Eschwege (), the district seat of the

Werra-Meißner-Kreis Werra-Meißner is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the north of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Göttingen, Eichsfeld, Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis, Wartburgkreis, district-free Eisenach, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Schwalm-Eder-Kreis, Kassel. History The di ...

, is a town in northeastern

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. In 1971, the town hosted the eleventh '' Hessentag'' state festival.

Geography

Location

The town lies on a broad plain tract of the river

Werra The Werra (), a river in central Germany, is the right-bank headwater of the Weser. "Weser" is a synonym in an old dialect of German. The Werra has its source near Eisfeld in southern Thuringia. After the Werra joins the river Fulda in the to ...

at the foot of the Leuchtberg (mountain) northwest of the Schlierbachswald (range) and east of the Hoher Meißner. The valley basin where the town is located includes a series of small lakes along the northern side of the river. Dietemann-in-Eschwege

The nearest city in Hesse is

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...

(roughly 52 km to the northwest), and the nearest in

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...

(roughly 55 km to the north). It lies more or less in the geographical centre of Germany.

Neighbouring communities

Eschwege borders in the north on the town of

Bad Sooden-Allendorf Bad Sooden-Allendorf () is a spa town in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location The spa town of Bad Sooden-Allendorf lies in the Werra valley near the Hoher Meißner, right on the boundary with Thuringia, almost at German ...

and the community of

Meinhard Meinhard is a municipality in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location The community lies in the North Hesse Low Mountain Range landscape on the edge of the Werra valley, 3 km from the district seat of Eschwege. Near ...

, in the east on the town of Wanfried (all three in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis), in the southeast on the town of Treffurt (in

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

’s

Wartburgkreis Wartburgkreis is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the west of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) the districts Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis, Gotha, Schmalkalden-Meiningen, and the districts Fulda, Hersfeld-Rotenburg and ...

), in the south on the communities of Weißenborn and Wehretal, in the west on the community of Meißner, and in the northwest on the community of Berkatal (all four in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis).

Constituent communities

Eschwege’s '' Stadtteile'', besides the main town, also called Eschwege, are Albungen, Eltmannshausen, Niddawitzhausen, Niederdünzebach, Niederhone, Oberdünzebach and Oberhone.

History

In 974, ''Eskinivvach'' had its first documentary mention. This name stems from an old

Germanic language The Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family spoken natively by a population of about 515 million people mainly in Europe, North America, Oceania, and Southern Africa. The most widely spoken Germanic language, ...

and means “Settlement near the

ash tree ''Fraxinus'' (), commonly called ash, is a genus of plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae, and comprises 45–65 species of usually medium-to-large trees, most of which are deciduous trees, although some subtropical species are evergr ...

s at the water”. This origin is noteworthy for showing that the town arose before

Franks file:Frankish arms.JPG, Aristocratic Frankish burial items from the Merovingian dynasty The Franks ( or ; ; ) were originally a group of Germanic peoples who lived near the Rhine river, Rhine-river military border of Germania Inferior, which wa ...

overran the area, which was some time between 500 and 700. As far back as

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...

times, a Frankish royal court arose here, which kept watch as a border defence over the

ford (crossing) A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading, on horseback, or inside a vehicle getting its wheels wet. A ford may occur naturally or be constructed. Fords may be impassable during high water. ...

on the Werra leading into Thuringia, and which still stood in the 10th and 11th centuries. At this time, Saint Denis was still the foremost saint, having been the Merovingians’ main saint, to whom the church in the Old Town is consecrated. Werraansicht

The first documentary mention is found in a document from Emperor

Otto II Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy. Otto II was ...

, in which he bequeathed the royal court and the settlement to his wife

Theophanu Theophanu Skleraina (; also ''Theophania'', ''Theophana'', ''Theophane'' or ''Theophano''; Medieval Greek ; AD 955 15 June 991) was empress of the Holy Roman Empire by marriage to Emperor Otto II, and regent of the Empire during the minority ...

. Their daughter Sophia founded on the Cyriakusberg about 1000 a canonical foundation for women (in which women did not take vows, but nonetheless lived in a

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

like environment) consecrated to Saint Cyriacus, which existed until the introduction of the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

into Hesse in 1527. All that is left of it now, though, is the ''Karlsturm'' (tower). Market rights were granted about 1188, and town rights followed by 1249. It was in this time that the groundwork was laid for the

cloth Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is n ...

