Antrifttal is a municipality in the
Vogelsbergkreis
The Vogelsbergkreis is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the middle of Hesse, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Schwalm-Eder, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Fulda, Main-Kinzig, Wetteraukreis, Gießen and Marburg-Biedenkopf.
History
The district was created in ...
in
Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
Geography
Location
Antrifttal lies, as its name suggests, in the valley (''Tal'') of a brook called the Antrift, a tributary to the
Schwalm, between the
Vogelsberg
The is a large volcanic mountain range in the German Central Uplands in the state of Hesse, separated from the Rhön Mountains by the Fulda river valley.
Emerging approximately 19 million years ago, the Vogelsberg is Central Europe's larges ...
in the south and the Knüllgebirge in the northeast (low mountain ranges).
The municipal area of 26.59 km² is 54% agricultural (14.3 km²).
Neighbouring communities
Antrifttal borders in the north on the community of
Willingshausen
Willingshausen is a municipality in the Schwalm-Eder district in Hesse, Germany.
Geography
Location
The community of Willingshausen lies in the Schwalm area.
Neighbouring communities
Willingshausen borders in the north on the town of Schwalmstad ...
(
Schwalm-Eder-Kreis
Schwalm-Eder-Kreis is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the north of Hesse, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Kassel, Werra-Meißner, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Vogelsberg, Marburg-Biedenkopf, and Waldeck-Frankenberg.
History
In 1821 districts were created ...
), in the east and south on the town of
Alsfeld
Alsfeld () is a town in the center of Hesse, in Germany.
Located about north of Frankfurt, Alsfeld is in the center of Hesse and part of the densely populated Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. It is well known for its well-preserved old ...
, in the west on the town of
Kirtorf
Kirtorf () is a town in the northern Vogelsbergkreis in Hesse, Germany. Through the town runs the ''Deutsche Märchenstraße'', or German Fairytale Road, a touristic route joining many of the places commonly associated with the Brothers Grimm's tal ...
, and in the northwest on the town of
Neustadt (
Marburg-Biedenkopf
Marburg-Biedenkopf is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the west of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Waldeck-Frankenberg, Schwalm-Eder, Vogelsbergkreis, Gießen, Lahn-Dill, Siegen-Wittgenstein.
History
The district was created in 1974 when ...
).
Constituent communities
* Main town: Ruhlkirchen
* Constituent communities:
** Bernsburg
** Ohmes
** Ruhlkirchen
** Seibelsdorf
** Vockenrod
Ohmes
Ohmes is presumably based on a settlement already in existence by
Roman times
In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...
, making it one of the oldest places in the Vogelsbergkreis, and the oldest in the Katzenberg, a mediaeval court district in this area. Ohmes had its first documentary mention in 1240 under the name ''Omeza''. It got its name from a body of water called the Omena that welled up just below the village.
In 1240, a third of the village came into the ownership of the
Hersfeld Monastery. There was a noble family, the Lords of Ohmes, but they died out in the 13th century. The other two thirds of the village belonged to the court district of Katzenberg under the
Counts of Ziegenhain, with its seat at
Ruhlkirchen. The one constant in Ohmes's history during the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
was change, and the village saw a whole series of rulers, from various lords who held the Katzenberg, to the
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...
, to
Hans von Dornberg the
Landgrave of Hesse
The Landgraviate of Hesse (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen) was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed as a single entity from 1264 to 1567, when it was divided among the sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse.
History
In the early Mi ...
, and above all the
Archbishopric of Mainz
The Electorate of Mainz (german: Kurfürstentum Mainz or ', la, Electoratus Moguntinus), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the ...
.
The
German Peasants' War
The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt (german: Deutscher Bauernkrieg) was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It failed because of intense oppositio ...
and the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
took their toll on the village with their
robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...
,
plunder
Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...
ing,
rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...
, mistreatment and widespread destruction, and while the village had 40 households in 1580, by 1630 it had only 33.
In the early 19th century, the village passed from the Archbishopric of Mainz to the Bishopric of
Fulda
Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a town in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the town hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival.
History ...
, remaining with it until 1889. On 1 January 1971, the until then independent municipality of Ohmes was amalgamated with Antrifttal
At about the turn of the 20th century, the Reverend Williges Kraiger had a church with a vestry built by J. Bensheimer from
Dieburg
Dieburg () is a small town in southern Hesse, Germany. It was formerly the seat of the district ("Kreis") of Dieburg, but is now part of the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg.
History
The town of Dieburg was first named in 1492 in the tax books of the ...
. It was consecrated ''"Zur Heiligen Familie von Nazareth"'' ("To the Holy Family of Nazareth"), with Williges as its secondary patron. It cost 35,277 marks.
Vockenrod
Vockenrod was presumably founded along with the hereditary estate of ''Erbleihehof Hermannshain'' in the 12th century, and was first named in a document in 1263. In 1283, it was part of the court district of Katzenberg under the Counts of Ziegenhain. In the late 14th century, Vockenrod and Hermannshain were both destroyed in a dispute between the County of Hessen and the Archbishopric of Mainz, and it was a hundred years before anyone settled there again.
Vockenrod had the same procession of mediaeval rulers as Ohmes (see above). The same wars also wrought heavy destruction on Vockenrod, reducing the village from 20 households in 1580 to only 12 in 1630. Vockenrod likewise also passed to the Bishopric of Fulda in the early 19th century, remaining with it until 1889, and was amalgamated with Antrifttal on the same day as Ohmes.
The church that stands today was built only in 1908 under the leadership of Greifzu, an architect from Mainz (and with significant citizen contributions). It was consecrated ''"Allerheiligsten Jungfrau Maria"'', with
Saint Boniface
Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictines, Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant ...
as its secondary patron. It cost 40,568 marks. Within are to be seen elements of
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
as well as a noteworthy
altar
An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...
bearing, among other things, scenes from Saint Boniface's life.
History
The community came into being only on 1 January 1972 through the amalgamation of four communities in the Katzenberg and Bernsburg.
References
External links
Bilddokumentation Antrifttal-Ruhlkirchen gestern und heute ("yesterday and today")*
{{Authority control
Vogelsbergkreis
Grand Duchy of Hesse