Waldkappel

Basic data
State :	Hesse
Administrative region :	kassel
County :	Werra-Meißner district
Height :	236 m above sea level NHN
Area :	96.48 km 2
Residents:	4234 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density :	44 inhabitants per km 2
Postal code :	37284
Primaries :	05656, 05658 (Bischhausen)
License plate :	ESW, WIZ
Community key :	06 6 36 012
LOCODE :	DE WPP
City structure:	15 districts
; City administration address :	Leipziger Strasse 34 ; 37284 Waldkappel
Website :	www.waldkappel.de
Mayor :	Frank Koch ( SPD )
Location of the town of Waldkappel in the Werra-Meißner district

Waldkappel is a small town in the Werra-Meißner district of North Hesse in Germany .

geography

location

Waldkappel lies between Hessisch Lichtenau in the west and Eschwege in the east. It is located in the East Hessian mountains between the geo-nature park Frau-Holle-Land (Werratal.Meißner.Kaufunger Wald) in the north and the Stölzinger Mountains in the south at the mouth of the Schemmerbach in the weirs .

The Mäuseberg ( 415.4 m ) with the pioneer tower is located south-southeast of the Waldkappel core town . Another lookout tower is located on the goat club ( 445.4 m ) a few kilometers south-southwest ; another mountain called Ziegenküppel ( 405.8 m ) lies to the northwest. A few kilometers to the north rises the Hohe Meißner ( 753.6 m )

Waldkappel lies at the intersection of the line connecting the Zipfelbund communities .

Neighboring communities

Meissner in the north
Wehretal in the east
Sontra in the south (all three in the Werra-Meißner district)
Cornberg in the southwest
Rotenburg an der Fulda (both in the district of Hersfeld-Rotenburg )
Spangenberg in the west (in the Schwalm-Eder district ) and
Hessisch Lichtenau (in the Werra-Meißner district).

City structure

In addition to the core town of Waldkappel, the city consists of the following districts:

history

Waldkappel - Excerpt from the Topographia Hassiae by Matthäus Merian 1655

Waldkappel was first mentioned in a document in 1226. 1301 owned the von Kappel goods and jurisdiction in the place. In 1414 the town was granted city rights. The city experienced its economic boom during the late Middle Ages due to its location on the old trade route "through the long Hesse" , which led from the Wetterau to Thuringia and on to Leipzig . As a sign of the city's former wealth, the late Gothic church rises in the center of the village. On the trip to the Marburg Religious Discussion with Ulrich Zwingli, Martin Luther stayed overnight on 27/28. September and 6./7. October 1529 in Waldkappel. The Thirty Years War brought Waldkappel's prosperity to an abrupt end; the city could never build on its former importance.

The town of Waldkappel did not belong to any office, but there were special mayors of the Ganerbe. It was not until 1780 that the judicial officer in Bischhausen was commissioned to take care of the administration of justice . During the French occupation, the place belonged to the canton of Bischhausen in the Kingdom of Westphalia (1807-1813). From 1821 Waldkappel belonged to the Hessian district of Eschwege .

In 1945, 17 people were killed in an air raid on an ammunition train and the station was completely destroyed.

Since 1974 the place belongs to the Werra-Meißner-Kreis .

Incorporations

As part of the regional reform in Hesse , the previously independent municipality of Mäckelsdorf was incorporated on February 1, 1971. On October 1, 1971, Burghofen, Friemen, Rechtebach and Rodebach were added. Bischhausen, Gehau, Harmuthsachsen, Hasselbach (both from the district of Witzenhausen ), Kirchhosbach, Schemmern and Stolzhausen from the district of Melsungen followed on December 31, 1971. With the incorporation by virtue of the state law of Eltmannsee and Hetzerode, the series of incorporations became on January 1, 1974 completed.

religion

Catholic Church

The Waldkappels Catholics belong to the diocese of Fulda and are assigned to the St. Michael-Werra-Meißner pastoral group in the Eschwege-Bad Hersfeld deanery .

The Catholic Church Parish Curate Church St. Elisabeth is located at Werenfriedplatz 1, 37284 Waldkappel. The Marienheide monastery in Wollstein is also part of the parish.

In Harmuthsachsen-Wollstein is the Marienheide monastery belonging to the Bethlehem Sisters .

politics

City Council

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 23 seats SPD : 9 GAL : 2 CDU : 7 ÜWG : 5	Parties and constituencies		% 2016	Seats 2016	% 2011	Seats 2011	% 2006	Seats 2006	% 2001	Seats 2001
	SPD	Social Democratic Party of Germany	41.3	9	47.8	11	51.4	12	49.7	15th
	CDU	Christian Democratic Union of Germany	30.7	7th	30.5	7th	32.2	7th	24.9	8th
	ÜWG	Non-partisan voter community	20.6	5	13.0	3	11.9	3	18.6	6th
	GAL	Green alternative list Waldkappel	7.4	2	8.7	2	4.5	1	-	-
	GREEN	Alliance 90 / The Greens	-	-	-	-	-	-	6.8	2
	total		100.0	23	100.0	23	100.0	23	100.0	31
	Voter turnout in%		59.4		60.5		58.1		63.4

The Ullenfänger (Uhlen catchers, owls scavengers), forecast for Ortsnecknamen forest Kappeler

mayor

On January 26, 2020, Frank Koch (SPD) was elected mayor with 94.5 percent of the vote, unopposed. The turnout was 53.9 percent. He will take office on July 1, 2020. Incumbent Reiner Adam (SPD) was no longer up for re-election.

Former mayor

2008 to 2020: Reiner Adam (SPD)
1996 to 2008: Peter Hillebrandt

coat of arms

	Blazon : "In red over a green three-mountain, a silver (white) chapel with a blue roof, a blue-covered spire and three golden (yellow) roof knobs with golden (yellow) crosses in front of four green trees with golden (yellow) trunks."
	Justification of the coat of arms: The coat of arms is derived from seals from 181 and the 17th century, which initially only showed a chapel. As early as 1605, the added trees were found in Siebmacher's heraldic books, which served as a further talking element for the name part "forest". The coat of arms is heraldically incorrect, as the heraldic color rule is violated several times .

Banner and flag

	00Banner: "The banner is red and white striped lengthways with the coat of arms in the middle."
	00Hoisted flag: "The flag has red and white stripes with the coat of arms in the middle."

Community partnerships

Waldkappel has partnerships with the French city of Carhaix in Brittany and with the Dutch municipality of Rijnwoude .

traffic

The B 7 and A 44 lead through Waldkappel .

Personalities

Born in Waldkappel

Christian Schütz (1526–1592), Protestant theologian
Katt Both (1905–1985), architect and furniture designer

literature

Paul Glass: The forgotten monument of Harmuthsachsen or how Waldkappel was inundated by evacuated Saarlanders at the beginning of World War II. A search for clues . In: Journal [year book] of the Association for Hessian History and Regional Studies [ZHG], Volume 117/118, 2012/13, Kassel 2013, pp. 247–268, 6 figs.
Literature on Waldkappel in the Hessian Bibliography