwege . The history and shape of the village was shaped by the salt and wine trade, as in the other districts of the Berkatal community. In the early days of local history, the development was concentrated on the "Kirchberg" and the course of the "Albunger Straße", so when the salt trade began, the "Lange Straße" was built, which was driven from the Dohlsbach in the direction of Frankershausen over the Meißner to Spangenberg. The representative courtyards of wealthy merchants, which still characterize the townscape today, were built there.

Merger to form the Berkatal community

On December 31, 1971, the municipality of Berkatal was reorganized through the merger of the previously independent municipalities of Frankenhain, Frankershausen and Hitzerode.

At first it was unclear whether Hitzerode should not be incorporated into Bad Sooden-Allendorf, so Hitzerode still has the telephone area code 05652 (Bad Sooden-Allendorf) in contrast to the other two districts, which have 05657 (Meißner) as the area code.

politics

mayor

Friedel Lenze ( SPD ) has been mayor of Berkatal since 1997 . His predecessors were Willi Hildebrandt (SPD) from 1971 to 1979, Ferdinand Nieland ( CDU ) from 1979 to 1991 and Hansjörg Haas (CDU) from 1991 to 1996.

Parish council

In accordance with the regulations of the Hessian municipality order, the municipality of Berkatal is headed by a municipality board as a collective management body of the municipality. In addition to the mayor Friedel Lenze, the community board includes two members of the CDU , two members of the SPD and two members of the ÜWG . The first deputy mayor is Dr. Lutz Bergner (CDU).

Community representation

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

Distribution of seats in the municipal council 2016     A total of 15 seats SPD : 5 CDU : 5th ÜWG : 5	Parties and constituencies		% 2016	Seats 2016	% 2011	Seats 2011	% 2006	Seats 2006	% 2001	Seats 2001
	SPD	Social Democratic Party of Germany	35.8	5	40.8	6th	40.2	6th	39.7	6th
	CDU	Christian Democratic Union of Germany	33.1	5	30.6	5	26.8	4th	23.2	3
	ÜWG	Non-partisan voter community	31.1	5	28.6	4th	30.0	5	30.0	5
	SU	Citizen list Berkatal	-	-	-	-	3.0	0	7.1	1
	total		100	15th	100	15th	100	15th	100	15th
	Voter turnout in%		64.5		62.8		66.1		71.9

The municipal council has set up two committees with six members each, a main, finance and social committee as well as a building and planning committee.

coat of arms

The coat of arms was approved on July 19, 1976 by the Hessian Ministry of the Interior.

	Blazon : "In red an oblique left silver wave bar, accompanied by a splayed golden cross at the top and a six-spoke golden wagon wheel at the bottom."
	Justification of the coat of arms: The wave bar represents the eponymous Berka (Bach) , the cross - a Frankish cross - alluding to the names of the districts Frankershausen and Frankenhain; the wagon wheel refers to the carting trade that used to be very widespread here.

Economy and Infrastructure

education

There is a kindergarten in the community.

traffic

In the nearby Werra valley, federal road 27 ( Göttingen - Bad Hersfeld ) and the Bebra – Göttingen railway line run east .

Attractions

• Bilstein Castle

The castle of the Counts of Bilstein was built by Count Rugger II from 1120 , the construction was completed by 1145 at the latest. Only a few remains of the walls of the former Bilstein Castle have survived, in particular parts of the curtain wall, the remains of a fountain in the castle courtyard and a cistern on the castle hill. In the vicinity of the castle ruins there are three so-called jumps, the Hohe Schanze, the Schanze above the Bilstein and the Schnepfenburg, which also represented castle complexes in a broader sense. According to legend, on the occasion of the siege, the last Count of the Bilsteiners and his family threw himself down the slope in a carriage after the besiegers had discovered a secret passage between the castle and the hell mill in the valley, through which the castle had been supplied until then.

• Evangelical parish church of Hitzerode

The church in Hitzerode was built in an exposed location in the old town center. Construction took almost two centuries in its four stages. The massive, lower part of the choir tower was built in the first years of the 16th century. The half-timbered floors above were added in 1687. The tower of the Protestant church, the Welsche Haube, has formed the end of the choir tower since 1738. The nave, which was added in 1793, has been preserved in its original form to this day. The organ with a baroque prospect swings concave into the room on the parapet. In addition, this Protestant parish church houses a baptismal font, which is dated to 1603.

