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Spangenberg is a small town in northeastern Hesse, Germany.
The town is known best of all for Spangenberg Castle, built in 1253 and the town's landmark. Also worth seeing are the half-timbered buildings in the Old Town and the remains of the town's old wall, several of whose towers are still standing.
In World War II, Spangenberg Castle was used as a
Heraldry of the World
/ref>
*
Spangenberg
{{Authority control Schwalm-Eder-Kreis
Geography
Spangenberg lies in the Schwalm-Eder district some southeast of Kassel, west of the Stölzinger Gebirge, a low mountain range. Spangenberg is the demographic centrepoint of Germany.History
The town of Spangenberg had its first documented mention in 1261, at about the time when the Treffurt family ruled Spangenberg.Historic sights
The town is known best of all for Spangenberg Castle, built in 1253 and the town's landmark. Also worth seeing are the half-timbered buildings in the Old Town and the remains of the town's old wall, several of whose towers are still standing.
In World War II, Spangenberg Castle was used as a prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...
camp, Oflag IX-A/H. There was a second camp a few miles to the south - Oflag IX-A-Z.
Coat of arms
Spangenberg's civiccoat 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 ...
is based on the town's oldest known seal from 1317. The object on the viewer's right (heraldically speaking, the left, as the shield is considered from the point of view of the bearer) side is a kind of fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
ized plant locally known as a ''Spange'' (also German
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
**Ge ...
for "brooch" or "clip"), the town's namesake. The item on the viewer's left (heraldic right) is half of a wheel. Wheels are common in German civic heraldry, usually indicating some connection to the Archbishopric of Mainz, whose arms include wheels
A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axles, allow heavy objects to b ...
in honor of St. Willigis. The current colours – red and gold – have been in use since 1621./ref>
Constituent communities
In alphabetical order, these are Bergheim, Bischofferode, Elbersdorf, Herlefeld, Kaltenbach, Landefeld, Metzebach, Mörshausen, Nausis, Pfieffe, Schnellrode, Vockerode-Dinkelberg and Weidelbach.Partnerships
Spangenberg maintains partnerships with the following places: *Treffurt
Treffurt () is a small town in the western region of the Wartburgkreis district which belongs to the federal state of Thuringia. The former municipality Ifta was merged into Treffurt in January 2019. The town lies near the Werra and is surrounded ...
, 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 ...
since 1990
* Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron
Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron (, ) is a commune in the French department of Charente-Maritime, southwestern France. It is located on the island of Oléron. As the largest city on the island, it is widely considered to be the island's main city.
Popul ...
, Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...
, 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 ...
since 1997
* Pleszew
Pleszew (; german: Pleschen) is a town in central Poland, in Greater Poland Voivodeship, about 90 km southeast of Poznań. It is the capital of Pleszew County (''powiat pleszewski''). Population is 17,892 (2004).
History
The oldest permanen ...
, Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
since 1997
* Henry II, Landgrave of Hesse
Henry II of Hesse (German: ''Heinrich''), (c. 1299 – 3 June 1376) called "the Iron" was Landgrave of Hesse from 1328–1376.
Henry was the son of Otto I, Landgrave of Hesse
Otto I of Hesse (c. 1272 – 17 January 1328) was Landgrave of ...
(before 1302-1376), Landgraf, resided at Schloss Spangenberg
* Hermann II, Landgrave of Hesse
Hermann II of Hesse (1341 – 24 May 1413) was Landgrave of Hesse from 1376 to 1413.
Hermann II, called "the Scholar", was born in 1345 in Burg Grebenstein (de) (Grebenstein castle), the son of Louis the Junker. Louis the Junker was a son of Ot ...
(1341-1413), Landgraf, resided at the castle
* William I, Landgrave of Lower Hesse
William I of Hesse (german: Wilhelm) (4 July 1466 – 8 February 1515) was the Landgrave of Hesse (Lower Hesse) from 1471 to 1493.
His parents were Louis the Frank (1438–1471) and Mechthild, daughter of Count Louis I of Württemberg. On 17 F ...
(1466-1515), Landgraf, died at Schloss Spangenberg
* Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse (1504-1567), Landgraf, lived at Schloss Spangenberg
* William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
William IV of Hesse-Kassel (24 June 153225 August 1592), also called ''William the Wise'', was the first Landgrave of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel). He was the founder of the oldest line, which survives to this day.
Life
Lan ...
(1532-1592), Landgraf, gave the castle its present form
* Margarethe von der Saale (1522-1566), sister of Philip the Magnanimous, lived in the castle seat, her grave is in the city church of St. John
* Hans Wilhelm Kirchhof (1525-1605), Burggraf on Schloss Spangenberg
* Michael Rutschky (born 1943), writer, grew up in Spangenberg
References
External links
Spangenberg
{{Authority control Schwalm-Eder-Kreis