- and

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...

making that flourished on into modern times. Beginning in 1264, as a result of the Thuringian-Hessian War of Succession, Eschwege belonged, under

Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse Henry I of Hesse "the Child" (German language, German: ''Heinrich das Kind'') (24 June 1244 – 21 December 1308) was the first Landgrave of Landgraviate of Hesse, Hesse. He was the son of Henry II, Duke of Brabant, Henry II, Duke of Duchy ...

, to Hesse. On 12 May 1292, he offered King

Adolf of Germany Adolf (c. 1255 – 2 July 1298) was the count of Nassau from about 1276 and the elected king of Germany from 1292 until his deposition by the prince-electors in 1298. He was never crowned by the pope, which would have secured him the imperi ...

the town of Eschwege as an Imperial

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

and was given it straight back along with the Imperial castle Boyneburg as an hereditary Imperial fief, thereby raising Henry to Imperial Prince, greatly strengthening his power in Hesse. In 1385, Landgrave Balthasar of Thuringia moved to town and in 1386 he built a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

. In 1433, the town passed back to the

Landgraviate of Hesse The Landgraviate of Hesse () was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed as a single entity from 1264 to 1567, when it was divided among the sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. History In the early Middle Ages, the territory of He ...

Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse (13 November 1504 – 31 March 1567), nicknamed (), was a German nobleman and champion of the Protestant Reformation, notable for being one of the most important of the early Protestant rulers in Germany. He was ...

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 L ...

and

Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel Maurice of Hesse-Kassel (; 25 May 1572 – 15 March 1632), also called Maurice the Learned or Moritz, was the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) in the Holy Roman Empire from 1592 to 1627. Life Maurice was born in Kassel as the son o ...

expanded the castle into a palatial residence. From 1627 to 1632, this was Maurice's “old man’s seat” after he had abdicated, and from 1632 to 1655, Landgrave Frederick of Hesse-Eschwege, a sideline in the so-called ''Rotenburger Quart'' of the house of Hesse-Kassel, was resident here, although he did not actually live in the town until some time after 1646. In the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, Eschwege was sacked and widely laid waste by fire in 1637 by Imperial Croats under General Johann von Götzen. After Frederick's death in 1655, his (part-)landgraviate passed to his brother Ernst of Hesse-Rheinfels. After 1731, his grandson, Christian of Hesse-Wanfried transferred the residence of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Wanfried to Eschwege. After the Hesse-Wanfried male line died out in 1755, the landgraviate passed to the Hesse-Rotenburg line. Once their male line also died out in 1834, the whole ''Quart'' passed back to the main house of Hesse-Kassel. The town acquired in 1875 a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

link when the line from

Bebra Bebra () is a small town in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Bebra lies some south of Kassel on the Fulda River, Fulda. The town is easy to find on most maps thanks to its prominent location on the ' ...

to Eschwege was built. Niederhone station (as of 1938, Eschwege-West) was the junction of two lines, the '' Cannons railway'' and the '' Bebra–Göttingen line''. David-Ben-Gurion-Denkmal in Eschwege

After the

Second World War 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 ...

ended in 1945, Eschwege belonged to the

United States 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 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Zone of Occupation. The US military administration set up a

displaced persons camp A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for internally displace ...

to lodge

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

citizens. This camp, in which up to 3,300 people lived at times, was dissolved in 1949.

Military history

Eschwege is also home to old barracks, formerly used by the German Army during

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 ...

. It was occupied by

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

troops for a short time after the war and is now a training center for the German Federal Police.

Town’s historical names

At the time of founding, Eschwege was known as ''Eskiniwach'', meaning “Settlement near the ash trees at the water”. Older people living in town and nearby also say ''Eschewei'' or ''Ischewei''. These names may stem from High German and come from Eschwege's original Germanic name.

Amalgamations

In 1936, Niederhone was amalgamated, and in 1973 in the course of municipal reform, the other six communities named above were also amalgamated.

