Lauterbach () is the district capital () of the

Vogelsbergkreis The Vogelsbergkreis is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the middle of Hesse, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Schwalm-Eder, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Fulda, Main-Kinzig, Wetteraukreis, Gießen and Marburg-Biedenkopf. History The district was created in ...

district of the federal state of

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 ...

in central

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 ...

History

Lauterbach was founded between 400 and 800 AD. In 812 the town was mentioned for the first time in a document of the church in Schlitz. In the Middle Ages, Lauterbach belonged to the cloister in Fulda. Then in the 12th century Lauterbach became a fief of the count Ziegenhein from the cloister in Fulda. In 1266, Lauterbach received municipal rights. In the same year, Lauterbach started to build the castle (Burg) and the city wall. Over the following centuries, ownership rights of Lauterbach changed often and were complicated. Lauterbach became Lutheran following 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 ...

. With a pact in 1684, Lauterbach came under the control of the Riedesel zu Eisenbach (

Riedesel The Riedesel family is an ancient German nobility, German noble family that began to appear in legal documents in the early 13th century. They were of the knightly class, though not all had the official status of ''Ritter'' or knight. History ...

). Up to 1806, the Riedesels had a small but independent territory. Following the Napoleonic Wars and

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 ...

, Lauterbach belonged to the

Grand Duchy of Hesse The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine () was a grand duchy in western Germany that existed from 1806 to 1918. The grand duchy originally formed from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1806 as the Grand Duchy of Hesse (). It assumed the name ...

. In 1852, Lauterbach became the seat of the new founded district (''Kreis'') of Lauterbach. In 1972, local governments were re-organized, and the new, larger district Vogelsberg was founded of which Lauterbach remains the seat of government.

Villages that belong to Lauterbach

In 1972, several villages were incorporated into the town of Lauterbach: Allmenrod, Frischborn, Heblos, Maar, Reuters, Rimlos, Rudlos, Sickendorf, Wallenrod and Wernges.

Culture

In 1983, the town hosted the 23rd ''

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.

Economy

Lauterbacher beer is the oldest beer in

. The brand has existed since 1527.

Features

The Ankerturm is the only remaining tower of the city wall. It was used to be an observation tower. Temporarily it was also used as a prison. The Hainigturm is a tower between Lauterbach and Angersbach. This tourist attraction was built in 1907. The ''Schrittsteine'' (stepping stones) were used as a shortcut to get to the local water fountain.

Notable people

Friedrich Adolf Riedesel The Baron Friedrich Adolf Riedesel zu Eisenbach (3 June 1738 – 6 January 1800) was a senior officer of Brunswick–Luneburg troops who commanded '' jägers'' in the Northern theater of the American War of Independence. Early life and ed ...

(1738–1800), military leader * John Rock (1836–1904), German-American horticulturalist and nurseryman * Fritz Selbmann (1899–1975), politician and writer *

Peter Grünberg Peter Andreas Grünberg (; 18 May 1939 – 7 April 2018) was a German physicist, and Nobel Prize in Physics laureate for his discovery with Albert Fert of giant magnetoresistance which brought about a breakthrough in gigabyte hard disk drive ...

(1939–2018), physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics laureate; spent his childhood and youth in Lauterbach

Gallery

Lat Ankerturm.jpg, The Ankerturm tower Lat Schrittsteine.jpg, Stepping stones Lauterbach (DerHexer) WLMMH 66026 2011-09-17 03.jpg, Cultural heritage monument in Lauterbach

References

External links

*
'Hohhaus' museum LauterbachOver 900 old and new pictures of Lauterbach
{{Authority control Vogelsbergkreis