Geisa

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coat of arms Germany map
Coat of arms of the city of Geisa
Geisa
Map of Germany, location of the city of Geisa highlighted

Coordinates: 50 ° 43 '  N , 9 ° 57'  E

Basic data
State : Thuringia
County : Wartburg district
Fulfilling municipality : for buttlar
for barley ground
for Schleid
Height : 318 m above sea level NHN
Area : 71.94 km 2
Residents: 4767 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density : 66 inhabitants per km 2
Postal code : 36419
Area code : 036967
License plate : WAK, SLZ
Community key : 16 0 63 032
City structure: 12 districts

City administration address : 		Marktplatz 27
36419 Geisa
Website : www.stadt-geisa.org
Mayor : Manuela Henkel (independent)
Location of the city of Geisa in the Wartburg district
Amt Creuzburg Bad Liebenstein Bad Salzungen Barchfeld-Immelborn Berka vor dem Hainich Bischofroda Buttlar Dermbach Dermbach Empfertshausen Frankenroda Geisa Gerstengrund Gerstungen Hallungen Hörselberg-Hainich Krauthausen Lauterbach Leimbach Krayenberggemeinde Moorgrund Nazza Oechsen Ruhla Schleid Seebach Treffurt Unterbreizbach Vacha Weilar Werra-Suhl-Tal Wiesenthal Wutha-Farnroda Thüringenmap
About this picture
Geisa's downtown from the west

Geisa is a country town in the south of the Wartburg district in the Thuringian Rhön in the Ulstertal . The city consists of the old town on a ridge between Ulster in the east and Geisa in the west, the immediately adjacent urban expansion areas in the river valleys and eleven villages in the area.

The old town, designated as a monument ensemble, has a largely preserved historical structure with the town church of St. Philip and James and the castle district as the old administrative center. The area around Geisa was owned by the Imperial Abbey of Fulda from 817 to 1803 , which is why the area next to the Eichsfeld is one of the two Catholic areas in the otherwise Protestant Thuringia.

geography

Geisa is located in the northern part of the Rhön , the Kuppenrhön , which is characterized by open landscapes and steep, wooded island mountains - known as the Hessian skittles . Geisa is now located on the Hessian-Thuringian border, which was insignificant to the population after it was first established in 1815, but with the division of Germany from 1945 onwards hampered the further development of the city. As the westernmost city of “socialist” Europe, it was located in the restricted area of ​​the inner-German border . Today the Point Alpha memorial not far from Geisa commemorates this time . Geisa's urban topography is shaped by the location of the historic city center on the Gangolfiberg, which slopes east to the Ulster valley and west to the Geisa valley.

City structure

Overview city districts

Geisa consists of the core city and five districts with assigned localities:

The information marked with * relates to the survey date June 30, 2009.

history

The Geisa area with the Ulstertal was evidenced by archaeological finds, settled since the younger Stone Age (about 3500 BC). The cultural bloom in the Bronze Age can be proven by numerous burial mounds in the upper Ulstertal. One of the outstanding finds uncovered during field work and targeted excavations is the "Schnabelkanne from Borscher Aue", a rare and magnificent testimony to the high level of metalworking at that time, the original is in the exhibition collection of the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena. The region around Geisa, known topographically as the Kuppenrhön, was shaped by fortified settlements - the oppidas - from the late Hallstatt period to the middle La Tène period . Wall systems around Geisa could be detected in the summit position on the Schleidsberg, the Hubenberg and the Arzberg, they were part of a chain of settlements and fortifications that included almost the entire area of ​​the Rhön and is seen as a defensive reaction to the advance of the Teutons.

middle Ages

Since the Merovingian period, there has been evidence of incomplete settlement in the urban area through ceramic finds on the Gangolfiberg. The first written evidence of the city's history comes from the time of Abbot Ratgar of Fulda , who signed an exchange contract with Emperor Ludwig the Pious (778–840). He acquired the dairies ( villicationes ) Geisa ( Geisaha ), Vacha ( Vachhe ) and Spahl ( Spanelo ) in exchange for Ibstadt am Rhein. This contract can be found in the Codex Eberhardi of the Fulda Monastery.

