Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a city in

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 ...

; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the

Fulda district The Fulda District (; ) is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the north-east of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Wartburgkreis, Schmalkalden-Meiningen, Rhön-Grabfeld, Bad Kissingen, Main-Kinzig, Vogelsbergkreis. History Th ...

(''Kreis''). In 1990, the city hosted the 30th

Hessentag The Hessentag (; ) is an annual event, both fair and festival, organized by the German state of Hesse to represent the different regions of Hesse. The events are shown for a week to the visitors, with an emphasis on cultural displays and exhibi ...

state festival.

History

Middle Ages

In 744

Saint Sturm Sturm ( – 17 December 779), also called Sturmius or Sturmi, was a disciple of Boniface and founder and first abbot of the Benedictine monastery and abbey of Fulda in 742 or 744. Sturm's tenure as abbot lasted from 747 until 779. Life Sturm w ...

, a disciple of

Saint Boniface Boniface, OSB (born Wynfreth; 675 –5 June 754) was an English Benedictines, Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of Francia during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of ...

, founded the

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery of Fulda The Abbey of Fulda (; ), from 1221 the Princely Abbey of Fulda () and from 1752 the Prince-Bishopric of Fulda (), was a Benedictine abbey and ecclesiastical principality centered on Fulda, in the present-day German state of Hesse. The monastery ...

as one of Boniface's outposts in the reorganization of the church in

. The initial grant for the abbey was signed by Carloman,

Mayor of the Palace Under the Merovingian dynasty, the mayor of the palace or majordomo, ( or ) was the manager of the household of the Frankish king. He was the head of the Merovingian administrative ladder and orchestrated the operation of the entire court. He ...

Austrasia Austrasia was the northeastern kingdom within the core of the Francia, Frankish Empire during the Early Middle Ages, centring on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers. It included the original Frankish-ruled territories within what had ...

(in office 741–47), the son of

Charles Martel Charles Martel (; – 22 October 741), ''Martel'' being a sobriquet in Old French for "The Hammer", was a Franks, Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of ...

. The support of the Mayors of the Palace, and later of the early Pippinid and

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...

rulers, was important to Boniface's success. Fulda also received support from many of the leading families of the Carolingian world. Sturm, whose tenure as abbot lasted from 747 until 779, was most likely related to the

Agilolfing The Agilolfings were a noble family that ruled the Duchy of Bavaria on behalf of their Merovingian suzerains from about 550 until 788. A cadet branch of the Agilolfings also ruled the Kingdom of the Lombards intermittently from 616 to 712. They ...

dukes of

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 ...

. Fulda also received large and constant donations from the Etichonids, a leading family in

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

, and from the

Conradines The Conradines or Conradiner were a dynasty of Franconian counts and dukes in the 8th to 11th Century, named after Duke Conrad, Duke of Thuringia, Conrad the Elder and his son King Conrad I of Germany. History The family is first mentioned in 8 ...

, predecessors of the

Salian The Salian dynasty or Salic dynasty () was a dynasty in the High Middle Ages. The dynasty provided four kings of Germany (1024–1125), all of whom went on to be crowned Holy Roman emperors (1027–1125). After the death of the last Ottonian ...

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

s. Under Sturm, the donations Fulda received from these and other important families helped in the establishment of daughter-houses near Fulda. In 751, Boniface and his disciple and successor

Lullus Saint Lullus (also known as Lull or Lul, born AD 710 – died 16 October 786) was the first permanent archbishop of Mainz, succeeding Saint Boniface, and first abbot of the Benedictine Hersfeld Abbey. He is historiographically considered the firs ...

obtained an exemption for Fulda, having it placed directly under the

Papal See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the bishop of the apostolic episcopal see ...

and making it independent of interference by bishops or worldly princes. The monastery school became a renowned center of learning.Hraban Maur in ''Monumenta Germaniae Historica Poetaes Latini Aevi Carolingi''II, poem 13. St Boniface - Baptising-Martyrdom - Sacramentary of Fulda - 11Century

St Boniface - Baptising-Martyrdom - Sacramentary of Fulda - 11Century

After his martyrdom by the Frisians in 754, the relics of Saint Boniface were brought back to Fulda. Because of the stature this afforded the monastery, the donations increased, and Fulda could establish daughter-houses further away, for example in

Hamelin Hameln ( ; ) is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hameln-Pyrmont and has a population of roughly 57,000. Hamelin is best known for the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. History Hameln ...

