Wächtersbach

Infobox Ort in Deutschland
Art = Stadt
Wappen = Wappen_Wächtersbach.pnglat_deg = 50 |lat_min = 16 |lat_sec = 0
lon_deg = 9 |lon_min = 18 |lon_sec = 0
Lageplan =
Bundesland = Hessen
Regierungsbezirk = Darmstadt
Landkreis = Main-Kinzig-Kreis
Höhe = 144-400
Fläche = 50.79
Einwohner = 12370
Stand = 2006-12-31
PLZ = 63607
Vorwahl = 06053
Kfz = MKK
Gemeindeschlüssel = 06 4 35 029
Gliederung = 8 Ortsteile
Straße = Main-Kinzig-Str. 31
Website = [http://www.stadt-waechtersbach.de/ www.stadt-waechtersbach.de]
Bürgermeister = Rainer KrätschmerThe city of Wächtersbach lies in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, Hesse, Germany.

Geography

Location

Wächtersbach lies between the Spessart and the Vogelsberg Mountains in the middle Kinzig valley at the edge of the Büdingen Forest, not far from the towns of Gelnhausen, Bad Orb and Bad Soden-Salmünster.

Neighbouring communities

To the north, Wächtersbach borders on the communities of Kefenrod (Wetteraukreis) and Brachttal. To the east it abuts the town of Bad Soden-Salmünster, and in the south the town of Bad Orb and the community of Biebergemünd. In the west it borders the community of Gründau.

Parts of town

Wächtersbach consists of:
* Aufenau
* Neudorf mit Kinzighausen
* Wächtersbach (downtown)
* Weilers
* Hesseldorf
* Wittgenborn
* Waldensberg
* Leisenwald

Coat of arms

Since the 18th century Wächtersbach's coat of arms has shown a guard or a watchman in the seal. It is supposed to be a rebus of the town's name – a canting coat of arms – with the wavy line representing a brook ("watchman" in German is "Wächter", and "brook" is "Bach"). The five communities of Hesseldorf, Weilers, Wittgenborn, Waldensberg and Leisenwald are symbolized by the five bars beneath the watchman's feet. They belonged, together with the original Wächtersbach to the count's domain of Isenburg-Büdingen.

The communities of Neudorf and Aufenau are symbolized by the "Wolfsangel" (lit. "wolf's fishing rod", said to be a kind of trap hung in a tree by the upper hook to catch a wolf on the baited lower hook; it is variously said to ward off harm or to be a symbol of independence). Both communities were until the late 18th century under the direct Imperial overlordship of the forest superintendent of Gelnhausen.

History

In 1236, the locality of "Weichirsbach" had its first documentary mention.

In 1564, the "Faulhaberin" – a woman of the noble family of Faulhaber known only by this name as her given name is lost to history – had the misfortune of being accused as a witch during the time of the witch hunts in Büdingen. From Count Georg, the order went forth to subject the Faulhaberin to painful interrogation, that is, to torture her. She was indeed tortured horribly, suffering dislocated shoulders, among other injuries. Despite "torn limbs and wrecked body", she suffered the torture without ever confessing, and was released.

Economy

Wächtersbach is well known for its retail fair, the "Wächtersbacher Messe", held yearly for end customers in the week around Ascension Day.

Retail business and the electrical engineering industry underpin the town's economic life. Over the last few years, many shops have located in Wächtersbach bringing many people in from outlying towns and communities to do their shopping.

Transport

Wächtersbach is served by a station on the railway line between Frankfurt am Main and Fulda. Until the 1960s, a branch line called the "Vogelsberger Südbahn" ran from Wächtersbach through the Bracht valley to join with the Gedern-Lauterbach line in the Vogelsberg Mountains. Until the early 1990s, a train from the "Gelnhäuser Kreiswerke" (district works) ran to Bad Orb. Today the town's importance to transportation is limited to the "Bundesstraße" (Federal Highway) B 276, which serves as a bypass connecting the Vogelsberg Mountains with Autobahn A 66 (Frankfurt-Fulda).

Public institutions

* Wächtersbach Evangelical Community Library

Schools

* Friedrich-August-Genth-Schule (comprehensive school)
* Grundschule Aufenau (primary school)
* Grundschule "Kinderbrücke" (primary school)

Sports and leisure

* Heated open-air swimming pool
* 48 km marked hiking trails
* Bowling
* Bicycle rental
* Tennis courts
* Horseback riding
* Angling
* "Südbahn" bicycle path

Town partnerships

* Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, Vonnas and Baneins, France
* Troizk, Russia
* Roßleben, Thuringia

Culture and Sightseeing

Museums

Wächtersbacher Heimatmuseum

The former town hall, a 500-year-old half-timbered building, houses the "Heimatmuseum", or "homeland museum". Its exhibits are overseen by the "Heimat- und Geschichtsverein Wächtersbach e. V."

Buildings

Schloss

The "Schloss" (castle or palace) was formerly a Romanesque castle with a moat, but after remodelling in the Renaissance it was expanded, and an English-style garden was built around it.

From 1687, the "Schloss" was the seat of the Counts of Ysenburg-Büdingen. About 1580, a princely brewery was in operation. Today, "Fürst" Wolfgang zu Ysenburg-Büdingen lives at the old castle in Büdingen.

The privately owned "Schloss" was once surrounded by a picturesque old town, which over time, though, fell into disrepair as there were no funds for renovating or restorating the properties.

Regular events

Messe Wächtersbach

The "Wächtersbacher Messe" has been held yearly since 1950 during Ascension Week. A German press report put it thus:

:"The Main-Kinzig district's great consumer show owes its countrywide good reputation to its great variety of offerings. About 440 exhibitors in the fields of industry, trade, crafts, building, homes, gardening and lifestyle vie for the consumer's favour. Two years ago, a representative poll revealed that 94 percent of the visitors deemed their trip to the "Messe Wächtersbach" to be worthwhile. More than 73,000 paying guests cannot be wrong."

Sons and daughters of the town

* The Faulhaberin, accused witch and torture victim

External links

* [http://www.stadt-waechtersbach.de/ Town's official website]
* [http://www.hgv-waechtersbach.de/ "Heimat- und Geschichtsverein Wächtersbach e.V."]
* [http://www.aufenau.com/ Private webseite about Aufenau neighbourhood]
* [http://www.messewaechtersbach.de/ Messe Wächtersbach]
*dmoz|World/Deutsch/Regional/Europa/Deutschland/Hessen/Landkreise/Main-Kinzig-Kreis/Städte_und_Gemeinden/Wächtersbach|Wächtersbach

* [http://www.chatillon-sur-chalaronne.fr/ Official site of Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne in France, the twin city of Wächtersbach ]
* [http://ladombes.free.fr/Villes_Dombes/Chatillon_sur_Chalaronne.htm Discover the Dombes area and the twin city of Wächtersbach Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne in France]