The Geisa settlement gradually grew and was given regional importance through its designation as a court. Rockenstuhl Castle was used by the Fulda Monastery early on as a power center and administrative seat ; it is located within sight of today's city on the Rockenstuhl Mountain near Schleid. The Geisa area had been facing the Diocese of Würzburg since the time of Christianization . Initially, Geisa did not gain any major ecclesiastical importance, the original parish of the Ulstertal was in nearby Schleid. In the 13th century Geisa, Mellrichstadt and Coburg were assigned the importance of administrative centers (land chapters) in the 9th archdeaconate of Würzburg, 43 parishes were incorporated into this archdeaconate. The ecclesiastical administrative structure was preserved until the Reformation in the 16th century, due to the rapid and permanent loss of numerous parishes (conversion to the Protestant faith), the Geisa dean's office of the Fulda diocese was created in the remaining Catholic part of the Fulda territory. The church “St. Philip and James ”was built between 1489 and 1504 as a parish church.

In order to secure the Fuldaer Land against its neighbors, Geisa was fortified with walls and towers as early as the 13th century under Prince Abbot Bertho II von Leibolz because of its favorable location . Except for the gates in the cityscape, the city wall is still preserved or verifiable in many places. The first mention of the city of Geisa took place in a document from the year 1302. The drinking and brewing rights typical for a city were given in 1340 by Prince Abbot Heinrich VI. awarded by Hohenberg . Due to its favorable location on the royal and trade routes Antsanvia and Via Regia , Geisa experienced an economic boom as a trading and market place. The use of the mills built on the river, which continued into the 19th century, was associated with taxes for the rural communities, and there was a compulsory mill.

Early modern age

The discontent of the oppressed peasants erupted in the Peasants' War in 1524/25 . In the region, it was mainly farmers from Tann who showed their dissatisfaction. They moved to Geisa to conquer it. However, they soon abandoned this plan and moved on to Fulda, where they were defeated by Landgrave Philipp von Hessen . After that, Geisa changed masters and thus religion several times. Eventually Geisa became Catholic again.

During the Thirty Years' War the region suffered great hardship. Various troops plundered and devastated the city several times. The plague claimed numerous victims. In the years that followed, there was repeated devastation. Constant wars brought with them compulsory billeting, looting and an overwhelming tax burden. Therefore part of the population emigrated to Hungary . Even today there is a Rhöner Platt- speaking minority in Hungary in the German minority.

In 1665 the Jesuit Athanasius Kircher, who was born in Geisa in 1602, obtained an indulgence from Pope Alexander VII for the chapel on Gangolfiberg. In addition, Kircher had the relics of 14 Roman martyrs brought to Geisa; they were kept in the parish church and in this chapel.

19th century

Geisa Castle

After the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss 1803 the Hochstift Fulda was dissolved. Geisa changed rulers several times. The Congress of Vienna in 1815 finally destroyed the region. The northern and central part went to Kurhessen , the southern part to Bavaria and the Geisa office was annexed to the later administrative district of Dermbach of the Thuringian Grand Duchy of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach . The political separation of the centuries-old connection to Fulda initially led to some friction with the new, Protestant government.

After the elimination of the guild barriers in 1858, handicrafts and small businesses could develop. Many families, including many Jews , also made a living from trade. The club system also began to develop. In two major fires in 1858 and 1883, the city center was almost completely razed to the ground twice. Only the church survived both fires almost undamaged. The industrialization that began after the founding of the empire in 1871 was associated with the decline of handicrafts and the impoverishment of the population. As a result, many people emigrated to the Rhineland or America .

However, the city also continued to develop to a modest extent, so in 1883 the Städtische Sparkasse Geisa opened and in 1896 a Raiffeisen association was founded. In 1897 the water pipe system was put into operation and in 1906 Geisa received a railway connection to the Ulstertal Railway from Vacha to Hilders . The beginning of the First World War ended this period of development in Geisa. A total of 73 young men from the Geiser office did not return home.

20th century

In 1920 seven small Thuringian states merged to form the state of Thuringia . Only the Free State of Coburg decided to unite with Bavaria . In Geisa there were voices calling for a connection to Fulda , which belonged to the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau . But the new state government did not allow this step to prevent further splits.

Due to the inflation from 1923 onwards, goods became more and more expensive and could hardly be paid for by ordinary citizens. In order to keep the market going anyway, the city issued its own emergency money .