. Meanwhile, Saint

, successor of Boniface as

archbishop of Mainz The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The Archb ...

, tried to absorb the abbey into his archbishopric, but failed. Between 790 and 819 the community rebuilt the main abbey church to more fittingly house the

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s. They based their new

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

on the original 4th-century (since demolished)

Old St. Peter's Basilica Old St. Peter's Basilica was the church buildings that stood, from the 4th to 16th centuries, where St. Peter's Basilica stands today in Vatican City. Construction of the basilica, built over the historical site of the Circus of Nero, began dur ...

in Rome, using the

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

and

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

plan of that great

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

church to frame their own saint as the "

Apostle of the Germans Boniface, OSB (born Wynfreth; 675 –5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of Francia during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of the church in ...

". The crypt of the original abbey church still holds those relics, but the church itself has been subsumed into a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

renovation. A small, 9th-century chapel remains standing within walking distance of the church, as do the foundations of a later women's abbey.

Rabanus Maurus Rabanus Maurus Magnentius ( 780 – 4 February 856), also known as Hrabanus or Rhabanus, was a Frankish Benedictine monk, theologian, poet, encyclopedist and military writer who became archbishop of Mainz in East Francia. He was the author of t ...

served as abbot at Fulda from 822 to 842. Fulda Abbey owned such works as the ''Res Gestae'' by the fourth-century Roman historian

Ammianus Marcellinus Ammianus Marcellinus, occasionally anglicized as Ammian ( Greek: Αμμιανός Μαρκελλίνος; born , died 400), was a Greek and Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from antiquit ...

and the

Codex Fuldensis The Codex Fuldensis, also known as the Victor Codex (, ''Codex Bonifatianus I''), designated by F, is a New Testament manuscript based on the Latin Vulgate made between 541 and 546. The codex is considered the second most important witness to the ...

, as well as works by

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

Servius Servius may refer to: * Servius (praenomen), a personal name during the Roman Republic * Servius the Grammarian (fl. 4th/5th century), Roman Latin grammarian * Servius Asinius Celer (died AD 46), Roman senator * Servius Cornelius Cethegus, Roma ...

Bede Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...

and

Sulpicius Severus Sulpicius Severus (; c. 363 – c. 425) was a Christian writer and native of Aquitania in modern-day France. He is known for his chronicle of sacred history, as well as his biography of Saint Martin of Tours. Life Almost all that we know of Se ...

Counter-Reformation

Prince-abbot

Balthasar von Dernbach Balthasar von Dernbach (1548 – 15 March 1606), was a Benedictine monk of Fulda monastery and its Prince-Abbot from 1570 to 1606. Family Balthasar was born into a branch (''called Graul'') of the ''von Dernbach'' family, a family of knights ...

adopted a policy of

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...

. In 1571 he called in the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

to found a school and college. He insisted the members of the chapter should return to a

monastic Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...

form of life. Whereas his predecessors had tolerated

Protestantism 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 ...

, resulting in most of the citizenry of Fulda and a large portion of the principality's countryside professing

Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

, Balthasar ordered his subjects either to return to the

Catholic faith The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international instituti ...

or leave his territories.Otto Schaffrath. ''Fürstabt Balthasar von Dermbach und seine Zeit. Studien zur Geschichte der Gegenreformation in Fulda'' (= ''Veröffentlichung des Fuldaer Geschichtsvereins''. Bd. 44, ). Parzeller, Fulda 1967, mit umfangreicher Literaturübersicht. He also ordered the

Fulda witch trials The Witch trials of Fulda in Germany from 1603 to 1606 resulted in the death of about 250 people. They were one of the four largest witch trials in Germany, along with the Trier witch trials, the Würzburg witch trial, and the Bamberg witch trial ...

, in which hundreds of people, including a number of crypto-Protestants were arrested on charges of witchcraft alongside others.

18th and 19th centuries

The foundation of the abbey of Fulda and its territory originated with an Imperial grant, and the sovereign

principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchy, monarchical state or feudalism, feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "prin ...

therefore was subject only to the

German emperor The German Emperor (, ) was the official title of the head of state and Hereditary monarchy, hereditary ruler of the German Empire. A specifically chosen term, it was introduced with the 1 January 1871 constitution and lasted until the abdicati ...