Population development

(in each case at 31 December)

Religion

Churches

In Eschwege, there are four

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

parishes in the main town and one each in the outlying centres of Albungen, Eltmannshausen, Niddawitzhausen, Niederdünzebach, Oberdünzebach, Niederhone and Oberhone. Furthermore, there are two

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

parishes in the main town (St. Elisabeth and Apostelkirche), a state church community (Bismarkstraße 7), a Protestant Free Church parish (

Baptists Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

) and a New Apostolic parish, whose members attend services at the former

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

(Vor dem Berge 4). On 31 December 2006, 13,967 of the town's 22,574 inhabitants (61.87%) belonged to the Protestant Church and 3,403 (15.07%) belonged to the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. The town's oldest church was built in the 10th century on the spot where now the ''Marktkirche'' (“Market Church”) is situated.

Jewish community

Eschwege-former synagogue-now new apostolic church

Already by the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, there were

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

s living in Eschwege (first reference in 1301). In the

persecution Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these term ...

arising in the time of the

Black Death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

, the Jewish community was wiped out. In 1457, a ''Judengasse'' (“Jews’ Lane”) was mentioned, and from 1507 comes mention of the ''vicus iudaicus''. The ''Judengasse'' lay in the town centre between ''Kohlenmarkt'' and ''Neuer Steinweg''. In 1580, 30 Jewish inhabitants were counted in town. By the mid 18th century, this had risen to 171 (4.9% of the whole population). The families earned their livelihood at first almost exclusively from livestock trading and goods trading (textiles). In the 19th century, however, many Jewish trading, business and industrial operations arose, which earned great importance to the town's economic life. Even in public life, the Jewish inhabitants readily took part. The community belonged to the Lower Hesse (Kassel) Rabbinate Region, although it had its own district rabbinate. The Jewish population peaked in 1885, when there were 549. As early as 1838, a synagogue had been dedicated. Its interior was utterly destroyed on 8 November 1938, one day before the nationwide

Kristallnacht ( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...

. Since 1954, the former synagogue has served as Eschwege's New Apostolic church. After 1933, some of the Jewish community's members left Eschwege or emigrated as Jews were being stripped of their rights and subjected to reprisals. Four hundred and twenty-one left in 1933 alone, many of them for the

(80). In 1941 and 1942, the last hundred or so Jewish residents were deported to the death camps. After 1945, a

to lodge Jewish death camp survivors was set up under the supervision of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and lasted a few years. Almost all the camp dwellers emigrated to

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

once that state had been founded. The Jews left in Eschwege were in the long run too few in number to be able to form a community.

Politics

Town council

The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results: Social Democrats and the FDP work together on town council.

Executive

The town's executive (''Magistrat'') is made up of two full-time members (Mayor Alexander Heppe DUand treasurer Reiner Brill) and seven other councillors, of whom 3 are from the SPD, 2 from the CDU and one each from the FDP and the FWG.

Mayor

The current mayor is Alexander Heppe (CDU), who was elected mayor after winning 65.63% of the votes on 14 March 2021, increasing his majority over the candidate from the SPD.

Coat of arms

The town's

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

might be described thus: Gules a castle embattled with two towers with peaked roofs argent, between the towers an ash twig with three pinnate leaves vert. The town of Eschwege has passed a bylaw governing the use of the coat of arms.

Town partnerships

Saint-Mandé Saint-Mandé (; named for Saint Maudez) is a Communes of France, commune in the Val-de-Marne Departments of France, department in Île-de-France, in the high-end eastern inner suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre zero, cent ...

Val-de-Marne Val-de-Marne (, "Vale of the Marne") is a department of France located in the Île-de-France region. Named after the river Marne, it is situated in the Grand Paris metropolis to the southeast of the City of Paris. In 2019, Val-de-Marne had a ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

since 1989 *

Mühlhausen Mühlhausen () is a town in the north-west of Thuringia, Germany, north of Niederdorla, the country's Central Germany (geography)#Geographical centre, geographical centre, north-west of Erfurt, east of Kassel and south-east of Göttingen ...

since 1989 * Regen,

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

since 1997; town friendship since 1967 Moreover, there are sponsorship arrangements with the German Navy's supply ship ''Werra'', the ''Eschwege'' of the Bundespolizei See and the Lufthansa aircraft D-ACPH, which has been christened ''Eschwege''.