Geisa was always a stronghold of the Catholic Center Party . Nevertheless, there was very little opposition to the National Socialists in the Reichstag elections on November 12, 1933 . In the pogroms of November 1938 , the houses and shops of the Jewish residents were looted and the Geisa synagogue was set on fire . A memorial plaque has been commemorating this event since 1988. During the Second World War, more than 60 men and women from the occupied countries had to do forced labor in the agricultural sector in Geisa and the districts that are now part of it . Two bombs fell near Geisa during World War II , but they did no damage. When the Americans occupied Germany from the west, the Geisa Volkssturm was supposed to offer resistance to the last man. However, those responsible on site resisted and handed the city over to the Americans without a fight.

According to the Potsdam Agreement , Geisa became part of the Soviet occupation zone after the war and later the GDR . The city was right on the inner-German border and became the westernmost city in the Eastern Bloc. The first fortification of the border began here as early as 1952 and was expanded towards the end of the 1960s. As a result, villages and resettler farms in the area were razed to the ground. All areas within a distance of less than five kilometers from the border were declared a restricted area, which was not allowed to be visited by non-residents. Even closest relatives from outside were only allowed to visit the residents with a pass, which was only issued for a limited period in individual cases. Families who made statements critical of the system or who were said to have intended to flee were forcibly evacuated from their homeland ( Action Verziefer , see also Aktion Kornblume ). In 1960 the forced collectivization of agriculture began. Private trade and industry were almost completely cut off. As a result, numerous shops and craft businesses closed. However, new buildings for social and cultural purposes such as the medical center, the new school building or the cultural center were also built during this period.

On October 23, 1989 the Catholic community of Geisas joined the Leipzig prayers for peace . From October 30th, following the peace prayers, protest marches with lit candles took place. On November 9th, the government finally opened the Iron Curtain . Due to the direct location on the border, the residents of Geisa were directly affected.

The market square with a view towards Gangolfiberg

On March 10, 1990 the town twinning with Hünfeld was concluded. In the first free Volkskammer elections, the CDU , which received almost 70 percent of the vote, emerged as the clear winner. On the day of reunification , October 3, 1990, the pastors and mayors of the neighboring communities of Rasdorf and Geisa planted a linden tree on the former inner-German border.

In 1994 the Bad Salzungen districts , to which Geisa previously belonged, and Eisenach were merged to form the Wartburg district. In the course of further regional reforms, new districts came to the city of Geisa, most recently on January 1, 2009 the municipality of Rockenstuhl . Geisa is also a fulfilling municipality for the neighboring towns of Buttlar , Gerstengrund and Schleid .

Population development

The population of Geisa was already around 1500 in the early modern period. After a period of growth in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the first waves of emigration to industrialized areas of Germany occurred as early as the middle of the 19th century. After a phase of modest growth in the first half of the 20th century, the situation in the restricted area on the inner-German border hampered the further development of the city. After reunification, the population continued to decline due to a birth deficit.

Population in Geisa by religion (according to 2011 census)

  • Roman Catholic (75.1%)
  • Protestant (8.0%)
  • other / non-denominational (16.9%)

    • Development of the population:

    • 1835: 1,755
    • 1885: 1,600
    • 1910: 1,536
    • 1925: 1,650
    • 1933: 1,592
    • 1939: 1,901
    • 1994: 3,670
    • 1995: 3.732
    • 1996: 3.745
    • 1997: 3.665
    • 1998: 3,687
    • 1999: 3,701
    • 2000: 3,584
    • 2001: 3,544
    • 2002: 3,523
    • 2003: 3,543
    • 2004: 3,492
    • 2005: 3,393
    • 2006: 3,393
    • 2007: 3,387
    • 2008: 4,757
    • 2009: 4,752
    • 2010: 4,740
    • 2011: 4,735
    • 2012: 4,675
    • 2013: 4,677
    • 2014: 4,684
    • 2015: 4,698
    • 2016: 4,745
    • 2017: 4,733
    • 2018: 4,754
    Data source: from 1994 Thuringian State Office for Statistics - values ​​from December 31st

    Incorporations

    Geblar was incorporated into Otzbach on April 1, 1974. On October 1, 1991, Geisa took on the previous municipality of Wiesenfeld. Borsch, Bremen and Otzbach were added on March 8, 1994. Rockenstuhl was incorporated on December 31, 2008.