. Fulda became a bishopric in 1752 and the prince-abbots were given the additional title of

prince-bishop A prince-bishop is a bishop who is also the civil ruler of some secular principality and sovereignty, as opposed to '' Prince of the Church'' itself, a title associated with cardinals. Since 1951, the sole extant prince-bishop has been the ...

. The prince-abbots (and later prince-bishops) ruled Fulda and the surrounding region until the

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

was forcibly dissolved by

Napoleon I 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 ...

in 1802. The city went through a baroque building campaign in the 18th century, resulting in the current "Baroque City" status. This included a remodeling of

Fulda Cathedral Fulda Cathedral (, also ''Sankt Salvator'') is the former abbey church of Fulda Abbey and the burial place of Saint Boniface. Since 1752 it has also been the cathedral of the Diocese of Fulda, of which the Prince-Abbots of Fulda were created bisho ...

(1704–12) and of the ''Stadtschloss'' (Fulda Castle-Palace, 1707–12) by

Johann Dientzenhofer Johann Dientzenhofer (25 May 1663 – 20 July 1726) was a builder and architect during the Baroque period in Germany. Life Johann was born at the family farm in St. Margarethen near Rosenheim, Bavaria, a member of the famous Dientzenhofer family ...

. The city parish church, St. Blasius, was built between 1771 and 1785. In 1764 a

porcelain Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...

factory was started in Fulda under Prince-Bishop, Prince-Abbot

Heinrich von Bibra Heinrich von Bibra (Heinrich VIII of Fulda), Prince-Bishop, Prince-Abbot of Fulda (1711–1788) was Prince-Bishop and Prince-Abbot from 1759 to 1788. As part his role as Prince-Abbot of Fulda, he had the additional role as Archchancellor ...

, but shortly after his death it was closed down in 1789 by his successor, Prince-Bishop, Prince-Abbot Adalbert von Harstall. The city was given to Prince William Frederick of Orange-Nassau (the later King

William I of the Netherlands William I (Willem Frederik; 24 August 1772 – 12 December 1843) was King of the Netherlands and List of monarchs of Luxembourg, Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1815 until his abdication in 1840. Born as the son of William V, Prince of Orange, ...

) in 1803 (as part of the short-lived

Principality of Nassau-Orange-Fulda Nassau-Orange-Fulda (sometimes also named ''Fulda and Corvey'') was a short-lived principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1803 to 1806. It was created for William Frederick, the son and heir of William V, Prince of Orange, the ousted stadthol ...

), was annexed to the

Grand Duchy of Berg The Grand Duchy of Berg (), also known as the Grand Duchy of Berg and Cleves, was a territorial grand duchy established in 1806 by Napoleon after his victory at the Battle of Austerlitz (1805) on territories between the French Empire at the Rhi ...

in 1806, and in 1809 to the

Principality of Frankfurt The Grand Duchy of Frankfurt was a German satellite state of Napoleonic creation. It came into existence in 1810 through the combination of the former territories of the Archbishopric of Mainz along with the Free City of Frankfurt itself. Histo ...

. After the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

of 1814–15, most of the territory went to the

Electorate of Hesse The Electorate of Hesse (), also known as Hesse-Kassel or Kurhessen, was the title used for the former Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel after an 1803 reform where the Holy Roman Emperor elevated its ruler to the rank of Elector, thus giving him ...

, which

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

annexed in 1866.

20th century

From 1938 to 1943, Fulda was the location of a Nazi

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

camp for

Romani people {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , po ...

. Fulda lends its name to the

Fulda Gap The Fulda Gap (), an area between the Hesse-Thuringian border, the former Inner German border, and Frankfurt am Main, contains two corridors of lowlands through which tanks might have driven in a surprise attack by the Soviets and their Warsaw P ...

, a traditional east–west invasion route used by Napoleon I and others. During the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, it was presumed to be an invasion route for any conventional war between

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

and

Soviet forces The Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, the Red Army (1918–1946) and the Soviet Army (1946–1991), were the armed forces of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republi ...

