- Schwalmstadt
Infobox Ort in Deutschland
Art = Stadt
Wappen = Schwalmstadt_Germany_Coat_of_Arms_Wappen.jpg
lat_deg = 50 |lat_min = 56
lon_deg = 09 |lon_min = 13
Lageplan =
Bundesland = Hessen
Regierungsbezirk = Kassel
Landkreis = Schwalm-Eder-Kreis
Höhe = 234
Fläche = 84.74
Einwohner = 19075
Stand = 2006-12-31
PLZ = 34613
Vorwahl = 06691
Kfz = HR
Gemeindeschlüssel = 06 6 34 022
LOCODE = DE SCT
Gliederung = 13Stadtteil e
Straße = Marktplatz 1
Website = [http://www.schwalmstadt.de/ www.schwalmstadt.de]
Bürgermeister = Wilhelm Kröll
Partei = SPDSchwalmstadt is the largest town in the
Schwalm-Eder district, in northernHesse ,Germany . It was established only in 1970 with the amalgamation of the towns of Treysa and Ziegenhain together with some outlying villages to form the town of Schwalmstadt.Geography
Location
Schwalmstadt lies in the Schwalm area in the western Knüllgebirge, a low mountain range. Through the town flows the river
Schwalm . The nearest large towns areKassel (about 50 km to the north),Bad Hersfeld (about 35 km to the east),Marburg (about 40 km to the southwest) andFulda (about 70 km to the southeast).Constituent communities
Besides the core of Treysa, Ziegenhain and Ascherode, the town consists of the centres of Allendorf an der Landsburg, Dittershausen, Florshain, Frankenhain, Michelsberg, Niedergrenzebach, Rommershausen, Rörshain, Trutzhain, Loshausen and Wiera.
History
In the 8th century, "Treise" was owned by the Abbots of Hersfeld. The Counts of "Cigenhagen" were named in a document for the first time in 1144. In 1186, Treysa was taken over by the Counts and fortified. Treysa's landmark, the Martinskirche (Church of St. Martin), nowadays known as the Totenkirche (Church of the Dead), was built in 1230. Treysa was granted town rights sometime between 1229 and 1270, and the same rights were bestowed upon Ziegenhain in 1274. After the last Count's death in 1450, the county passed to Hesse.
The
Landgrave s of Hesse had thecastle in Ziegenhain remodelled into a stately home in 1470, and then between 1537 and 1548,Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse had it built into a fortification with amoat .In August 1945, the proceedings to establish the
Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) took place in Treysa in an event known as the Church Conference of Treysa. The meeting brought about the merger of the Lutheran, Reformed and United state churches. Two further church gatherings in May 1946 and June 1947 tried to start discussion about divergent perceptions of theEucharist , and also dealt withDenazification .As part of Hesse's municipal reforms, the two towns of Treysa and Ziegenhain, along with their outlying villages, were united in 1970 into the Town of Schwalmstadt, and ever since then they have existed only as constituent communities of a larger municipality.
In 1995, with the motto "Hessisch Willkommen", Schwalmstadt hosted the 35th jubilee "Hessentag", a yearly event in Hesse showcasing various places in Hesse.
Rommershausen
In the Marburg State Archive, Rommerhausen is first mentioned under the name "Rumershusen" in 1243. In 1360 it was called "Romirshusin" and in 1365 "Rumershusen", but it has gone by its current name since 1419.
On
3 April 1916 at 15:30, a cosmic lump ofiron fell to earth in a woodlot near Rommershausen. This was later named, after the place where it was found, theMeteorite of Rommershausen, and it has gone down in German astronomic history as Germany's greatest verifiable observed meteorite impact.Rommershausen has been part of Schwalmstadt since the municipal reforms in the 1970s.
Trutzhain
During the
Second World War , Ziegenhain was home to aprisoner of war camp,Stalag IX-A (one of the French prisoners there,François Mitterrand , later became President of France), and after the war, also to adisplaced persons camp at the same facility. The camp is now the constituent community of Trutzhain. Some of the barracks still stand and have been converted into houses.Politics
Schwalmstadt Town Council has 37 members. As of the municipal elections held on
26 March 2006 , the council seats are apportioned thus:Voter participation was at 46.3%.
Coat of arms
Schwalmstadt's civic
coat of arms might be heraldically described thus: In Or a goat-headed spreadeagle sable armed and langued gules, on its breast in argent a six-pointed star gules.The heraldic elements are historical symbols from both former towns and the old County of Ziegenhain.