    politics

    City council election 2019
    Turnout: 2019: 70.3% 2014: 63.6%
     %
    80
    70
    60
    50
    40
    30th
    20th
    10
    0
    77.2%
    14.2%
    8.6%
    Gains and losses
    compared to 2014
     % p
     16
     14th
     12
     10
       8th
       6th
       4th
       2
       0
      -2
      -4
      -6
      -8th
    -10
    -12
    -14
    -16
    -15.2  % p
    + 14.2  % p.p.
    +1.0  % p
    Allocation of seats in the city council since 2019
    2
    12
    2
    2 12 2 
    A total of 16 seats

    The city of Geisa is a fulfilling municipality for the municipalities of Buttlar , Schleid and Gerstengrund .

    City council

    The local elections on May 26, 2019 led to the result and the resulting distribution of seats, which are shown in the diagrams opposite.

    mayor

    Manuela Henkel (independent) was elected mayor in January 2020. In her election she asserts herself with a majority of 76% of the valid votes cast against her competitor Matthias Breitenbach ( CDU ).

    coat of arms

    Today's city arms

    The coat of arms of Geisa shows Saint Gangolf in black on an upturned white shield base in gold armor holding two shields. The one on the right shows three natural white lilies growing out of a green mountain of three , a symbol of Simplicius and his two siblings (Faustinus and Beatrix), who died from martyrdom in Rome in 305. The left shield in white with a continuous black high cross shows the Fulda cross for the Fulda monastery . This was the sign of the prince abbot, whose possessions Geisa belonged for centuries. The coat of arms of Simplicius (small right shield) belongs to the group of "saints coats of arms", known since the 13th century. These coats of arms were often added or sealed posthumously.

    The design of the official version of the coat of arms comes from Otto Hupp from Oberschleißheim near Munich. He designed it as a heraldic exercise in the 1920s. The heraldic design guidelines regarding shape and color were binding for the design. A city seal from 1391 served as the basis. In contrast to the version of the coat of arms from the GDR era, Hupp does not indicate the year of the first documentary mention of the city at the foot of the saint. Only after reunification did Hupp's design become known in Geisa. The city administration received permission to use it as the official coat of arms of the city of Geisa.

    Town twinning

    After the fall of the inner-German border , the city of Geisa signed a partnership with Hünfeld in Hesse, 15 kilometers away, on March 10, 1990 .

    Culture and sights

    Monument at Point Alpha

    Point Alpha

    Point Alpha is a reminder, memorial and meeting place at the gates of Geisa on the former inner-German border .

    In the immediate vicinity of Geisa, once the westernmost city of the Eastern Bloc , the American observation base Point Alpha, a branch of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment "Blackhorse", fulfilled an important task in NATO's defense concept until the fall of the Iron Curtain . The base was in the center of the NATO defense line Fulda Gap (Fulda gap), where NATO suspected the invasion of Warsaw Pact troops in an emergency . The Fulda Gap stretched from Herleshausen via Fulda to near Bad Neustadt . The explosiveness of the situation at that time can already be recognized by the name Point Alpha - here an attack was expected first.

    Today the complex includes not only the American base on the Hessian side, but also a strip of the original border security systems of the GDR and a meeting center on the Thuringian side.

    Buildings

    Catholic parish church
    City parish church of St. Philip and James

    The Church of St. Philip and James was built between 1489 and 1504. The church tower and the northern portal are among the oldest parts of the church that still have late Gothic features. Later renovations in the 16th century gave the main room and the choir wider and higher windows. The church was originally to be built with three naves, but only the main nave and the north aisle were built.

    At the western end of the ship there are two galleries, of which the lower one was built around 1600 and the upper one was only built with the organ built by Gotha master Friedrich Knauf in 1848 . The rectangular, stone offering box from 1517 and the insignificantly younger, richly decorated baptismal font with late Gothic tracery were the oldest pieces of equipment in the church for many years. During an extensive redesign of the interior in the 1950s, the formerly baroque main altar was replaced by a valuable late Gothic winged altar from 1491 from the Schleid parish church.

    The 38 meter high church tower standing on the west side, watching over the city, has five floors and is provided with a gallery made of stone tracery as well as gargoyles attached to all four corners below the gallery. Up until the end of the 19th century, the tower keeper lived in the tower tower, which consists of an octagonal domed structure. He had to ring the bells and watch over the city. Today there is an automatic and hand-playable carillon on the two floors of the dome , the melodies of which sound three times a day. It consists of 49 hand-cast bronze bells, which can also be heard during a guided tour.