. Downs Barracks in Fulda was the headquarters of the American

14th Armored Cavalry Regiment The 14th Cavalry Regiment is a cavalry regiment of the United States Army. It has two squadrons that provide reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition for Stryker brigade combat teams. Constituted in 1901, it has served in conflicts ...

, later replaced by the

11th Armored Cavalry Regiment The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment ("Blackhorse Regiment") is a unit of the United States Army garrisoned at the Fort Irwin National Training Center in California. The regiment has served in the Philippine–American War, the Pancho Villa Expedi ...

. The cavalry had as many as 3,000 soldiers from the end of

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 ...

until 1993. Not all those soldiers were in Fulda proper, but scattered over observation posts and in the cities of

Bad Kissingen Bad Kissingen () is a German spa town in the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia and County town, seat of the Bad Kissingen (district), district Bad Kissingen. Situated to the south of the Rhön Mountains on the Franconian Saale, Franconia ...

and

Bad Hersfeld The festival and spa town of Bad Hersfeld (''Bad'' is "spa" in German; the Old High German name of the city was ''Herolfisfeld'') is the district seat of the Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany, roughly 50 km southeast ...

. The strategic importance of this region, along the border between East and West Germany, led to a large

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 ...

and Soviet military presence.

Politics

Fulda has traditionally been a conservative Catholic city, with the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Fulda The Diocese of Fulda () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the north of the German state of Hessen. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Paderborn. The bishop's seat is in Fulda Cathedral. History The history of ...

being based in the city cathedral. During the time of the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

and

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

, the city was a stronghold for the Centre Party. After the end of World War II, in addition to all mayors, Fulda's constituency seats have been safe seats for CDU in both the

Landtag of Hesse The Landtag of Hesse () is the unicameral parliament of the State of Hesse in the Federal Republic of Germany. It convenes in the Stadtschloss in Wiesbaden. As a legislature it is responsible for passing laws at the state level and enacting ...

(District X 1946–1950, District 14 1950–1983, Fulda I since 1983) and

Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet (assembly), Diet") is the lower house of the Germany, German Federalism in Germany, federal parliament. It is the only constitutional body of the federation directly elected by the German people. The Bundestag wa ...

( Fulda electoral district). The CDU has never received less than 42.4 percent of the vote in communal elections since 1946. Oberbürgermeister (Lord mayor) Department I (head and personnel administration, finance, committee work, culture, business development, city marketing, investments) *Cuno Raabe (CDU): 1946–1956 *

Alfred Dregger Alfred Dregger (10 December 1920 – 29 June 2002) was a German politician and a leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Dregger was born in Münster. After graduating from a school in Werl, he entered the German Wehrmacht in 19 ...

(CDU): 1956–1970 *Dr. Wolfgang Hamberger (CDU): 1970–1998 *Dr. Alois Rhiel (CDU): 1998–2003 *Gerhard Möller (CDU): 2003–2015 *Heiko Wingenfeld (CDU): 2015– Department II (public security and order, family, youth, schools, sports, social affairs, seniors) *Karl Ehser: 1934–1945 *Karl Schmitt: 1946–1948 *Heinrich Gellings: 1948–1969 *Dr. Wolfgang Hamberger: 1969–1970 *Dr. Tilman Pünder: 1971–1980 *Lutz von Pufendorf: 1981–1984 *Dr. Alois Rhiel: 1984–1989 *Josef H. Mayer: 1990–1995 *Oda Scheibelhuber: 1995–1999 *Bernd Woide: 1999–2003 *Dr. Wolfgang Dippel: 2004–2014 *Dag Wehner (CDU): 2014– Landtag (state parliament) * Cuno Raabe (CDU): 1946–1962, elected in 1946, 1950, 1954 and 1958 * Alfred Dregger (CDU): 1962–1972, elected in 1962, 1966 and 1970, resigned to accept Bundestag mandate * Winfried Rippert (CDU): 1972–1999, appointed in 1972, elected in 1974, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1991 and 1995 * Walter Arnold (CDU): 1999-2004 and again 2009–2018, elected in 1999, 2003; resigned in 2004; elected in 2009 and 2013 * Margarete Ziegler-Raschdorf (CDU): 2004–2009, appointed in 2004, elected in 2008 * Thomas Hering (CDU): 2018-, elected in 2018 Bundestag (federal parliament) * Anton Sabel (CDU): 1949–1957, elected in 1949 and 1953 * Hermann Götz (CDU): 1957–1976, elected in 1957, 1961, 1965, 1969 and 1972 * Alfred Dregger (CDU): 1976–1998, elected in 1976, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1990 and 1994 * Martin Hohmann (CDU): 1998–2005, elected in 1998 and 2002; expelled from CDU in 2003 for anti-Semitic remarks * Michael Brand (CDU): 2005-, elected in 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2021 and 2025 Source: Between 1927 and 1974, Fulda was a district-free city (Kreisfreie Stadt). Since 1974, it has been included in the eponymous district as a city with special status (Stadt mit Sonderstatus), a distinction it shares with six other Hessian cities, meaning that it takes on tasks more usually performed by the district.

