Lauterbach () is a town in the Vogelsbergkreis district of the federal state of Hesse in central Germany. In 1983, the town hosted the 23rd '' Hessentag'' state festival.

History

Lauterbach was founded between 400 and 800 AD. In 812 the town was mentioned for the first time in a document of the church in Schlitz. In the Middle Ages, Lauterbach belonged to the cloister in Fulda. Then in the 12th century Lauterbach became a fief of the count Ziegenhein from the cloister in Fulda. In 1266, Lauterbach received municipal rights. In the same year, Lauterbach started to build the castle (Burg) and the city wall. Over the following centuries, ownership rights of Lauterbach changed often and were complicated. Lauterbach became Lutheran following the Reformation. With a pact in 1684, Lauterbach came under the control of the Riedesel zu Eisenbach ( Riedesel). Up to 1806, the Riedesels had a small but independent territory. Following the Napoleonic Wars and Congress of Vienna, Lauterbach belonged to the grand duchy of Hesse. In 1852, Lauterbach became the seat of the new founded district (''Kreis'') of Lauterbach. In 1972, local governments were re-organized, and the new, larger district Vogelsberg was founded of which Lauterbach remains the seat of government.

Villages that belong to Lauterbach

In 1972, several villages were incorporated into the town of Lauterbach:

Allmenrod Allmenrod is a small village in north Hesse (Germany) with a population of 350 (2003). It is a part of Lauterbach. History In books Allmenrod was first mentioned in 1131. The first official documents about the population in the town were found ...

, Frischborn, Heblos, Maar, Reuters, Rimlos, Rudlos, Sickendorf, Wallenrod and Wernges.

Features

Ankerturm The 'Ankerturm' is the only remaining tower of the city wall. It was used to be an observation tower. Temporarily it was also used as a prison. Lauterbacher beer Lauterbacher beer is the oldest beer in Hesse. The brand has existed since 1527. Schrittsteine (Stepping stones) The stepping stones were used as a shortcut to get to the local water fountain. Hainigturm The

Hainigturm The Hainigturm is a tower and tourist attraction in the Vogelsbergkeis, (Hesse, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Rus ...

is a tower between Lauterbach and

Angersbach {{Unreferenced, date=December 2009 Angersbach, originally Angerspah, is an Old Hessian surname. All living members of this family are perhaps descendants of the noble family von Angersbach. Meaning of the name is as follows: ''Anger'' = grass c ...

. This tourist attraction was built in 1907.

Gallery

Image:Lat Ankerturm.jpg, The 'Ankerturm', a tower in Lauterbach Image:Lat Schrittsteine.jpg, Stepping stones File:Lauterbach (DerHexer) WLMMH 66026 2011-09-17 03.jpg, Cultural heritage monument in Lauterbach

People born in Lauterbach

* Friedrich Adolph Riedesel (born June 3, 1738, died January 6, 1800 in Braunschweig) – general who commanded a Brunswick regiment on behalf of the British during the American Revolutionary War *

Fritz Selbmann Friedrich Wilhelm "Fritz" Selbmann (29 September 1899 – 26 January 1975) was a German Communist politician and writer who served as a member of the national parliament (Reichstag) during 1932/33. He spent the twelve Nazi years first in pris ...

(born September 29, 1899, died January 26, 1975 in Berlin) – writer, minister and official member of the party in the GDR * John Rock (born Johann Fels August 19, 1836, died August 9, 1904) – founder of the California Nursery Company in San Jose, California

People who lived in Lauterbach

Peter Andreas Grünberg Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

(born 18 May 1939 in Pilsen), won the nobel prize for physics in 2007. He spent his childhood and youth in Lauterbach. In 1959 he graduated from the Alexander-von-Humboldt- Gymnasium.

References

External links

Home page of Lauterbach'Hohhaus' museum LauterbachOver 900 old and new pictures of Lauterbach
{{Authority control Vogelsbergkreis Grand Duchy of Hesse