Eissen is a

Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...

n village with 718 inhabitants in

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

and part of the town of

Willebadessen Willebadessen () is a town in Höxter district and Detmold region in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Location Willebadessen lies on the eastern edge of the Eggegebirge (the southern extension of the Teutoburg Forest) about 25&n ...

, district

Höxter Höxter () is a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany on the left bank of the river Weser, 52 km north of Kassel. It lies the heart of the Weser Uplands, and is the seat of the Höxter district. The district of Höxter has a popul ...

in the

administrative region Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

Detmold Detmold () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of . It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947. Today it is the administrative center of ...

Name

Eissen has passed through a long evolution. Starting in the early Middle Ages with ''Aieshusun'' (the ending -husun points to

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

time) during the High Middle Ages' name ''Heisten'' to today 's form Eissen. * Aieshusun * (Villa) Aeissun, Agissun, Agissen * Heisten * Eysne, Eyessen, Eisne, Eisenen, Eyhsen, Eihsen, Eißen * Eissen Concerning the meaning of each name there are different theories, but none of them is proven: * ''Aeissun'' should descend to ''Asigsheim''. Asig should be thereby a dependence to the Germanic gods family of the

Æsir Æsir (Old Norse; singular: ) or ēse (Old English; singular: ) are deities, gods in Germanic paganism. In Old Nordic religion and Nordic mythology, mythology, the precise meaning of the term "" is debated, as it can refer either to the gods i ...

, wherefore Eissen should be named as a holy place. Following this theory, the meadow name ''Hibbeke'' means ''Hillige-Bicke'' (holy bicke). Indeed, the denotation Asigsheim/Eissen was not found in any deed, although the ending -heim points to Frankish time, furthermore no archaeological evidence was found. * In the old Saxon language Ey (Ei) denotes a place which is located in a damp and watery terrain, or rather sticks out of such a terrain as a dry landmass. Eissen is surrounded in the north by a watery terrain at the source pond / Hibbeke pond and the Siek creek, in the west by the Eggel river and in the south by the millstream. Consequently, the name could mean that Eissen sticks out of a damp and watery terrain.

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

was designed and introduced in 1996. Initiated by the

St. Liborius Liborius of Le Mans (c. 348–397) was the second Bishop of Le Mans. He is the patron saint of the cathedral and archdiocese of Paderborn in Germany. The year of his birth is unknown; he died in 397, reputedly on 23 July. Le Mans and Paderborn A ...

Schützenverein A Schützenverein (German for "marksmen's club") is a local voluntary association found in German-speaking countries revolving around shooting as a sport, often target shooting to Olympic rules or with historic weapons. Although originating as ...

, the coat of arms itself should integrate the so-called ''Taufsteinwappen'', an old coat of arms on the church's

baptismal font A baptismal font is an Church architecture, ecclesiastical architectural element, which serves as a receptacle for baptismal water used for baptism, as a part of Christian initiation for both rites of Infant baptism, infant and Believer's bapti ...

, and symbols that represent the patron Saint Liborius. The ''Taufsteinwappen'', placed in the bottom part's centre, is headed by the lettering "1080", because for that year a monastery farm of

Corvey Abbey The Princely Abbey of Corvey ( or ) is a former Benedictine abbey and ecclesiastical principality now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was one of the half-dozen self-ruling '' princely abbeys'' of the Holy Roman Empire from the Late Middl ...

is proven for the first time in Eissen. The Latin words "Villa Aeissun" at the bottom belong to a deed which was written in the monastery of

Helmarshausen Helmarshausen is a village and a part (''Stadtteil'') of the town of Bad Karlshafen in Hesse, central Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North ...

. In this deed Eissen was mentioned. In the middle part are three green bows, which point to the chaplet of

tilia ''Tilia'' is a genus of about 30 species of trees or bushes, native throughout most of the temperateness, temperate Northern Hemisphere. The tree is known as linden for the European species, and basswood for North American species. In Great Bri ...

which is found in front of Eissen's church.

Geography

Geographical position

Eissen is located at the northern border of the Warburger Börde at a gently inclined place. While the railway station is at an altitude of 221 metres, the Eissener Höhe in the north between Peckelsheim and Eissen rises to 247 metres. To the south of the railway station the terrain falls as far as the church and further to the lower village. In the southwest a volcanic hill rises up 250 metres, the ''Hüssenberg''.

Neighbouring places

To the northwest lies Peckelsheim, to the north Schweckhausen, Willegassen and Schönthal, to the east

Borgentreich Borgentreich () is a municipality in the Höxter district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Borgentreich lies roughly 20 km south of Brakel and 10 km northeast of Warburg. The constituent community of Borgholz lies on t ...

, to the southeast Lütgeneder, to the south Großender, to the southwest Engar and Deppenhöfen and to the west Löwen.

History

* Between 1001 and 1010 ''Aieshusun'' is mentioned in the beneficence register of the free

Reichsabt Princely abbeys (, ''Fürststift'') and Imperial abbeys (, ''Reichskloster'', ''Reichsstift'', ''Reichsgotthaus'') were religious establishments within the Holy Roman Empire which enjoyed the status of imperial immediacy (''Reichsunmittelbarke ...