Transport

Fulda station Fulda station is an important transport hub of the German railway network in the east Hessian city of Fulda. It is used by about 20,000 travellers each day. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 2 station. It is a stop for Intercity- ...

is a transport hub and interchange point between local and long-distance traffic of the German railway network, and is classified by

Deutsche Bahn (, ; abbreviated as DB or DB AG ) is the national railway company of Germany, and a state-owned enterprise under the control of the German government. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). DB was fou ...

as a category2 station. It is on the

Hanover–Würzburg high-speed railway The Hanover–Würzburg high-speed railway is a double-track, electrified high-speed railway between Hanover and Würzburg in Germany, in length. The line, built between 1973 and 1991, was the longest contiguous new project constructed by Deuts ...

; the North–South line (''Nord-Süd-Strecke''), comprising the Bebra–Fulda line north of Fulda, and the Kinzig Valley Railway and Fulda–Main Railway to the south; the

Vogelsberg Railway The Vogelsberg () is a large volcanic mountain range in the German Central Uplands in the state of Hesse, separated from the Rhön Mountains by the Fulda river valley. Emerging approximately 19 million years ago, the Vogelsberg is Central Eu ...

, which connects to the hills of the

Vogelsberg The Vogelsberg () is a large volcanic mountain range in the German Central Uplands in the state of Hesse, separated from the Rhön Mountains by the Fulda (river), Fulda river valley. Emerging approximately 19 million years ago, the Vogelsber ...

in the west; and the Fulda–Gersfeld Railway (Rhön Railway) to

Gersfeld Gersfeld () is a town in the Fulda district of Hesse, Germany, on the Fulda River in the Rhön Mountains, southeast of Fulda. It belonged to the abbey-principality of Fulda before secularisation in 1803. It then belonged to the Principality of ...

in the

Rhön Mountains The Rhön Mountains () are a group of low mountains (or ''Mittelgebirge'') in central Germany, located around the border area where the states of Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia come together. These mountains, which are at the extreme southeast end o ...

to the east. Fulda is on the

Bundesautobahn 7 is the longest German Autobahn and the longest national motorway in Europe at 963 km (598 mi). It bisects the country almost evenly between east and west. In the north, it starts at the border with Denmark as an extension of the Danish part of ...

(BAB 7).

Bundesautobahn 66 is an autobahn in southwestern Germany. It connects the Taunus to Fulda, passing close to Frankfurt am Main. The first part of the autobahn, between Wiesbaden and the Nordwestkreuz Frankfurt, was opened as early as 1934, then called the ''Rhei ...

starts at the interchange with the BAB 7, heading south towards

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

. Fulda is also on the

Bundesstraße 27 Bundesstraße 27 or B27 is a German federal road. It connects Blankenburg am Harz with Rafz in Switzerland. Route The Bundesstraße 27 crosses the following states and towns (north to south): * Saxony-Anhalt: Blankenburg am Harz * Lower S ...

Twin towns – sister cities

Fulda is twinned with: *

Como Como (, ; , or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Nestled at the southwestern branch of the picturesque Lake Como, the city is a renowned tourist destination, ce ...

, Italy (1960) *

Arles Arles ( , , ; ; Classical ) is a coastal city and Communes of France, commune in the South of France, a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône Departments of France, department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Reg ...

, France (1964) *

Sergiyev Posad Sergiyev Posad ( rus, Сергиев Посад, p=ˈsʲɛrgʲɪ(j)ɪf pɐˈsat) is a city that is the administrative center of Sergiyevo-Posadsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia. Population: The city contains the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergi ...