Schwalmstadt's coat of arms bears a keen likeness to both Neukirchen's and Schwarzenborn's.
Town partnerships
*
Canton of Loriol-sur-Drôme , Département Drôme,France
*Zwalm ,East Flanders ,Belgium Public institutions
State institutions
Harthbergkaserne
Since 1961, and as of the end of 2006, these barracks have housed the following
Bundeswehr units: 1./NschBtl 51 (KRK), 5./NschBtl 51 (NVG/MVG), 6./NschBtl 51 (NVG/MVG) , 8./NschBtl 51 (AGA) , 6./FjgBtl 251. (AGA).Bundesanstalt Technisches Hilfswerk
Schwalmstadt's local THW association was founded in 1961. The local association has, among other things, a technical team ("Technischer Zug") with a positioning section ("Fachgruppe Ortung").
Educational institutions
* Eckhardt-Vonholt-Schule (
primary school )
* Ziegenhainer Grundschule am Alleeplatz
* Brüder-Grimm-Schule Allendorf (primary school)
* Grundschule Niedergrenzebach
* Mittelpunkt Grundschule
* Herrmann-Schuchard-Schule
* Ludwig-Braun-Schule
* Schule im Ostergrund (Haupt- andRealschule )
* Friedrich-Trost-Schule
* Carl-Bantzer-Schule (comprehensive school )
* Sankt-Martin-Schule (school for learning aid)
* Schwalmgymnasium (Gymnasium)
* Berufliche Schulen Schwalmstadt (occupational school)
*Fachhochschule Hephata (Evangelische Fachhochschule Darmstadt)
* Stenografenverein 1925 Treysa e. V. (education centre, computer school)Other
Sports and leisure
* Schwalmstadion (
stadium )
* Stadion am Fünften (stadium)
* Landsburg Stadion Allendorf (stadium)
* Europabad und ein Freibad (swimming pool s)
*Minigolf course
* Riding
*Inline skating path
*Youth centre s
* Schwalmstadtgliding ground
*Recreational vehicle grounds
* several football fieldsCulture and sightseeing
Theatre
* Schwalmberg Open-Air Stage
* Totenkirche Open-Air Stage
* Burgtheater
* Kulturhalle
* Trutzhain Theatre Club: "Trutzhainer Bühne"Museums
* Deutsches Schreibmaschinenmuseum (
typewriter s)
* Museum der Schwalm Ziegenhain
* Gedenkstätte und MuseumTrutzhain (memorial and museum)Buildings
* Treysa's and Ziegenhain's historic Old Towns with many half-timbered houses.
* "Totenkirche" with "Buttermilk Tower" in Treysa
* Town parish church
* Old Hospital in Treysa
* Hexenturm ("Witches' Tower") in Treysa
* "Schloss" (stately home) with wall graves and parade square in Ziegenhain
* Town Hall and Johannisbrunnen (fountain ) in TreysaSonstiges
* "Hünengrab" ("Giant's Grave") near Wiera
Economy and infrastructure
Transport
Through Schwalmstadt run Federal Highways ("Bundesstraßen") B 254 (from
Fulda by way of Schwalmstadt toKassel ) and B 454 (fromBad Hersfeld by way of Schwalmstadt toMarburg ). In the neighbouring community ofNeuental ends (or begins) theAutobahn A 49.The Main-Weser
Railway fromFrankfurt toKassel runs through Schwalmstadt with its stations at Treysa and Schwalmstadt-Wiera. There are hourlyRegionalbahn trains from Kassel and the Mittelhessen-Express from Frankfurt ending at Treysa. In Addition to that,Regionalexpress trains andInterCity trains between Kassel and Frankfurt stop hourly in turn. At the station of Schwalmstadt-Wiera there is an hourly connection to Frankfurt via the Mittelhessen-Express.There was once a strategic railway running through the town between
Berlin andMetz (the latter now in France), known as the "Kanonenbahn", or "Cannon Railway".Established businesses
* Erich Rohde Schuhfabriken (shoes)
* Konvekta AG (heating and air conditioning)
* Privatbrauerei Friedrich Haaß (brewery)
* Horn & Bauer Folientechnik (protective, packaging and technical films)
* Merkel-Freudenberg (gasket, packing, and sealing device manufacturing)
* Hephata Hessisches Diakoniezentrum e. V.
