Neufrankenroda is a district of the rural community of

Hörsel The Hörsel () is a long river in Thuringia, Germany, right tributary of the Werra. It is formed by the confluence of two smaller rivers in Leinatal, at the northern edge of the Thuringian Forest. The Hörsel flows generally northwest through the ...

in the district of

Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...

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 larg ...

, Germany.

Location

Neufrankenroda lies on a long, flat hill, (390 m above sea level) that separates the valley of the

from the lower lying valley of the Nesse. It is about 7 Kilometers north-west of the town of Gotha.

History

The rual area and farmland may have been inhabited since pre-historic times. It was first mentioned in a document in 1104. Its name is reminiscent of the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

, who lived there in the Early Middle Ages. Ownership of the farmlands often changed hands during the Middle Ages. In 1677, Duke Friedrich I of Gotha bought the place from the lords of Erffa and built a country estate. By the late 18th century, the area of Neufrankenroda was formed as a colony to help poor farmers and foresters live a more productive life. After the Second World War, Neufrankenroda first became state property of the

Soviet Zone of Occupation The Soviet Occupation Zone ( or german: Ostzone, label=none, "East Zone"; , ''Sovetskaya okkupatsionnaya zona Germanii'', "Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany") was an area of Germany in Central Europe that was occupied by the Soviet Union as a c ...

. It later became state property of the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

(DDR). During this time, the place gained some notoriety for its fruit growing and various horticultural breeding attempts. The so-called "Black Rose" was bred in Neufrankenroda and sold as an export good to various European countries. In the 1960s, several paved concrete roads were built connecting the Russian military bases near Gotha and the training area of the Kindel military airfield

Christian community

Even during the DDR Regime, the

German Protestant Church The Evangelical Church in Germany (german: Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland, abbreviated EKD) is a federation of twenty Lutheran, Reformed (Calvinist) and United (e.g. Prussian Union) Protestant regional churches and denominations in Germany ...

was already interested in the isolated location in order to build a Christian-style residential complex. Since the

German Reunification German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...

, the Neufrankenroda settlement has been the center of the evangelical family community SILOAH. The

Royal Rangers Assemblies of God youth organizations include two youth organizations operating under the auspices of the Assemblies of God, the Royal Rangers and the Mpact Girls Clubs (formerly known as the Missionettes). Royal Rangers Royal Rangers is an adve ...

, a Christian

scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

organization, has had several of their 'Bundescamps' (Federal Camps or Jamborees) set up on the grounds of Neufrankenroda. In 1997, the first Post-Reunification German 'Bundescamp' took place under the motto “Gemeinsam (Together)” in Neufrankenroda with 3,800 participants from 150 regular posts. In 2005 more than 10,000 Ranger participants came to the 2005 'Bundescamp' under the motto “Entscheidungen (Decision)”, which again took place in Neufrankenroda, (which required over 45 hectares of camping space). This made it the largest scout camp in Germany after the Second World War and the largest Royal Rangers camp in the world at the time. This was clearly exceeded again in August 2014 with the 'Bundescamp' under the motto “Aufbruch (Startup)”, when 14,800 registered Royal Rangers gathered on the site, which required over 65 hectares of camping space, with a temporary stadium being built for the evening programs. Highlights of Royal Ranger Bundescamp 2014 in Neufrankenroda (YouTube):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FfjiU2BJko

External links

{{coord, 50, 57, 54, N, 10, 34, 16, E, display=title, region:DE_type:city Municipalities in Thuringia