Felsberg is a town in the

Schwalm-Eder Schwalm-Eder is an electoral constituency (German: ''Wahlkreis'') represented in the Bundestag. It elects one member via first-past-the-post voting. Under the current constituency numbering system, it is designated as constituency 170. It is locate ...

district about south of Kassel.

Geography

The landscape around Felsberg is marked by hills and small lakes, as well as the remains of gravel

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envir ...

ing. As part of the

West Hesse Depression The West Hesse Depression (german: Westhessische Senke) is part of the West Hesse Highlands and Lowlands region in the north of the German state of Hesse. Like the East Hesse Depression, it is a series of separate depressions that form a natural c ...

, it lies in a sunken area that was formed by

volcanic activity Volcanism, vulcanism or volcanicity is the phenomenon of eruption of molten rock (magma) onto the surface of the Earth or a solid-surface planet or moon, where lava, pyroclastics, and volcanic gases erupt through a break in the surface called a ...

in the Tertiary subera. The change from partly

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...

ic hills to smooth river valleys is striking. While the river valleys are covered by fluvial sediments, fertile loess beds can be found higher up. The river Eder flows through Felsberg's municipal area. Near Gensungen lies the Heiligenberg ("Holy Mountain") with the ruins of the Heiligenburg Castle.

Constituent communities

The town consists of 15 communities: Altenbrunslar, Altenburg, Beuern, Böddiger, Gensungen, Helmshausen, Hesserode, Heßlar, Hilgershausen, Lohre, Melgershausen, Neuenbrunslar, Niedervorschütz, Rhünda and Wolfershausen together with the historic Felsberg, to which the other, formerly independent communities were amalgamated on 1 January 1974.

History

There were settlers in the Felsberg region, as long ago as the last

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...

, as witnessed by the find of the 12,000-year-old, so-called Rhünda Skull. In the 1st Century AD, the Felsberg area was inhabited by the

Chatti The Chatti (also Chatthi or Catti) were an ancient Germanic tribe whose homeland was near the upper Weser (''Visurgis''). They lived in central and northern Hesse and southern Lower Saxony, along the upper reaches of that river and in the va ...

, a

Germanic tribe This list of ancient Germanic peoples is an inventory of ancient Germanic cultures, tribal groupings and other alliances of Germanic tribes and civilisations in ancient times. The information comes from various ancient historical documents, beginn ...

. The only mention of the area from this time is a report by the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

about one of Germanicus's campaigns, when in the year 15 he destroyed

Mattium Mattium was the ancient "capital" or principal settlement (Latin: "caput gentis") of the Chatti. Its exact location is unknown, though following the description of Tacitus it is generally assumed to be somewhere in the wider neighbourhood of Fritz ...

(probably nowadays Maden), the Chatti's capital. In the 8th Century, the Felsberg region was part of the

Frankish Empire Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks du ...

, and this is when the town was first mentioned in documents. It was also at this time that Christian

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

work was being carried out in the area by Saint Boniface, who in 723 felled

Thor's Oak Donar's Oak (also Thor's Oak or, via ''interpretatio romana'', Jove's Oak) was a sacred tree of the Germanic pagans located in an unclear location around what is now the region of Hesse, Germany. According to the 8th century ''Vita Bonifatii auct ...

near Fritzlar, about west of Felsberg, thereby starting the

Christianization Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...

of the peoples of northern Germany. Within the town's municipal area lie the ruins of three castles; the Felsburg, the Altenburg, in the constituent community of the same name, and the Heiligenburg Castle, above the constituent community of Gensungen, on the river Eder's opposite bank. The town is thus sometimes known as the ''Drei-Burgen-Stadt'' ("Three-Castle Town"). The castles were built in 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 ...

for their strategic locations, during the feud between the Archbishopric of Mainz and the

Landgraviate of Thuringia The Duchy of Thuringia was an eastern frontier march of the Merovingian kingdom of Austrasia, established about 631 by King Dagobert I after his troops had been defeated by the forces of the Slavic confederation of Samo at the Battle of Wogastis ...

, or

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...

. The Heiligenburg Castle belonged to Mainz. Both the Felsburg and the Altenburg, only apart, are distinguished by their

butter-churn tower A butter-churn tower (german: Butterfassturm) is a two-part defensive tower in which the upper section has a smaller width than the lower section. This design provides a ledge or fighting platform about half-way up that acts as a chemin de rond ...

s. The ''Salzstraße'' ("Salt Road") ran through Felsberg from the river

Werra The Werra (), a river in central Germany, is the right-bank headwater of the Weser. "Weser" is a synonym in an old dialect of German. The Werra has its source near Eisfeld in southern Thuringia. After the Werra joins the river Fulda in the ...