Culture and sightseeing

Museums

* Stadtmuseum Eschwege (town museum) * Eschweger Zinnfiguren- und Miniaturenkabinett (tin figures and miniatures cabinet) * “Freunde der Eisenbahn” (railway museum) * ''Heimatmuseum'' in the scenic Old Town, has a marketplace surrounded by timber-frame houses.

Buildings

Eschwege still has a

mediaeval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and t ...

town core with rows of timber-frame houses. Moreover, the following buildings are worth seeing: * Neustädter Kirche St. Katharina (church) * Marktkirche St. Dionys (market church) * Eschwege Landgraves’ Palace (''Schloss Eschwege''), since 1821 seat of the district administration (1386 built as a castle, expanded into a palace in 16th and 17th centuries), with Frau Holle well built in 1930 showing on its outside reliefs of important scenes from the fairytale with the same name and with Dietemann tower, containing the Dietemann, the figure of a man with a horn, the symbol of the Eschweger, which is located in the castle tower and appears every hour to blow its horn. Also scenic are the views along the river Werra. * ''Hochzeitshaus'' (“Wedding House”, a municipal community centre from 1578) * Schulberg (Cyriakusberg, mountain) with the ''Karlsturm'' (tower, last remnant of a “women’s foundation” built in the 11th century) * ''Nikolaiturm'' (former church tower from 1455) * ''Bismarckturm'' (tower) on the Leuchtberg (from 1903) * ''Dünzerbacher Torturm'' (tower) is one of the last remainings of the city's former fortification. The current version of this tower dates from the 17th century and was also used as a prison * ''Schäferhalle'' (Pavilion on the west slope of the Leuchtberg) * Former

, today a New Apostolic church * Hospital chapel * Monastery, seat of the Eschwege monastery brewery * ''Hexenkeller'' (“Witches’ Cellar”)

Parks

* Palace garden * Botanical garden * ''Sophiengarten'' * Leuchtbergpark (with paths in and around the Greater and Lesser Leuchtberg) * Werratalsee (lake, a local recreation area between Eschwege and Schwebda)

Sport

On the Werratalsee lies a rowing regatta course, unique in Hesse, with six lanes and a length of 1 500 m. It was expanded in 2008 to 2 000 m, giving it international dimensions, allowing the Eschwege rowing club to soon stage international competitions. Already for some years, the Hesse rowing championships have been being held here. There is also sailing on the Werratalsee. The Werrertalsee und Segelclub WSSC 1969 Eschwege e.V. yearly organizes spring and autumn regattas. During the season, guests are welcome at the marina. A further sporting event is the “WerraMan” Triathlon, staged by the town since 2004. The contest is held each year on the first weekend in September. The “WerraMan” and all other watersport events are supported by the local DLRG group Eschwege-Wanfried e. V. The riding facility right near the Werratalsee is year after year the showplace for North Hesse Championships in

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ar ...

and

dressage Dressage ( or ; , most commonly translated as "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrianism, equestrian sport defined by th ...

. Football is played in Eschwege in the clubs SV 07 Eschwege (Landesliga), FC Eschwege 1988 e.V (Kreisliga B2) and FFV Palm Strikers Eschwege (Kreisliga C2). The Eschwege Gymnastic and Sport Club unites nine departments under one roof. It offers, among others, team handball, table tennis, gymnastics, swimming and athletics. Since 2005 there has also been a cycling sport department, making it the district's biggest sport club. The town's biggest tennis club is TC Eschwege e.V. Its men's 50 and women's 50 teams play in the ''Gruppenliga'' (fifth highest class in Germany). The web page is www.tceschwege.de.