, Russia (1991) *

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

, United States (1997) *

Litoměřice Litoměřice (; ) is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument reservation. The town is the seat of the Roman C ...

, Czech Republic (2001) *

Dokkum Dokkum is a Dutch fortified city in the municipality of Noardeast-Fryslân in the province of Friesland. It has 12,669 inhabitants (February 8, 2020). The fortifications of Dokkum are well preserved and are known as the ''bolwerken'' (bulwarks) ...

, Netherlands (2013)

Notable people

Pre-1800

* Adam of Fulda (), composer and music theorist *Adam Krafft (1493–1558), Protestant church reformer *

Justus Menius Justus Menius (13 December 1499 – 11 August 1558) was a German Lutheran pastor and Protestant reformer whose name is Latinized from ''Jost'' or ''Just'' (i.e. ''Jodocus'') ''Menig''. Early life Menius was born in Fulda to poor but respecta ...

(1499–1558), theologian * Franz Kaspar Lieblein (1744–1810), botanist *

Prince-Bishop A prince-bishop is a bishop who is also the civil ruler of some secular principality and sovereignty, as opposed to '' Prince of the Church'' itself, a title associated with cardinals. Since 1951, the sole extant prince-bishop has been the ...

, Prince-Abbot and of Fulda from 1759 to 1788

1801–1850

* Georg von Adelmann (1811–1888), physician and surgeon * Otto Bähr (1817–1895), lawyer and politician * Hugo Staehle (1826–1848), composer *

Ferdinand Braun Karl Ferdinand Braun (; ; 6 June 1850 – 20 April 1918) was a German physicist, electrical engineer, and inventor. Braun contributed significantly to the development of radio with his 2 circuit system, which made long range radio transmiss ...

(1850–1918), physicist, electrical engineer and Nobel laureate in physics

1851–1900

* Adalbert Ricken (1851–1921), mycologist and priest * Ludwig Hupfeld (1864–1949), instrument maker and industrialist *

Wilhelm Heye Wilhelm Heye (31 January 1869 – 11 March 1947) was a Prussian and German officer who rose to the rank of Generaloberst and became Chief of the Army Command within the Ministry of the Reichswehr in the Weimar Republic. Family Maximilian He ...

(1869–1947), officer *Clara Harnack (1877–1962), painter, teacher and mother of the resistance fighters Arvid and

Falk Harnack Falk Harnack (2 March 1913 – 3 September 1991) was a German director and screenwriter. During Germany's Nazi era, he was also active with the German resistance to Nazism, German Resistance and toward the end of World War II, the partisans in Gr ...

Angela Zigahl Angela Zigahl (25 December 1885 – 1955) was a German teacher and politician who served in the Landtag of Prussia from 1925 until 1933. A member of the Centre Party, she represented the Oppeln constituency. Following World War II, Zigahl was a ...

(1885–1955), politician * Anton Storch (1892–1975), politician *

Wilm Hosenfeld Wilhelm Adalbert Hosenfeld (; 2 May 189513 August 1952), originally a school teacher, was a German Army officer who by the end of the Second World War had risen to the rank of ''Hauptmann'' (captain). He helped to hide or rescue several Polish p ...

(1895–1952), officer and

Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...

Paul Deichmann Paul Deichmann (27 August 1898 – 10 January 1981) was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, an award for bravery or superior leadership service. Life Deichmann was born in Fulda on 27 ...

(1898–1981), officer of the Luftwaffe * Max Stern (1898–1982), businessman, investor and philanthropist

1901–1950

Karl Storch Karl Storch (21 August 1913 – 16 August 1992) was a German athlete, who mainly competed in the hammer throw. He was born in Fulda. The member of SC Borussia Fulda competed for Germany in the 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki, Finl ...

(1913–1992), athlete (hammer thrower) *

Wilhelm Balthasar Wilhelm Balthasar (2 February 1914 – 3 July 1941) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and wing commander during World War II. As a fighter ace, he is credited with seven aerial victories during the Spanish Civil War and further 40 aerial ...

(1914–1941), Luftwaffe military aviator and wing commander during

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

and

WWII 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 ...