    Evangelical parish church

    After Geisa became part of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach in 1815, more and more Protestant people moved into the city again. Therefore, in 1853 the stables of the castle were converted into a Protestant church. The building is located on Schlossplatz opposite the castle. The church was destroyed in the town fire in 1858; it was rebuilt in late classicist forms by 1860 . A tower was added to the north of the hall church in 1892. In 1888 a stained glass window with an image of Christ was inserted. The rest of the interior of the church dates from the 1920s.

    Geisa Town Hall
    town hall

    The town hall of Geisa was built after the first town fire in 1858 between 1859 and 1861 on the square of the old town hall on the southeast corner of the market square in neo-Gothic style . Its architecture resembles the Erfurt town hall , which was built in the same era, but with a different color scheme. The year 1663 is carved into a stone in the wall of the town hall garage - it probably comes from the previous building.

    City fortifications

    Most of the Geisa city fortifications have been preserved. It was laid out in 1265 and rebuilt in 1594. The two city gates in the north and south were demolished in 1832; In 1858 the southern part of the city fortifications was destroyed by a city fire. The eastern part of the wall is preserved as a high wall with buttresses and loopholes, while the western part is partially built over with residential buildings. In addition to the theft in the castle area, there are three other towers, some of which are still there.

    lock
    Geisa Castle

    Fulda Prince Abbot Adalbert von Schleifras (1700–1714), whose coat of arms marks the entrance portal of the castle, had the new castle built on the Geisaer Gangolfiberg next to the district court by the master builder Johann Dientzenhofer . It served as a hunting lodge and summer residence for the Fulda prince abbots and prince-bishops. After the secularization of the Fulda region, the castle housed various public facilities such as the forestry office, the after-school care center and, more recently, parts of the elementary school. The castle garden (spark garden), which is laid out in terraces on the slope of the Gangolfiberges, is attached to the castle building and is delimited by the very well-preserved city wall. The southeast corner of the Geisa city fortifications is marked by a city wall tower, the Diebstürmchen. Events, including the Funkenfest, take place regularly in the Funkengarten . Today the headquarters of the Point Alpha Foundation are located on the upper floor of the castle. On the lower floor there is a restaurant with a café in a princely atmosphere. The rooms, renovated in the original Baroque style, as well as the old vaulted cellar are open to the general public and can be viewed at any time today.

    District Court
    District Court building

    The building, built in 1540, initially served as a cellar and granary. From the end of the 16th to the beginning of the 17th century, the building was owned by Melchior von Dernbach called Graul, bailiff in Brückenau, imperial councilor and Fulda court marshal, brother of Abbot Balthasar von Dernbach and father of Peter Philipp von Dernbach , who later became the Prince-Bishop from Bamberg and Würzburg. Under the prince abbots Placidus von Droste (1678–1700) and Konstantin von Buttlar (1714–1726) it was converted into an office and court seat. Although the Geisa district court was dissolved in 1949 as part of a structural reform, the building has kept this name to this day. For many years it served as a residential and office building and to house the after-school care center . Today the guest house of the Point Alpha Foundation is located in the district court building. The rooms have been extensively renovated and modernized. The result was an extension that can be used as a modern conference room with space for up to 120 people, as well as stylish hotel rooms in an interesting atmosphere of old and modern. The district court is bordered to the west by a single-storey outbuilding with a gateway that bears the coat of arms of Konstantin von Buttlar and used to house the prison.

    Geisa forest house

    The Geisaer Waldhäuschen was built in 1916 to accommodate the urban forest workers . From 1929 it was used for tourism purposes. After the Second World War, the Geisaer Kulturbund took over the sponsorship and renovated it from scratch.

    Because cross-border commuters could have used it as a shelter when fleeing the GDR across the nearby inner-German border , the government had the forest house torn down in a night-and-fog operation in 1975, thus provoking outrage among the population. After the fall of the Wall, there was a unanimous desire in Geisa to rebuild the forest cottage. However, there were problems with the building permit, as no new buildings are allowed to be built in the Rhön Biosphere Reserve outside of built-up areas. After a few years, the new forest house was finally inaugurated in 1998.

