Altastenberg
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Altastenberg is a village in the borough of
Winterberg Winterberg ( Westphalian: ''Winnenmerg'') is a town in the Hochsauerland district of North Rhine-Westphalia, central Germany and a major winter sport resort of the Wintersport Arena Sauerland. Geography Winterberg is located in the middle of ...
in
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...
,
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 ...
. It is a state-recognised
spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...
, is classed as one of the mountain villages in the borough and, at just under 800 m. above NN, is also the highest village in the
Sauerland The Sauerland () is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the south-eastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, in parts heavily forested and, apart from the major valleys, sparsely inhabited. The Sauerland is the largest tourist region in ...
.


Geography

Altastenberg lies in the Hochsauerland district about 2 km northwest of the
Kahler Asten Kahler may refer to: Places *Kahler, Luxembourg, a small town in the commune of Garnich *Kahler Asten, a German mountain range Other uses *Kahler (surname) *Kahler's disease, a cancer otherwise known as ''multiple myeloma'' *Kahler Tremolo System, ...
(841,9 m) and only a little west of the
Bremberg Bremberg is a municipality in the district of Rhein-Lahn, in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in ...
(809 m), about 5 km ( as the crow flies) west of Winterberg and between the sources and upper reaches of the river Lenne to the south and the
Neger The ''Neger'' (German for ''Negro'') was a torpedo-carrying craft generally described as a human torpedo which could not submerge, but was difficult to see during night operations. The vessel was used by Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' between ...
to the northwest. It is located near the crest of the
Rothaargebirge The Rothaar Mountains (german: Rothaargebirge, , also ''Rotlagergebirge''), or Rothaar, is a low mountain range reaching heights of up to 843.1 m in North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse, Germany. It is believed that its name must once have been ...
mountain range, along which part of the Rhine-Weser watershed runs.


History

The village, originally called ''Lichtenscheid'' according to early descriptions of land ownership, was established around 1540 by
Johann von Hanxleden Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name ''Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Gracious" ...
, when he settled charcoal burners and herdsmen there. This resulted in conflict with the townsfolk of Winterberg who had a claim to the land. Right up to the end of the Electorate of Cologne, which ruled the region, the Count of Waldeck claimed the right at least to levy taxes in the ''Lichtenscheid'' area, if not to rule it directly, because he had rented the land to Hanxleden. Around 1600 the village fell within the jurisdiction of the court at Oberkirchen, whose presiding judge was Kaspar von Fürstenberg at that time. Around 1563 the village probably had three farms. This number steadily increased to six in 1600, ten in 1630 and fourteen in 1720. In 1630 four witches were prosecuted and executed by burning. Up to 1785 the village was within the parish of Winterberg St James (''St. Jakobus''). Their dead were buried in the churchyard of the Winterberg parish church. In 1729 it is noted in the parish records of Winterberg St James that every farmer had to provide a sled load of wood to the vicar annually. On delivery they would receive a mug of beer, a little bread and butter and hay for the horses. Since the 18th century there had only been a chapel at Altastenberg until a new church was built in 1971/72. From the 18th century the village was called Altastenberg ("Old Astenberg") to distinguish it from a newly established village south of the Kahler Asten which was named Neuastenberg ("New Astenberg"). The early inhabitants of the Altastenberg were herdsmen, charcoal burners and cart drivers. The manufacture and sale of wooden articles for itinerant tradesmen and work in the slate mines in the neighbouring village of Nordenau offered modest secondary income for the poor farmers.


Tourism

Today tourism is the main source of income in Altastenberg. The village is well known for its winter sport facilities. It is only a few hundred metres to the nearby skiing complex known as the
Skiliftkarussell Winterberg Skiliftkarussell Winterberg is one of the major ski resorts in central Germany. It is located near the town of Winterberg in the Hochsauerland region in North Rhine-Westphalia. As an international destination, popular especially with skiers from ...
. Immediately at the entrance to the village there are
ski lift A ski lift is a mechanism for transporting skiers up a hill. Ski lifts are typically a paid service at ski resorts. The first ski lift was built in 1908 by German Robert Winterhalder in Schollach/Eisenbach, Hochschwarzwald. Types * Aerial l ...
s, a
langlauf Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...
trail (''
Loipe A cross-country skiing trail or ''loipe''From german: Loipe or ''Langlaufloipe'', pl. –''n'', ''loipe'' is a loanword in English-language travel guides, referring to cross-country ski trails in Europe. It is a Germanization of the Norwegian langu ...
'') and a ski jump (the ''Westfalenschanze''). The so-called ''Sahnehang'' slopes are used in winter by skiers, snowboarders and tobogganists. In summer, too, the village is popular because it offers other sport and leisure facilities. The surrounding area is ideal for walking and hiking. Altastenberg lies on the Rothaarsteig long-distance hiking trail which runs over the Kahler Asten. There is also a one kilometre-long mountain bike arena for cyclists which has routes with various degrees of difficulty.


Politics

Parish council chairman since 2007: Jörg Burmann (SPD), Local history curator: Hermann Pfennig (CDU)


Sources

*Klaus Hamper: Winterberg Hochsauerland. Landschaft Geschichte Brauchtum, Winterberg (ca. 1967). *Elisabeth Hanschmidt/Paul Aust: Winterberg mit den Dörfern am Kahlen Asten, Münster 1992. *Alfred Bruns: Die Oberkirchener Hexenprotokolle, in: Hexen – Gerichtsbarkeit im kurkönischen Sauerland, Schmallenberg-Holthausen 1984.


External links


Homepage von Altastenberg
{{authority control Villages in North Rhine-Westphalia