Corvey The Princely Abbey of Corvey ( or ) is a former Benedictine abbey and ecclesiastical principality now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was one of the half-dozen self-ruling '' princely abbeys'' of the Holy Roman Empire from the Late Middl ...

. * About the year 1080 a monastery farm is listed in a deed of Corvey Abbey. * Between 1000 and 1100 a stone church was built, sanctified to Saint Liborius. This was an initiative of the

diocese of Paderborn The Prince-Bishopric of Paderborn () was an ecclesiastical principality (Hochstift) of the Holy Roman Empire from 1281 to 1802. History The Diocese of Paderborn was founded in 799 by Pope Leo III. In the early years it was subordinated to t ...

. The church became a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

and Eissen a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

. * 1447

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

n mercenaries on their way back from the siege of Soest destroyed the village Sunrike between Eissen and Borgentreich. * 1632 troops from

Hesse-Kassel The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (), spelled Hesse-Cassel during its entire existence, also known as the Hessian Palatinate (), was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. The state was created in 1567 when the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided upon t ...

(or Hesse-Cassel) marauded the area around Borgentreich and Eissen. * 1640 the imperial main army with

Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria (5 January 1614 – 20 November 1662), younger brother of Emperor Ferdinand III, was an Austrian soldier, administrator and patron of the arts. He held a number of military commands, with limited success, a ...

and

Ottavio Piccolomini Ottavio Piccolomini, 1st Duke of Amalfi (11 November 1599 – 11 August 1656) was an Italian nobleman whose military career included service as a Spanish general and then as a field marshal of the Holy Roman Empire. Early life Piccolomini was ...

moved into wintering grounds in the

Fürst ' (, female form ', plural '; from Old High German ', "the first", a translation of the Latin ') is a German language, German word for a ruler as well as a princely title. ' were, starting in the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ...

-diocese of

Paderborn Paderborn (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Patterbuorn'', also ''Paterboärn'') is a city in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn (district), Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pade ...

. The result was famine, diseases, epidemics and death in the whole region. * 1641–1647 the region around

Warburg Warburg (; Westphalian: ''Warberich'' or ''Warborg'') is a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, central Germany on the river Diemel near the three-state point shared by Hessen, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. It is in Höxter distr ...

is occupied by troops from Hesse-Kassel. * From 1756 during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

repeated hostilities occur in the region around Warburg. * From December 1758 until Easter 1759 four escadrons participate in the Seven Years' War, hessian

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

s quartered in Eissen and neighbouring places. * Between autumn 1760 and early summer 1761 42 inhabitants of Eissen (about 12% of all inhabitants) die because of the consequences of the war. * 1812 four forced recruited inhabitants of Eissen do not come back from Russia with

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

s "

Grande Armée The (; ) was the primary field army of the French Imperial Army (1804–1815), French Imperial Army during the Napoleonic Wars. Commanded by Napoleon, from 1804 to 1808 it won a series of military victories that allowed the First French Empi ...

". * 1871 one inhabitant does not come back from the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

, three more die later, probably because of their injuries. * From October 1, 1876, Eissen is connected by its own station on the

Holzminden–Scherfede railway The Holzminden–Scherfede railway was a 49 km long main line from Holzminden to Scherfede (now part of Warburg) in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia that connected the Altenbeken–Kreiensen railway with the Upper Ruhr Valley Railwa ...

. * On May 6, 1879 47 buildings in Eissen burn down within 20 minutes. * In 1898 a ''kornhaus'' is built (similar to a granary) as a result of a Prussion law * On December 18, 1898 41 citizens found the '' Eissener Spar- und Darlehnskassenverein eGmbH'', which was merged in 1962 with the ''Spar- und Darlehnskasse Peckelsheim''. 1973; it merged again with ''Volkbank Paderborn'' which closed the subsidiary in 2001. * Between 1912 and 1914 the church was rebuilt and enlarged. * After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

30 inhabitants did not return. * After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

71 inhabitants did not return. * At April 1, 1945 a German

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

entrenched themselves at the village's southern border. Therefore, US units advancing from Hohenwepel found the village ripe for attack. The church and ''Kornhaus'' were heavily damaged, 47 properties totally destroyed. A lot of Eissen is heavily damaged but only two inhabitants are injured. 14 German and 3 American soldiers are dead, 65 soldiers of the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

were captured, the rest dropped off along the railway to Borgholz. * In 1975 Eissen lost its autonomy and became a part of Willebadessen. This was because of reorganisation in North Rhine-Westphalia. * On June 2, 1984, passenger train traffic was discontinued.

Demographics

With 780 inhabitants, Eissen is the third largest locality in the municipal area of Willebadessen. In the year 1760 the population of Eissen amounted to 360 inhabitants. Between 1818 and 1890, 110 inhabitants emigrated, most of them to the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

and the

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the union of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into one sovereign state, established by the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801. It continued in this form until ...