    Culture house

    The culture house was built in 1953/54. It has a large hall with over 500 seats and a stage. To this day, the cultural center has been used as a meeting and event location, including for the Geisa Carnival.

    Market fountain
    Other structures
    • The city fountain from 1677, a round sandstone fountain, stands on the market square.
    • In the area of ​​the former northern city gate there is the drinking fountain with a lion from around 1675.
    • The Ulster Bridge dates from 1684 and was renovated in 1991. A stone figure of St. John Nepomuk has stood next to her since 1717 as the patron saint.

    Gangolfipark, Zentgericht and cemetery

    Cemetery chapel on the Gangolfiberg
    Memorial stone in honor of Athanasius Kircher
    Central court

    In the spacious and relaxing park on the Gangolfiberg you will find, among other things, the memorial stone in honor of the city's greatest son, Athanasius Kircher , and the main court . It dates from the 11th century and is unique in this form as a medieval court in central Germany. It consists of a regular arrangement of stone blocks that served as seating. The higher the stone, the higher the rank of the person. The main courts were also responsible for blood jurisdiction , that is, the imposition of the death penalty . There is also a statue of Peter from 1871 and a Germania monument from 1887 in the park. The park's linden avenues were laid out in 1875.

    In the middle of the cemetery on the Gangolfiberg lies the architecturally valuable cemetery chapel , the existence of which has been documented since 1461. On the north side there is an outer pulpit from around 1600, which is connected to the inner pulpit by a wall passage. While the south and west sides are not decorated with any special decoration, several baroque tombstones can be seen on the east side. It is believed that the cemetery chapel was previously used as a pilgrimage chapel, as it is located on one of the well-known St. James' paths to Santiago de Compostela .

    "Path of Hope" at Point Alpha

    Along the former death strip of the inner German border above Geisa the artist created Ulrich Barnickel 2009/10 fourteen monumental metal sculptures a crossroads form. In the representations, the biblical Passion Pictures are combined with symbols that depict the socialist dictatorship and the arbitrariness of the GDR regime. The Way of the Cross is therefore understandable across all religions and artistically expresses the suffering of drawing boundaries and the resistance to totalitarianism.

    Grotto festival in Wiesenfeld

    There is a Marian grotto in the Wiesenfeld district , it was built by private individuals and inaugurated on August 29, 1994. The place is already considered a local place of pilgrimage.

    Natural monuments

    The Rockenstuhl is a mountain with a height of 529 meters. It is located about five kilometers south of Geisa between the Ulster and Geisa rivers. Due to the basalt cone and its geographical location, it is a landmark of the Geisa region. On the historic Rockenstuhl there is a refuge, in the vicinity of which you can see the remains of a legendary former castle. There is a historical educational hiking trail between Geisa and the Rockenstuhl, on which one can learn historical background information.

    Economy and Infrastructure

    traffic

    Street

    Geisa is on the federal highway 278 , via which there is a connection to Eisenach (50 kilometers) to the north and to Tann (11 kilometers) to the south . A state road connects to the west to federal road 84 to Fulda (32 kilometers). Other state roads lead to Stadtlengsfeld (17 kilometers) and Dermbach (15 kilometers) in the east and to Hofbieber in the southwest (22 kilometers). The closest autobahns are federal autobahn 7 near Hünfeld 23 kilometers west and federal autobahn 4 near Friedewald 29 kilometers north.

    railroad

    Depiction of the Geisa train station on the former station building

    Geisa's only railway connection was the Ulstertalbahn , a branch line from Vacha (there connection to Eisenach and Bad Salzungen ) in the north through the Ulstertal to Hilders in the south (there connection to Fulda). It was opened to the north in 1906 and south in 1909 and crosses the former inner-German border several times, which is why rail traffic to Geisa was discontinued in the course of the closure of this border in 1952.

    Public transport

    Geisa is connected to the neighboring communities as well as Bad Salzungen and Eisenach by several bus routes . A depot of the transport company Wartburgmobil is located in the village.