Regular events

Eschwege is the home of a famous four-day music and drinking festival called the ''Johannisfest'', which attracts several thousand visitors and is said to be the best showcase of the quaint town besides the Open Flair, the largest music festival in the region. * Weekly market at the ''Obermarkt'' (“Upper Market”) every Wednesday and Saturday morning * ''Johannisfest'', traditionally on the first Sunday in July, but if summer holidays in Hesse begin in June, held on the last Sunday before they begin. Friday: town festival with traditional ''Kränzewickeln'' (“wreath winding”); Saturday: ''Maienzug'' (parade) of Eschwege school classes; Sunday: festival parade of Eschwege school classes with the ''Dietemann'' (a local mascot); Monday: festival conclusion and lantern sendoff by the Eschwege Rowing Club, fireworks. * Open Flair Festival (so called, even in German) usually on the second weekend in August, is a 3-day concert/festival featuring several famous international and German bands and performers * Pub festival in the inner town with live music in spring and autumn * Brewery festival (Eschwege monastery brewery) * ''Wurschtfest'' in Eschwege in September (sausage festival) * ''Eschweger Puppen-Festtage'' (dolls), first weekend in November * Eschwege Automobile Exhibition in the inner town in May * ''Hüttenzauber'', impressive before-Christmas event at the marketplace * Christmas market at the marketplace/''Obermarkt'' (“Upper Market”) * Eschwege Spring festival * Eschwege shooting festival, first weekend in September * Fritz Jordan memorial rowing; late September on the Werra * WerraMan - Eschwege popular triathlon (400 m swimming, 23 km cycling and 5 km walking), late August/early September

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

Through the town run ''

Bundesstraße ''Bundesstraße'' (, ), abbreviated ''B'', is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways. Germany Germany's ''Bundesstraßen'' network has a total length of about 40,000 km. German ''Bundesstraßen'' are labelled with re ...

n'' 27, 249 and 452. Furthermore, Eschwege lies on the

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 ...

line R7 (

–Eschwege–

– Bad Hersfeld–

Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the city hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. Histor ...

) and belongs to the ''Nordhessischer Verkehrsverbund'' (“North Hesse Transport Association”, NVV). The nearby

Autobahn The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. Much of t ...

A 44 (

–

Eisenach Eisenach () is a Town#Germany, town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, west of Erfurt, southeast of Kassel and northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia, and bordering northeastern Hesse, Hessian re ...

) is currently under construction. At the timetable change on 13 December 2009, the ''Nordhessischer Verkehrsverbund'' (''North Hesse Transport Association'') added a service between Eschwege West and Eschwege town on its own infrastructure, which it had brought back into service and modernised. The old line, part of a closed section of the Kanonenbahn, was joined to the Göttingen–Bebra line north and south of Eschwege West station. This meant that Eschwege West station was bypassed and it was closed for scheduled passenger services. A new station was opened at Eschwege-Niederhone. A two-storey car park and a central bus station was opened at Eschwege town station. Eschwege town station received in 2013 the European Rail Award as ''Small station of the Year''.

Established businesses

In the field of machine building, the firms Präwema Antriebstechnik GmbH (machine tools), Pacoma GmbH (hydraulic cylinders), Baumer Thalheim GmbH & Co. KG (

rotary encoder A rotary encoder, also called a shaft encoder, is an electro-mechanical device that converts the angle, angular position or motion of a shaft or axle to Analog signal, analog or Digital signal, digital output signals. There are two main types of ...

s) and Georg Sahm GmbH & Co. KG (dishwashers and high-performance winders for the textile industry) are active. Working in the field of household and system technology is the firm Stiebel Eltron GmbH & Co.KG (Eschwege works), and Friedola Gebr. Holzapfel GmbH manufactures leisure articles and table and floor coverings. The ''Eschweger Klosterbrauerei GmbH'' (Eschwege monastery brewery) is a long established firm, having been brewing in town since the early 19th century. It regularly earns medals from the German Agricultural Society for its beers.

Media

In Eschwege appear the ''Werra-Rundschau'' and the ''Marktspiegel''. The local radio Rundfunk Meißner has been broadcasting from here since 1997.

Public institutions

Besides the customary institutions in a district seat, and those mentioned under “Culture and sightseeing”, there are a town library and the “espada” leisure pool.