, but also to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

Religion

The biggest religion is the Catholic Church of St. Liborius, counting 649 members, which belongs to the parish cluster Willebadessen-Peckelsheim. The church is part of the

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of ...

in the

Archdiocese of Paderborn The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Paderborn () is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Germany; its seat is Paderborn.

. The Lutherans belongs to the Lutheran Church of Peckelsheim.

Politics

Since the rearrangement of the townships in North Rhine-Westphalia in 1975, Eissen is no more an independent community. Eissen now belongs to the municipal area of Willebadessen and is represented on

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

by one direct member. Since the last local election in September 2004, three people from Eissen are members of the city council ( CDU: 2,

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( , SPD ) is a social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the party's leader since the 2019 leadership election together wi ...

:1).

Economy and Infrastructure

Economy

Eissen is agricultural and craftsmanship. In the village there are some small craftmans' establishments, service companies and businesses concerning the fields of metal working, construction, wood and food. Located at the edge of the fertile plain "Warburger Börde", in relation to other German regions, farming has a slightly major role, but concentration in this sector is also ongoing. Organic farming has a superior quota of the farmed cropland and provides additional jobs in labour-intensive areas. Many of the Eisseners are working in the cities Warburg,

Brakel Brakel may refer to: ;Places * Brakel, Belgium, East Flanders, Belgium * Brakel, Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany * Brakel (Gelderland), Gelderland, Netherlands * Brakel (North Brabant), North Brabant, Netherlands ;Other uses * Wilhelmus � ...

, Höxter and

Beverungen Beverungen () is a town in Höxter district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Location Beverungen lies in the Weser Uplands on the side of the Weser opposite Solling roughly south of Höxter. In parts of the eastern municipal ar ...

Transportation

Via the state route L763 toward Peckelsheim, Eissen is connected to federal route B 252. In the other direction, the L763 leads to Borgentreich, where access is provided to the B 241.

Warburg station The Warburg station ( or ''Bf Warburg (Westf)'') is located on the north-eastern edge of the German town of Warburg. The station was built in 1852 and 1853. Warburg and Minden stations are the last stations from the early railway history of th ...

and

Paderborn Central Station Paderborn Hauptbahnhof (English: Paderborn Main Station) is the main passenger station in the city of Paderborn in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the Hamm–Warburg line, part of the ''Mid-Germany Connection'' from ...

are served by Intercity services, Willebadessen and

station are served by

Regionalbahn The ''Regionalbahn'' (; lit. Regional train; abbreviated ''RB'') is a train categories in Europe, type of Regional rail, local passenger train (stopping train) in Germany. It is similar to the Regionalzug (R) and Regio (Swiss railway train), R ...

trains.

Paderborn Lippstadt Airport Paderborn Lippstadt Airport (German: ''Flughafen Paderborn Lippstadt'') is a minor international airport in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe area in the Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Despite its name, the airport is actually located nea ...

is 50 km distant.

Culture and sights

Regular Events

* Easter fire on

Holy Saturday Holy Saturday (), also known as Great and Holy Saturday, Low Saturday, the Great Sabbath, Hallelujah Saturday, Saturday of the Glory, Easter Eve, Joyous Saturday, the Saturday of Light, Good Saturday, or Black Saturday, among other names, is t ...

by the

KLJB KLJB (channel 18) is a television station licensed to Davenport, Iowa, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the Quad Cities area. It is owned by Mission Broadcasting, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Nexsta ...

* Sports meeting by the sport club SV Germania Eissen 1920 e. V. at the beginning of May *

Schützenfest A Schützenfest (, '' marksmen's festival'') is a traditional festival or fair featuring a target shooting competition in the cultures of Switzerland, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. At a Schützenfest, contestants compete based on thei ...

by the St. Liborius-Schützenverein Eissen at the third weekend of July * Hüssenbergparty by the KLJB in the middle of August

Clubs

* Rambling Club EGV-Wanderverein Eissen, founded 1986 * Parents' initiative Hüssenbergnest e. V. founded 1993 * Catholic Women Community of Germany / Katholische Frauengemeinschaft Deutschlands (kfd) Eissen, yore club of mothers / Mütterverein, founded c. 1930 * Volunteer fire department Eissen, founded 1911 * Choral society ''Eintracht Eissen'', founded 1893, disbanded 1953, refounded 1989 * KLJB Eissen, founded 1953, refounded 1967 * Motorcycle friends Eissen * Sports club SV Germania Eissen 1920 e. V., founded 1920 * Tennis club TC Blau Weiß Eissen, founded 1976 * Carnival club VEK - Vereinigte Eissener Karnevalisten, founded 1984, resolved 2005 * St. Liborius Schützenverein Eissen, founded 1953

Literature

''Aieshusun - Aeissun - Eysnen - Eissen Bild unserer Heimat'', Released by St. Liborius-Schützenverein Eissen ''Selbstverlag/NEWSPOINT-Medienservice Uwe Rottkamp, Bad Salzuflen 2003''

References

External links

Eissen
(German) {{authority control Villages in North Rhine-Westphalia