* Tieman (tank trucks, hoists, lifting devices)
* Heidelmann Kühlhaus und intl. Spedition (cold storage and international shipping)Media
*Schwälmer Allgemeine (daily)
*Schwälmer Bote am Sonntag (Sundays)
*Schwälmer Bote am Mittwoch (Wednesdays)
*MAZ Mittelhessische Anzeigen Zeitung (Wednesdays)Regular events
* Hutzelkirmes (
fair in Treysa)
* Bockbieranstich (Bock beer tapping, Treysa)
* Salatkirmes (fair in Ziegenhain)
* Kirmes (fair) in Allendorf an der Landsburg
* Weindorf an der Totenkirche ("Wine village at the 'Church of the Dead'")
* Bahnhofstraßenfest ("Street Festival")
* "Ziegenhain vom Feinsten" ("Ziegenhain from its Finest")
* Schwälmer Inlinerlauf (inline skating)
* Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market)
* Scherzmarkt ("Fun Market")
* Michaelismarkt
* Johannisfest ("John's Festival")
* "Sporthits für Kids" (Sportsfestival for kids)
* Kirmes in Niedergrenzebach (fair)
* Johannisfeuer (Niedergrenzebach) ("John's Fire", amidsummer festival)
* Theaterabend der Trutzhainer Bühne (Theatre Evening in Trutzhain)Personalities
Sons and daughters of the town
*
Carl Bantzer , painter and art writer (born6 August 1857 in Ziegenhain)
*Stanislaw Kubicki , artist, poet, philosopher (born 1889 in Ziegenhain, died 1943 inPoland (murdered))
*Hans John , jurist and resistance fighter (born1 August 1911 in Treysa, died23 April 1945 in Berlin (executed))
*Guido Knopp , historian, publicist and TV moderator (born29 January 1948 in Treysa)
*Wilhelm Böttner , Baroque painter (born 24 February 1752 in Ziegenhain, died 24 November 1805 in Kassel)
*Herbert Henck , pianist (born28 July 1948 in Treysa)
*Roswitha Aulenkamp , composer, pianist, piano lecturer at the "Musikakademie Kassel" (born 20 June 19xx in Ziegenhain)
*Alfred Hartenbach , Member of the Bundestag (SPD) (born5 March 1948 in Niedergrenzebach)
*Gottlieb Dietrich , botanist and garden architect (born 9 March 1765 in Ziegenhain, died 2 January 1850 inEisenach )
*Adam Dietrich , botanist (born 4 November 1711 in Ziegenhain, died 11 July 1782 in Ziegenhain)
*Albert Wigand , painter (born 4 August 1890 in Ziegenhain, died 17 May 1978 inLeipzig )
*Julius Weiffenbach , jurist (born 26 April 1837 in Ziegenhain, died 29 June 1910 inBerlin )
*Konrad Wiederhold , colonel (born 20 April 1598? in Ziegenhain, died 13 June 1667 inKirchheim )
*Klaus Stern , documentary filmmaker (born 1968 in Ziegenhain)
*Otto Stern , one of the founders and first president (1955) of theDairy Food Association of America (BornNovember 21, 1897 in Ziegenhain) He fled Germany with his family in mid 1930s when Nazis revoked citizenship to Jews .References
External links
* [http://www.museumderschwalm.de/ Museum der Schwalm]
* [http://www.gedenkstaette-trutzhain.de/ Gedenkstätte und Museum Trutzhain]
* [http://www.allendorf-landsburg.de/ Allendorf]
* [http://www.schwalmstadt-michelsberg.de/ Michelsberg]
* [http://www.roershain.de/ Rörshain]
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