Hatzfeld (Eder) is a small town in
Waldeck-Frankenberg
Waldeck-Frankenberg is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the north of Hesse, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Höxter, Kassel, Schwalm-Eder, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Hochsauerland.
History
The district was created in 1972 by mergin ...
district 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 ...
.
Geography
Location
Hatzfeld lies in west Hesse 25 km northwest of
Marburg
Marburg (; ) is a college town, university town in the States of Germany, German federal state () of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf Districts of Germany, district (). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has ...
and north of the Sackpfeife (674 m-high mountain) in the valley of the
Eder.
Neighbouring communities
Hatzfeld borders in the north and east on the town of
Battenberg (Waldeck-Frankenberg), in the south on the town of
Biedenkopf
Biedenkopf () is a spa town in western Hesse, Germany with a population of 13,491 (2020).
Geography
Location
The town of Biedenkopf lies in the west of Marburg-Biedenkopf district. Ringed by mountains reaching up to above sea level – the ...
(
Marburg-Biedenkopf
Marburg-Biedenkopf is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the west of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Waldeck-Frankenberg, Schwalm-Eder, Vogelsbergkreis, Gießen, Lahn-Dill, Siegen-Wittgenstein.
History
The district was created in 1974 when t ...
), and in the west on the town of
Bad Berleburg
Bad Berleburg (, earlier also Berleburg) is a town, in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is one of Germany's largest towns by land area. It is located approximately northeast of Siegen and northwest of ...
(
Siegen-Wittgenstein
Siegen-Wittgenstein is a Kreis (district) in the southeast of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Olpe (district), Olpe, Hochsauerlandkreis, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Lahn-Dill, Westerwaldkreis, and Altenkirche ...
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 ...
).
Constituent communities
The town of Hatzfeld consists of the centres of Biebighausen, Eifa, Hatzfeld (main town), Holzhausen, Lindenhof and Reddighausen
History
Hatzfeld had its first documentary mention in 1138. In 1340, the community was granted town rights. After the Hatzfeld branch of the
House of Hatzfeld
The House of Hatzfeld, also spelled House of Hatzfeldt, is the name of an ancient and influential German nobility, German noble family, whose members played important roles in the history of the Holy Roman Empire, Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia and Au ...
died out in 1570, half of the town, and later the whole, passed to the County of Hesse. In 1866, Hatzfeld passed to
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, ...
, and under Prussian law lost its town rights in 1885. After Prussia was dissolved, Hatzfeld once again became a town in 1950.
Reddighausen
Reddighausen, nowadays one of Hatzfeld's constituent communities, had its first documentary mention in 1278, at that time still under the name ''Redinchusen''. Already by 1840 Reddighausen had 474 inhabitants; nowadays (as of 2000) there are roughly 900.
Lindenhof
Lindenhof is a
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
and one of Hatzfeld's constituent communities. Its name, unlike what might be assumed, has nothing to do with
linden trees, even though there is a "namesake" tree growing in the community ("Linden" is ''Linde'' – plural, ''Linden'' – in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
), but rather with linen (''Leinen''), which in earlier times was woven here. In 1993, Lindenhof celebrated 300 years of existence, even though various sources point to a greater age.
What is known is that in 1693, a Hatzfeld townsman named Eckhardt went into the lovely dale here and acquired a newly built agricultural estate. In 1712, there were already six households in Lindenhof. In 1892, the hamlet got its own schoolteacher, who taught in a private house. In 1895, there were 77 people living in Lindenhof. In 1939, Lindenhof got its own
school
A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...
, which lasted until 1965 when its functions were transferred to a new central school in Hatzfeld.
By the beginning of the
First World War
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 ...
, 21 residential buildings had appeared in the dale, although some of them were in the separate hamlet of Hof Roda.
In 1991-1992, what is arguably Hesse's smallest
half-timbered
Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy Beam (structure), timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and Woodworking joints, joined timbers with joints secure ...
church was consecrated in Lindenhof.
Photograph gallery
Image:Hatzfeld06.jpg, Hatzfeld summer 2006
Image:Hatzfeld062.jpg, View over Hatzfeld
Image:Ahlefeld06.jpg, View over the "Ahlefeld"
Image:Lindenhof.jpg, Lindenhof 2005
Image:Schule_Lindenhof.jpg, Old Lindenhof school ca. 1940
Image:Kirche in Lindenhof.jpg, Lindenhof Church
Politics
Town council
The town council's 23 seats are apportioned thus, in accordance with municipal elections held on 26 March 2006:
Note: The ''Bürgerlisten'' are "citizens' lists" rather than actual parties.
Coat of arms
The current civic
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 conferred in 1950, but the charges shown within it date back to the 14th century, from which time an old town seal is known. The arms show a town wall with a gateway flanked by towers. Also in the arms above the gateway is an inescutcheon showing the arms of the Lords (later also Counts and Princes) of Hatzfeld, who died out in 1570. The size and shape of the various charges in the arms have changed over the age
Town partnerships
Hatzfeld maintains partnership links with the following:
*
Cloyes-sur-le-Loir
Cloyes-sur-le-Loir (, literally ''Cloyes on the Loir'') is a former commune on the River Loir, a few kilometres south of the town of Châteaudun in the department of Eure-et-Loir in northern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new c ...
, ''département'' of
Eure-et-Loir
Eure-et-Loir (, locally: ) is a French department, named after the Eure and Loir rivers. It is located in the region of Centre-Val de Loire. In 2019, Eure-et-Loir had a population of 431,575.[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 1979
Sport and leisure
Tourism plays an important rôle in Reddighausen, which is a state-recognized resort with a comprehensive network of
hiking
A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time.
"Hi ...
trails. There is also a combination woodlore and bird-protection path in Hatzfeld (main town), and at the Sackpfeife are found a
winter sport centre, and also a summer
toboggan
A toboggan is a simple sled used in snowy winter recreation. It is also a traditional form of cargo transport used by the Innu, Cree and Ojibwe of North America, sometimes part of a dog train.
It is used on snow to carry one or more people (o ...
run.
In Lindenhof is a wildfowl haven run by the ''
Naturschutzbund Deutschland
The Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V. ("The Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union") or is a German non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to conservation at home and abroad, including the protection of rivers, forests and ind ...
'', a
non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...
dedicated to
nature conservation
Nature conservation is the ethic/moral philosophy and conservation movement focused on protecting species from extinction, maintaining and restoring habitats, enhancing ecosystem services, and protecting biological diversity. A range of values ...
br>
Churches
*Evangelical-Lutheran Church
Literature
* H. Reimer: ''Historisches Ortslexikon für Kurhessen''; Marburg: Elwert, 1974; ; S.304
References
External links
ReddighausenVerein für Burg- und Heimat- geschichte Hatzfeld e.V.
{{Authority control
Waldeck-Frankenberg