, where the

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

was mined, to the

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

. In 1090, Felsberg was mentioned in a Mainz document under the name ''Velisberc'', and again under the same name in 1209 in a good's directory from the Petrus Estate in Fritzlar. Felsberg's first documentary mention as a town came in 1286. The historic town core was once surrounded by an 830m-long town wall, only parts of which are preserved today. A house of Premonstratensian canonesses, the Eppenberg Priory, was established here in about 1217, on the Eppenberg in Gensungen. This was dissolved in 1438, and rebuilt as a

Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians ( la, Ordo Cartusiensis), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has i ...

monastery, Eppenberg Charterhouse, which was secularised in 1527. In 1526, Felsberg became

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...

under Philip the Magnanimous, after a resolution by the Homberg Synod. The

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

brought widespread destruction to Felsberg. In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, Felsberg was heavily damaged by aerial bombardment and the destruction of the Edertal Dam.

Politics

The town council has 37 members. The last two municipal elections gave the following results: , - ! ! style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", 2006 ! style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", 2011 , - ! Parties ! Votes % ! Seats ! Votes % ! Seats , - , style="text-align:left;" , Social Democratic Party (SPD) , 53.9 , 20 , 50.3 , 19 , - , style="text-align:left;" , Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 23.8 , 9 , 21.6 , 8 , - , style="text-align:left;" , Alliance 90/The Greens , 6.4 , 2 , 14.5 , 5 , - , style="text-align:left;" , Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 5.7 , 2 , 4.9 , 2 , - , style="text-align:left;" , Free Voters (FWG) , 5.0 , 2 , 4.4 , 2 , - , style="text-align:left;" , Die Freien Bürger (DFB) , 5.2 , 2 , 4.4 , 1 , - ! style="text-align:left;" , Total ! style="text-align:right;" , 100 ! style="text-align:right;" , 37 ! style="text-align:right;" , 100 ! style="text-align:right;" , 37 The town executive (''Magistrat'') consists of 14 councillors and the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

. Of those, 8 seats are held by the

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been t ...

, 3 by the CDU and one seat each by the Alliance 90/The Greens, the FDP and the FWG. The last three elected

s were: Klaus Stiegel was mayor of Felsberg for 24 years.

Coat of arms

The town's civic

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

has been known since 1570, when it was displayed at the Schloss Rotenburg (a stately home in

Rotenburg an der Fulda Rotenburg an der Fulda (officially ''Rotenburg a.d. Fulda'') is a town in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany lying, as the name says, on the river Fulda. Geography Location The town lies south of the Stölzinger Geb ...

, built by Landgrave Ludwig II in 1540). It was also published in the ''Hessisches Wappenbuch'' ("Hessian Arms Book") by Wilhelm Wessel in 1633. Wappen Felsberg (Hessen)

Heraldically, the arms might be described thus: Party per pale gules and argent, thereover a bend sinister vert, therein three trefoils argent.

Town partnerships

Felsberg is twinned with the following towns: * Vernouillet,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Cheddar Cheddar most often refers to either: *Cheddar cheese *Cheddar, Somerset, the village after which Cheddar cheese is named Cheddar may also refer to: Places * Cheddar, Ontario, Canada * Cheddar Yeo, a river which flows through Cheddar Gorge and t ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

It also has friendship agreements with these places: * Felsberg, a constituent community of

Überherrn Überherrn is a municipality in the district of Saarlouis, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated along the river Bist on the border with France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western ...

Saarland The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and ...

Felsberg Felsberg (german: rock hill, link=no) may refer to: * Felsberg, Hessen, a town in Schwalm-Eder-Kreis, Hessen, Germany * , a part of Überherrn, Landkreis Saarlouis, Saarland, Germany * Felsberg (Odenwald), a mountain in the Odenwald hills, Landk ...

, Graubünden, Switzerland *

Dingelstädt Dingelstädt is a town in the district of Eichsfeld in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the upper course of the river Unstrut, south of Leinefelde-Worbis and northwest of Mühlhausen. The former municipalities Helmsdorf, Kefferhausen, ...

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...

Personalities

Benjamin Bramer Benjamin Bramer (15 February 1588 – 17 March 1652) was a German mathematician, architect, inventor, and adviser. Early life Bramer was born on 15 February 1588 in Felsberg, Germany to a Protestant minister father. The minister later died when ...

(1588-1652), artist, architect, builder, geodesist, mathematician *

Egbert Hayessen Egbert Hayessen (28 December 1913 – 15 August 1944) was a German resistance fighter in the struggle against Adolf Hitler, and a major in the army. Born in Eisleben, Hayessen grew up on the Hessian state domain of Mittelhof near Felsberg-Gens ...

, (1913-1944), resistance fighter against the

Third Reich Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

Harold Goldsmith Harold David Goldsmith (born Hans Goldschmidt), known as Hal (July 20, 1930 – March 13, 2004) was an American Olympic foil and epee fencer. Early and personal life Goldsmith was born in Gensungen, Felsberg, Hessen, Germany, and was Jew ...

, born Hans Goldschmidt (1930–2004), American Olympic foil and épée fencer *

Günter Böttcher Günter Böttcher (24 July 1954 – 4 October 2012) was a West German handball player who competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics. In 1976 he was a part of the West German team which finished fourth in the Olympic tournament. He played in all six ...

(1954-2012), German handball player, coach and university lecturer

References

External links

{{Authority control Schwalm-Eder-Kreis