Education

In Eschwege there are two

comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...

s, Anne-Frank-Schule and Brüder-Grimm-Schule, as well as two grammar schools, the Gymnasium Friedrich-Wilhelm-Schule (lower school) and the ''Oberstufengymnasium'' (upper school with Sixth Form). The town council operates three

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

s, the Alexander-von-Humboldt-Schule, the Geschwister-Scholl-Schule and the Struthschule. The school for pupils with learning difficulties is called the Pestalozzischule. Moreover, there are the ''Berufliche Schulen des Werra-Meißner-Kreises'' (district vocational schools) and the private school ''Freie Waldorfschule Werra-Meißner''. Further training and continuing education institutions are the Bundespolizei (German Federal Police) basic and advanced training centre ''Mitte'', the

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

and the family training centre.

Notable people

Sons and daughters of the town

* Hanno Beck (1923–2018), professor of geography, frequently-published scholar, commentator and unofficial historian of Eschwege * Gerhard W Goetze (1930–2007), atomic physicist and inventor of SEC tube on Apollo 11 lunar camera * Rolf Hochhuth (1931–2020), writer and playwright *

Margarete Kahn Margarethe Kahn (known as Grete Kahn, also Margarete Kahn, born 27 August 1880, missing after deportation to Piaski, Świdnik County, Piaski, Poland on 28 March 1942) was a German mathematician and Holocaust victim. She was among the first women ...

(1880–1942), mathematician *

Aliza Olmert Aliza Olmert (; Richter; born 1946) is an Israeli artist, photographer, author and social worker. She is married to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Biography Aliza Olmert was born in a displaced persons camp in Eschwege, Germany ...

(born 1946), writer, wife of former Israeli Prime Minister

Ehud Olmert Ehud Olmert (; , ; born 30 September 1945) is an Israeli politician and lawyer who served as the prime minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009. The son of a former Herut politician, Olmert was first elected to the Knesset for Likud in 1973, at th ...

* Markus Schulz (born 1975),

Trance music Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that emerged from Electronic body music, EBM in Frankfurt, Germany, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and quickly spread throughout Europe. Trance music is typically characterized by a tempo between ...

DJ and producer * Wolfram Spyra (born 1964), sound artist and composer * Duane Washington Sr (born 1964), American professional basketball player * Eduard Weiter (1889–1945), last regular camp commander of

Dachau concentration camp Dachau (, ; , ; ) was one of the first concentration camps built by Nazi Germany and the longest-running one, opening on 22 March 1933. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents, which consisted of communists, s ...

* Paul Westheim (1886–1963), art critic, editor of the magazine "Kunstblatt" * Markus “Zimbl” Zimmer (1964–2006), singer and bassist of the music group

The Bates __NOTOC__ The Bates were a German Punk rock, punk band, founded in Eschwege, federal state of Hessen, in 1987. The name referred to the character Norman Bates from Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film, ''Psycho (1960 film), Psycho''. The Bates were ma ...

* Mirco Hering (born 1980), DevOps and Modern Engineering Author

People associated with the town

* Heinz Fromm (born 1948), from 2000–2012 president of the Federal office for Constitutional Protection, until his Abitur lived in Eschwege * Julius Hackethal (1921–1997), surgeon and book author, 1946–1950 attending and chief physician at Eschwege district hospital * Ruth Hammeran (1922–2007), grammar school teacher and lyricist * Eitel Oskar Höhne (1922–1998), member of the Hesse Landtag 1950–1970; ''Landrat'' of Eschwege district and the Werra-Meißner-Kreis 1961–1988; Chairman of the Hessian Broadcasting Administration Council for many years, born in Dresden * Hartmut Holzapfel (born 1944), Hesse education minister 1991–1999, born in Ringgau-Röhrda, until

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

in Eschwege * Dietrich Meister (1927–2014), member of the Hesse Landtag 1970–1991 * Lothar Quanz (born 1949), Hesse politician (SPD) and First Vice-President of the Hesse Landtag, worked for years as a teacher at the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Schule in Eschwege * Erika Wagner (1933–2011), member of the Hesse Landtag 1978–1995; vice-president 1991–1995), born in Wanfried * Marco Weißhaupt (born 1972), footballer, played from 2009 to 2010 at the SV 07 Eschwege

References

External links

Information about Eschwege’s Jewish history and synagogue

Eschwege Displaced Persons Camp

Town’s official webpage

Webpage of the St. Elisabeth parish

Reference of the city webpage to the Apostelkirche parish
{{Authority control Werra-Meißner-Kreis Holocaust locations in Germany