Felsberg, Hesse
Felsberg | |
---|---|
Location of Felsberg within Schwalm-Eder-Kreis district | |
Coordinates: 51°8′N 9°25′E / 51.133°N 9.417°E | |
Country | Germany |
State | Hesse |
Admin. region | Kassel |
District | Schwalm-Eder-Kreis |
Government | |
• Mayor (2019–25) | Volker Steinmetz[1] (Ind.) |
Area | |
• Total | 83.27 km2 (32.15 sq mi) |
Elevation | 162 m (531 ft) |
Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 10,633 |
• Density | 130/km2 (330/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Postal codes | 34587 |
Dialling codes | 05662, 05665 (Wolfershausen), 05683 (Lohre) |
Vehicle registration | HR, FZ, MEG, ZIG |
Website | www.felsberg.de |
Felsberg is a town in the Schwalm-Eder district about 25 kilometres (16 miles) south of Kassel.
Geography
The landscape around Felsberg is marked by hills and small lakes, as well as the remains of gravel quarrying. As part of the West Hesse Depression, it lies in a sunken area that was formed by volcanic activity in the Tertiary sub-era. The change from partly basaltic hills to smooth river valleys is striking. While the river valleys are covered by fluvial sediments, fertile loess beds can be found higher up. The river Eder flows through Felsberg's municipal area. Near Gensungen lies the Heiligenberg ("Holy Mountain") with the ruins of the Heiligenburg Castle.
Constituent communities
The town consists of 15 communities: Altenbrunslar, Altenburg, Beuern, Böddiger, Gensungen, Helmshausen, Hesserode, Heßlar, Hilgershausen, Lohre, Melgershausen, Neuenbrunslar, Niedervorschütz, Rhünda and Wolfershausen together with the historic Felsberg, to which the other, formerly independent communities were amalgamated on 1 January 1974.
History
There were settlers in the Felsberg region, as long ago as the last
In the 8th Century, the Felsberg region was part of the
Within the town's municipal area lie the ruins of three
In 1090, Felsberg was mentioned in a Mainz document under the name Velisberc, and again under the same name in 1209 in a good's directory from the Petrus Estate in Fritzlar. Felsberg's first documentary mention as a town came in 1286. The historic town core was once surrounded by an 830m-long town wall, only parts of which are preserved today.
A house of
In 1526, Felsberg became Evangelical under Philip the Magnanimous, after a resolution by the Homberg Synod.
The Thirty Years' War brought widespread destruction to Felsberg.
In the
Politics
This section needs to be updated.(July 2021) |
The town council has 37 members. The last two municipal elections gave the following results:
2006 | 2011 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Parties | Votes % | Seats | Votes % | Seats |
Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 53.9 | 20 | 50.3 | 19 |
Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
|
23.8 | 9 | 21.6 | 8 |
Alliance 90/The Greens | 6.4 | 2 | 14.5 | 5 |
Free Democratic Party (FDP) | 5.7 | 2 | 4.9 | 2 |
Free Voters (FWG) | 5.0 | 2 | 4.4 | 2 |
Die Freien Bürger (DFB) | 5.2 | 2 | 4.4 | 1 |
Total | 100 | 37 | 100 | 37 |
The town executive (Magistrat) consists of 14 councillors and the
The last three elected mayors were:
Date elected | Name | Party | Percentage of votes |
---|---|---|---|
28 October 2001 | Klaus Stiegel | SPD | 85.2% |
1 April 2008 | Volker Steinmetz | Independent | 67.6% |
3 November 2013 | Volker Steinmetz | Independent | 73.6% |
Klaus Stiegel was mayor of Felsberg for 24 years.
Coat of arms
The town's civic coat of arms has been known since 1570, when it was displayed at the Schloss Rotenburg (a stately home in Rotenburg an der Fulda, built by Landgrave Ludwig II in 1540). It was also published in the Hessisches Wappenbuch ("Hessian Arms Book") by Wilhelm Wessel in 1633.
Heraldically, the arms might be described thus: Party per pale gules and argent, thereover a bend sinister vert, therein three trefoils argent.
Town partnerships
Felsberg is
It also has friendship agreements with these places:
- Felsberg, a constituent community of Überherrn, Saarland
- Graubünden, Switzerland
- Dingelstädt, Thuringia
Personalities
- Benjamin Bramer (1588-1652), artist, architect, builder, geodesist, mathematician
- Third Reich
- Harold Goldsmith, born Hans Goldschmidt (1930–2004), American Olympic foil and épée fencer
- Günter Böttcher (1954-2012), German handball player, coach and university lecturer
References
- Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt. 5 September 2022.
- Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt. June 2023.