    Biking and hiking trails

    Guide through Geisa:

    Personalities

    Peter Philipp Imperial Count von Dernbach called Graul, Prince-Bishop of the Diocese of Bamberg and the Diocese of Würzburg

    sons and daughters of the town

    People who worked in Geisa

    • Caesar Riistow (1826–1866), Prussian officer and military writer, was killed near Geisa in the war in 1866 and buried in the city
    • Moritz Goldschmidt (1863–1916), botanist, since 1885 teacher in Geisa
    • Walther Graef (1873–1937), chief magistrate in Geisa

    literature

    • Alexander Henning, Willi Ritz et al: Festschrift 1175 years Geisa . Ed .: City administration Geisa. Geisa 1992, p. 248 .
    • Eva Krause: Geisa parish church. Parzeller Verlag, Fulda 2002, ISBN 3-7900-0334-4 .
    • Adelbert Schröter: Country by the road. The history of the Catholic parishes in the Thuringian Rhön. 3. Edition. St. Benno Verlag, Leipzig 1989, ISBN 3-7462-0430-5 .

    Individual evidence

    1. ^ Population of the municipalities from the Thuringian State Office for Statistics  ( help on this ).
    2. ↑ Information .. In: District Office Wartburgkreis (Hrsg.): Official Gazette of the Wartburgkreis from 10 August 2010 . Bad Salzungen 2010, p. 14 .
    3. ^ Eckart Roloff : Athanasius Kircher. The phantast from the Rhön makes a career in Rome. In: Eckart Roloff: Divine flashes of inspiration. Pastors and priests as inventors and discoverers. Verlag Wiley-VCH, Weinheim 2010, pp. 115-136 (with references to places of remembrance and other references to Kircher in Geisa and the surrounding area) ISBN 978-3-527-32578-8 .
    4. ↑ Thuringian Association of the Persecuted of the Nazi Regime - Association of Antifascists and Study Group of German Resistance 1933–1945 (Ed.): Heimatgeschichtlicher Wegweiser to sites of resistance and persecution 1933–1945, series: Heimatgeschichtliche Wegweiser Volume 8 Thüringen, Erfurt 2003, p. 322 , ISBN 3-88864-343-0
    5. ^ Thuringian ordinance on the dissolution and amalgamation of the municipalities of Borsch, Bremen and Otzbach and the city of Geisa of January 31, 1994 (GVBl p. 228)
    6. ^ Thuringian ordinance on the dissolution and amalgamation of the communities Geismar, Spahl and Ketten of March 1, 1994 (GVBl p. 303)
    7. ^ Thuringian ordinance on the dissolution and amalgamation of the municipalities of Kranlucken, Motzlar, Schleid and Zitters of March 1, 1994 (GVBl p. 308)
    8. ↑ Population in regional comparison by religion -in% -: Geisa, city. Federal and State Statistical Offices, 2014, accessed on June 18, 2020 .
    9. ↑ a b c Federal Statistical Office (ed.): Municipalities 1994 and their changes since 01.01.1948 in the new federal states . Metzler-Poeschel, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-8246-0321-7 .
    10. ↑ StBA Area: changes from 01.01. until December 31, 2008
    11. ↑ Local elections in Thuringia on May 26, 2019. Elections of the community and city council members. Preliminary results. The regional returning officer, accessed on May 29, 2019 .
    12. ↑ a b Clear election result. Retrieved March 12, 2020 .
    13. ↑ Michael Kiel: The Geisa city arms . In: Rhönklub (Ed.): Rhönwacht . No. 1 , 1993, ISSN  0936-1723 , pp. 5 .
    14. ↑ What happened to the culture houses of the GDR? , mdr.de, accessed on March 24, 2020
    15. ↑ Michael Imhof: "Way of Hope". The Way of the Cross at Point Alpha , in ders .: Stadtpfarrkirche St. Philippus and Jakobus in Geisa, Petersberg 2011, ISBN 978-3-86568-122-5 .
    16. ↑ Place of rest and prayer. In Wiesenfeld, the traditional grotto festival was celebrated around the local pilgrimage site. Südthüringer Zeitung (editorial office Bad Salzungen), May 14, 2012, accessed on May 15, 2012 : “Since the inauguration, the grotto festival has taken place every year. The proceeds of the festival will be donated to the maintenance of the church in Wiesenfeld. Thanks to this income, it has been extensively restored in recent years and a pipe organ from the organ building company Skrabl has even been procured. "

    Web links

    Commons : Geisa  - collection of images, videos and audio files
    Wikisource: Geisa in Merian's Topographia Hassiae  - Sources and full texts