* Martin Hohmann (born 1948), politician (CDU, now AfD) *

Winfried Michel Winfried Michel (born 1948 in Fulda) is a German recorder player, composer, and editor of music. Michel studied with Ingetraud Drescher, Nikolaus Delius, and Frans Brüggen. He is lecturer for the recorder at the Staatliche Hochschule Münster ...

(born 1948), composer, recorder player and music publisher

1951–present

* Markus Oestreich (born 1963), racing driver *

Immanuel Bloch Immanuel Bloch (born 16 November 1972, Fulda) is a German experimental physicist. His research is focused on the investigation of quantum many-body systems using ultracold atomic and molecular quantum gases. Bloch is known for his work on atoms ...

(born 1972), physicist *

Tobias Sammet Tobias Sammet (born 21 November 1977) is a German musician, songwriter, and music producer. He is the singer and primary songwriter of the power metal band Edguy, and the founder of the metal opera project Avantasia. Career Sammet founded Edgu ...

(born 1977), musician *

Sebastian Kehl Sebastian Walter Kehl (; born 13 February 1980) is a German former professional association football, footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He is currently the Sporting director, Sporting Director of Borussia Dortmund. He amassed Bund ...

(born 1980), football player *

Patrik Sinkewitz Patrik Sinkewitz (born 20 October 1980) is a German professional road racing cyclist, who is currently suspended from the sport until 2024 for doping and ineligibility offences. He was a climbing specialist who can ride well over a stage race, as ...

(born 1980), professional cyclist *

Tobias Wolf Tobias Wolf (born 6 August 1988) is a German footballer who plays as a goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated p ...

(born 1988), football player *

Thorsten Hohmann Thorsten Hohmann (born 14 July 1979 in Fulda, West Germany) is a German professional pool player, nicknamed "the Hitman." He is a three-time world champion, winning the WPA World Nine-ball Championship in 2003, and 2013, and winning the WPA Worl ...

(born 1979), pool player *

Damien Haas Smosh () is an American YouTube sketch comedy-improv collective, independent production company, and former social networking site founded by Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox. In 2002, Padilla created a website named "smosh.com" for making Flash ...

(born 1990) internet personality and voice actor

Gallery

File:Fulda, Schlossgarten, 2019-10 CN-08.jpg, City palace garden File:Kathedrale Fulda-6385.jpg,

File:Fulda-Bonifatiusstatue.png, Statue of Saint Boniface (1830) in Fulda File:Ansicht des Bonifatiusplatzes mit Bonifatiusdenkmal und Hauptwache in Fulda 1850.jpg, Fulda in 1850 File:Fulda-Stadtschloss.png, Entrance of the Stadtschloss (City Palace) File:Altes Rathaus Fulda 2.jpg, Old City Hall File:Orangerie Fulda 029a.jpg, Orangerie File:Frauenberg Fulda Gästehaus.JPG, Kloster Frauenberg (Fulda), a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

monastery File:St.-Michaelskirche-2284.jpg, St. Michael's Church File:Fulda - Adelspalais im Barockviertel.jpg, Baroque Adelspalais File:FULDA Alte Universitaet.JPG, Old University of Fulda: ''Adolphs-Universität Fulda'', today the Adolf von Dalberg School File:Fulda countryside.jpg, Looking east toward Fulda over the rich farmlands File:Weser watershed 3.png,

Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports o ...

river watershed, showing

Fulda river The Fulda () is a river of Hesse and Lower Saxony, Germany. It is one of two headstreams of the Weser (the other one being the Werra). The Fulda is long. The river arises at Wasserkuppe in the Rhön mountains in Hesse. From there it runs n ...

and the city of Fulda File:Fulda, Paulustor, 2019-10 CN-02.jpg, St. Paul's Gate, viewed from the south

References

External links

Official website360degree virtual tour through downtown Fulda

Vonderau Museum FuldaHochschule Fulda (University of Applied Science)Holocaust survivor testimony of the Kristallnacht pogrom in Fulda
on the

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

website {{Authority control . Populated places established in the 8th century 8th-century establishments in Germany 744 establishments 12th-century establishments in the Holy Roman Empire Carolingian architecture Cities in Hesse Counter-Reformation Hesse-Nassau Historic Jewish communities