Weißenborn (Hesse)

coat of arms	Germany map
	Coordinates: 51 ° 7 '  N , 10 ° 7'  E
Basic data
State :	Hesse
Administrative region :	kassel
County :	Werra-Meißner district
Height :	280 m above sea level NHN
Area :	15.6 km 2
Residents:	974 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density :	62 inhabitants per km 2
Postal code :	37299
Area code :	05659
License plate :	ESW, WIZ
Community key :	06 6 36 015
Address of the municipal administration:	Kirchplatz 1 37299 Weißenborn
Website :	www.gemeinde-weissenborn.de
Mayor :	Thomas Mäurer ( independent )
Location of the community Weißenborn in the Werra-Meißner district

View from the Anger (Graburg) viewpoint on Weißenborn

Weißenborn is a municipality in the Werra-Meißner district in Hesse ( Germany ). With 1,044 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2016), it is the smallest independent municipality in Hesse and on January 1, 2018, replaced Hesseneck , which was combined with Beerfelden , Sensbachtal and Rothenberg to form the new town of Oberzent .

geography

Geographical location

Weißenborn is located in the north Hessian mountainous region about 8 km (as the crow flies ) southeast of Eschwege and meets a border section with Thuringia . It is located in Schlierbachswald , to which the Ringgau connects not far south of the municipality . Not far south-west of Weißenborn (approx. 280  m above sea  level ) rises the Rabenkuppe ( 514.8  m above sea level ), almost 6 km (as the crow flies) east of the village beyond the Thuringian border of the Heldrastein ( 503.8  m above sea level) ). It is part of the Frau-Holle-Land Geo-Nature Park.

geology

The place is in the area of ​​the Triassic . A sandstone deposit in the Auf der See corridor has been exploited since the Middle Ages, and the crushed material was sold as house litter. The resulting extensive cave-like excavation pits and shafts were considered a sight. High -quality limestone layers were discovered under the rock wall of the Graburg , but their exploitation has not been carried out for reasons of nature and landscape protection.

Neighboring communities

Weißenborn borders in the northeast and east on the town of Treffurt (in the Thuringian Wartburg district ), in the south on the municipality Ringgau , in the west on the municipality Wehretal , and in the northwest on the town of Eschwege (all three in the Werra-Meißner district).

structure

The community consists of the two districts Weißenborn and Rambach .

history

Finds show that as early as 2000 BC BC people lived in the area of ​​today's Weißenborn. The surrounding mountains, especially the Graburg , the Schäfersburg and the Heldrastein with the Hüneburg were already important in prehistoric times. The town itself was first in 1365 documented: in 1365, at Sente Egidii day the brothers Conrad and Otto sold by Völkershausen their privileges they previously about the five villages , Rampeche, heldere, Helderbeche and Alden Bursla Wißenborn possessed with justice and right about everything to Landgrave Otto I of Hesse for seventy marks Eschweger currency, while their village “Volkershusen” was excluded from this sale.

The lords of Treffurt , who lived in the neighboring Burg Normannstein , were decisive for the local history . Strong cultural impulses came from the St. Bonuifacius collegiate church in the neighboring town of Großburschla ; the canons owned extensive estates and forests (Stiftswald) until the Reformation. The rights of use to this forest property were then transferred to the Allendorfer Salzsieder (Pfänerschaft), who used large parts of the forest district as a cut forest . The building material required annually for the thorn graduation houses was also provided for the salt works. The sand trade had a certain economic importance for the village of Rambach. The so-called Tatern , probably a temporarily sedentary group of gypsies , had taken over the mining and trading of this asset.

The Dreiherrenstein and other boundary stones on the Heldrastein testify that Weißenborns belonged to the Kingdom of Prussia at times . From the late 19th century until the Second World War , the majority of employable male residents were forced to hire themselves out as migrant workers in northern Germany and the Rhineland; local chronicles call this time the village without men .

Due to the expansion of the railway network, the Heldrastein gained a tourist significance from which the surrounding communities could also benefit. The Carl Alexander Tower was built on the summit .

The last war also brought death and indescribable suffering in Weißenborn and Rambach, with 11 residential houses and 34 farm buildings being destroyed or seriously damaged shortly before the end of the war. This damage in the place was quickly repaired under the direction of the then mayor Witthüser. The border situation created by the division of Germany on the edge of what was then the Soviet occupation zone became far more problematic . In particular, the previously close family and economic ties to neighboring Thuringia were cut.

In the 1950s, several displaced families and refugees settled in the districts . The commitment of Dr. Lischewski , who found a new home in Weißenborn and made a name for himself as the initiator of numerous associations. Since the mid-1960s, the residents had to endure the gradual expansion of the border barriers by the GDR regime. Land ownership in neighboring Thuringian towns was no longer accessible or was expropriated. The local connection routes to Großburschla and Ifta have been cut. On the Hessian side, roads and paths and several observation points for visitors were later laid out by the Federal Border Police.

church

The Protestant parish church.

The oldest part of the Weißenbörner parish church is the choir tower , which was probably built in 1577 . The slated bell chamber with the final hood was added to the tower in 1913. In the same year, the ship , which was scheduled in 1697, was completely renewed.

The external view is mainly characterized by the half-timbered structure , which clearly shows the influence of Thuringian half-timbered architecture. Noteworthy are the K-struts , which are rather untypical for Hessen, and the rich diamond mesh of the compartments under the windows.