• Frankenhain church with fresco painting

The Protestant parish church in Frankenhain is built in an exposed, elevated position in the town center. The oldest part of the complex that has been preserved is the choir tower, which is essentially early Gothic, and which was preceded by a classicist transverse hall in 1838. The external appearance of the building is characterized by the poorly structured choir tower, which towers above the attached transverse hall. This is characterized by its simple block-like shape, which is only rhythmized by the window axes. The choir opens into the hall in a triumphal arch and gives a clear view of the wall paintings there, which were created around the year 1400. The church houses a preserved baptismal font from the 16th century and an organ from 1843.

• Frau-Holle-Teich

The Frau-Holle-Teich lies in a depression on the Meißner. According to tradition, Frau Holle is at home on the Meißner. The field name "Frau-Holle-Teich" has been proven to have existed for at least 300 years. The area has been under nature protection since 1926.

• Nativity and eyeholes

The Hie- and Kripplöcher are in the Frankershausen district. The entire area is designated as a nature reserve. The karst area is characterized by large and small, shallow or deep collapses. The Kripplöcher may not be entered without a guide. In 1958 a whole team of cows sank into a new sinkhole (sinkholes are caused by the washing out of gypsum and salt deposits).

• Megalithic tomb

In the north of Hitzerode there are about five to seven barrows from around 2000 BC. In 1880 the first, and at the end of August 1881, the second grave was opened under scientific guidance. It was the largest with a diameter of about 16 meters and the excavation took three days. At that time, two walls were found piled up from loose stones and running around underground. Inside were some human bones and particles of coal.

• Roman camp

The so-called Roman camp is located north of Hitzerode on the northern slope of the Ihringsberg . It is a quadrangle surrounded by a ditch with rounded corners, the remains of an early medieval Germanic complex. The dimensions of the ramparts are about 85 meters from west to east and about 75 meters in length from south to north. The height of the wall is now an average of 2 to 3 meters. A small and open space had been created with strong entrenchments.

• Römerschanze

To the east of Hitzerode on the "Weidscher Kopf" ledge is the so-called Römerschanze . The ramparts and moats separate the protruding Weidschen Kopf from the rest of the Hitzeröder high plateau. It can be seen that it was a hill fort whose origins - although not historically proven - are likely to date back to the early Middle Ages.

• High hill

The Hohe Schanze is located south of Hitzerode in the eastern Höllental . This is about 300 meters east of the Bilstein. Here, too, it is a hill fort, the mountain ledge is set off by a neck ditch and double moat. The double moat surrounds the entire complex. There are no remnants of the wall, possibly the complex consisted only of wooden structures. The construction of the castle will be in the 10./11. Dated century. It is not clear whether the complex is a siege castle against the Bilstein or a predecessor of the same. The Hohe Schanze is also called the Hohenstaufenschanze.

• Schnepfenburg

The so-called Schnepfenburg rises south-east of Hitzerode between Höllental and Kuhbachtalb . It is a medieval castle complex. The complex itself consisted of a main castle and a bailey, which was separated from the main castle by a ditch. Some remains of the wall, the neck ditch and the remains of cellars are still visible, indentations suggest further collapsed cellars. The foundation of the castle is not known, based on ceramic finds, the use of the castle can be dated to the 12th to 14th centuries.

• Jump over the Bilstein

Above Bilstein Castle, the third documented jump in Höllental is the so-called "Schanze above Bilstein", also known as the "Nameless Schanze" in the area. Wall and moat remnants can still be recognized by the castle. The origin and use of the castle are not known, but it is considered realistic that the system was an advanced safety system for the Bilstein.

• Fortified church in Frankershausen

The fortified church of Frankershausen, which has been expanded in a classical style, is a Protestant parish church with an early Gothic core that formed the center of the old village center. From the outside, the choir tower, protruding behind the poorly structured building cube, dominates.

Personalities

Karl Gleitz (1862–1920), composer

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. ^ 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 GmbH, Stuttgart and Mainz 1983, ISBN 3-17-003263-1 , p. 388 .
3. ^ Result of the municipal election on March 6, 2016. Hessian State Statistical Office, accessed in April 2016 . 
4. ^ Hessian State Statistical Office: Result of the municipal elections on March 27, 2011
5. ^ Hessian State Statistical Office: Result of the municipal elections on March 26, 2006
6. ↑ Staats-Anzeiger für das Land Hessen 1976, Official Gazette No. 32, page 1427.

Web links

Commons : Berkatal  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website