Inside there is a bright, richly furnished hall with a wooden barrel and hanging struts. In the course of the most recent renovation work, at the beginning of the 2010s, more than 400 matt gold stars were painted between the decorative ornaments on the barrel ceiling and gallery . Interested parties could acquire sponsorship for one of the stars. The stars are numbered on a plan that is displayed in an information box with the names of the godparents. Each star sponsor also received a certificate with a Bible verse and the number of their star. The proceeds from the sponsorship of the stars are to flow completely into the renovation of the church.

Equipment worth protecting are the pulpit and the parish chair from 1700 as well as a font from the 16th century.

The church is a cultural monument for artistic, historical and structural reasons .

The Evangelical Church Community Weißenborn belongs with the communities Lüderbach , Rambach and Rittmannshausen to the parish Weißenborn-Rambach in the parish of Eschwege of the Evangelical Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck .

Incorporations

On October 1, 1971, the neighboring community of Rambach was incorporated.

politics

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 : 6 CDU : 3rd FW : 6	Parties and constituencies		% 2016	Seats 2016	% 2011	Seats 2011	% 2006	Seats 2006	% 2001	Seats 2001
	SPD	Social Democratic Party of Germany	43.9	6th	42.6	7th	53.9	8th	51.2	8th
	CDU	Christian Democratic Union of Germany	17.8	3	29.1	4th	22.9	3	21.9	3
	FWG	Free voter community Weißenborn and Rambach	38.3	6th	28.2	4th	23.2	4th	26.9	4th
	total		100.0	15th	100.0	15th	100.0	15th	100.0	15th
	Voter turnout in%		59.7		67.9		72.0		71.6

Town twinning

There is a city partnership with the former municipality of Hesseneck (since 2018: City of Oberzent ) in the Odenwald .

Culture and sights

The Dörnermann

The residents of Weißenborn are known as Dörnermänner . A corresponding figure also adorns the town's coat of arms. This nickname probably goes back to the time when one had to make a living with the sale of bundles of thorn twigs as fuel, from the 17th century on in large quantities for the graduation systems in the salt pans of Bad Sooden-Allendorf and in the neighboring town of Creuzburg .

Rambacher mat clicker

The nickname of the Rambach residents is Mattenklicker .

Attractions

As part of the village renewal programs, the two districts have been fundamentally renovated and renewed over the past 20 years. Rambach was national winner in the competition Our village should become more beautiful . Near the church of Weißenborn there is a home parlor with numerous exhibits from rural life. In the location there are two medieval atonement crosses as evidence of the local history. The two districts are surrounded by numerous viewpoints, hiking trails and natural beauties. The former border barriers have largely been removed and the border strip has become part of the Green Belt . On the Heldrastein is the Dreiherrenstein - a striking border stone of the Kingdom of Prussia, the Electorate of Hesse and the Grand Duchy of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach from 1837.

See also: List of cultural monuments in Weißenborn (Hessen)

Economy and Infrastructure

Because of the remote location on the inner-German border, economic development was hampered, a cement plant that had been planned in the 1930s was not built, instead tourism has played an increasing role since the 1960s. In May 2014, Premiumweg 15 Graburg was opened for hikers.

Weißenborn has the lowest income today, and its residents the lowest average income of all Hessian communities. After the primary school and the village pub were closed, the residents are almost entirely dependent on commuting.

traffic

The town is connected to the road network via Bundesstraße 7 ( Kassel - Eisenach ) and B 250 ( Wanfried - Creuzburg ).

Personalities

The legendary robber Henning was up to mischief in the area around the Heldrastein, before the war you could still visit his hiding place, a rock cave.

Honorary citizen

For the development of the place, Dr. Lischewski deservedly.

literature

• Otto Blüsse: Between Graburg and Schlierbachswald. A local history of the village of Weißenborn . Eschwege 1957, 254 pp.
• Otto Blüsse: From farming village to tourist resort In: The Werraland. 17th year, Eschwege 1965, pp. 37–39
• Georg Morgenthal: Weißenborn and Rambach - pretty places in idyllic surroundings. In: Land an Werra and Meißner - a home book. Korbach 1983, pp. 335-339
• Heimatverein Weißenborn: Between Graburg and Schlierbachswald. A home book of the village of Weißenborn . Eschwege 2015, 408 pp.

Web links

Commons : Weißenborn  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Weißenborn community
• Weißenborn, community of Weißenborn. Historical local dictionary for Hessen. In: Landesgeschichtliches Informationssystem Hessen (LAGIS).
• Rambach, community of Weißenborn. Historical local dictionary for Hessen. In: Landesgeschichtliches Informationssystem Hessen (LAGIS).
• Literature about Weißenborn in the Hessian Bibliography

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. ↑ Emily Spanel: "Firm and unshakable: The house of God is the center and center of Weißenborn" in Werra-Rundschau from September 1, 2018; accessed on September 20, 2019.
3. ^ Peer Zietz in collaboration with Thomas Wiegand: Monument topography Federal Republic of Germany. Cultural monuments in Hessen. Werra-Meißner district I. Old district of Eschwege. Published by the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments in Hesse . Vieweg & Sohn, Braunschweig / Wiesbaden 1991, ISBN 3-528-06240-1 , p. 640 f .
4. ^ 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 .
5. ^ Result of the municipal election on March 6, 2016. Hessian State Statistical Office, accessed in April 2016 . 
6. ^ Hessian State Statistical Office: Result of the municipal elections on March 27, 2011
7. ^ Hessian State Statistical Office: Result of the municipal elections on March 26, 2006
8. ↑ hr-fernsehen, Hessenschau from September 12, 2017