Alsfeld
Encyclopedia
Alsfeld (ˈalsfɛlt) is a town in the center of Hesse
, somewhere in Germany. Large towns nearby are Bad Hersfeld
about 33 km to the east, Fulda
36 km to the southeast, Gießen
47 km to the west and Marburg an der Lahn about 36 km to the northwest. Alsfeld is located on the upper part of the Schwalm
in the northern Vogelsberg Mountains
and just to the south of the Knüll Mountains at the western edge of the Alsfeld basin. Different interests group Alsfeld with different regions, but it is easy to find the town right in the heart of Germany.
, Schrecksbach
, Ottrau
(all Schwalm-Eder district
), Breitenbach
(Hersfeld-Rotenburg district
) and Grebenau
, Schwalmtal
, Romrod
, Kirtorf
and Antrifttal
(all Vogelsbergkreis
).
under Attila
came through the region around Alsfeld as the higher than average occurrence of the Mongolian spot
around Alsfeld evidences to this day.
Alsfeld was first mentioned in an official document in 1069. Excavations in the Walpurgiskirche have discovered that a Roman church existed here already in the 9th and 10th centuries. It is therefore estimated that the town was founded in Carolingian
times. Between 1180 and 1190 the Counts of Thuringia
built a castle along the historic trading route of the Kurze Hessen. That location favored the development of Alsfeld and it was subsequently documented as a town as early as 1222.
Since 1247 Alsfeld has been part of Hesse
and in 1254 the town joined the Rheinischer Städtebund. Hermann II built himself a castle here in 1695 and for a time turned the town into his official residence. From 1567 Alsfeld belonged to Hesse-Marburg
and from 1604 on to Hesse-Darmstadt
. Until 1972 it was the seat of Alsfeld district until the district was merged with neighboring Lauterbach district and the Schotten
region into the present-day Vogelsberg district
. At that time, the decision to designate Lauterbach as seat of the new district led to bitterness in Alsfeld that put a damper on the relationship between the two towns for years. This went so far that because of protests in and around Alsfeld the motor vehicle registration office in Alsfeld, for instance, would not issue licence plates with the code "LAT" (for Lauterbach) and instead continued to issue plates sporting the code "ALS" for Alsfeld until 1978 when the licence plate code "VB" was agreed on for the entire district of Vogelsberg.
One of the many legends about how Alsfeld came to its name and location goes as follows: Around 1200 the Margrave of Hesse
/Thuringia
went riding his horse over the Vogelsberg. When he got to the Homberg (a hill near Alsfeld) a very strong wind was blowing. Supposedly at this point the Margrave said: "Als fällt mir der Hut vom Kopp." (trans. I keep losing my hat.) The "Als fällt" in that statement supposedly became the name "Alsfeld" – it has the same pronunciation.
{| border="0"
| valign="top" |
{| class="wikitable"
! Party
! Seats
|-
| align="left" | SPD
|| align="right" | 16
|-
| align="left" | CDU
|| align="right" | 15
|-
| align="left" | UWA (Independents)|| align="right" | 3
|-
| align="left" | ALA (Alternative List)|| align="right" | 2
|-
| align="left" | FDP
|| align="right" | 1
|}
The town's executive has nine members:
{| border="0"
| valign="top" |
{| class="wikitable"
! Party
! Seats
|-
| align="left" | SPD
|| align="right" | 4
|-
| align="left" | CDU
|| align="right" | 3
|-
| align="left" | UWA || align= "right" | 1
|-
| align="left" | ALA || align="right" | 1
|}
The oldest seal of the town features the Count of Hesse as judge with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. That shield depicted the lion of Hesse. The combination used today has been seen since the late 14th century; since then there have only been some minor variations in color.
The town is known for its Altstadt
, the historic town centre, with its uninterrupted blocks of historic buildings. The Altstadt has a typical layout for a medieval town. The town wall
was built in an almost perfect circle centred on the market place (for strategic reasons). Roads lead mostly straight from the gates in the wall to the town centre. One can deduce where the town wall was from the picturesque narrow streets which remain in their original state: their bends and curves in those small streets follow the original town wall.
Town Hall was constructed in medieval, Rähmbau style timber framing
between 1512 and 1516. It is next to the market place in the center of the Altstadt. Its ground floor, built of stone, was once used as a market hall.
Next to the Town Hall is the Weinhaus ("Wine House"), built in 1538 by Hans von Frankfurt as the town's wine storage and distribution facility. It has a Staffelgiebel (a gable that rises to the top of the roof in the form of a staircase). Its original windows were modified in 1840.
At the corner of the Weinhaus is the Pranger
, a lockable iron collar into which mediaeval law-breakers were locked. They then had to suffer the verbal and physical abuse of their fellow citizens without any means of defending themselves. The Pranger is much photographed by tourists.
Leaning up against the Weinhaus is the oldest timber-framed house in Alsfeld. It was built in Ständerbau style beginning in 1350 and then expanded and again modified in 1403 and 1464. Underneath the house are two cellars with barrel vault
s that date back to the foundation of the town.
The Walpurgiskirche is located behind these three buildings. It was built in the second half of the 13th century. The church choir was built in 1393, and the tower was rebuilt in 1394 after an earlier collapse. It was not finished until 1543 and was reduced by one floor in 1836. The Gothic
long house was remodelled into a church nave from 1472 onwards. The extensive stained glass art in the church was created in 1963 by Charles Crodel.
The late Gothic
Beinhaus is located in the immediate vicinity of the Walpurgiskirche. This ossuary
is first recorded in 1368, and was expanded in 1510.
The Dreifaltigkeitskirche (Trinity Church) was built as an Augustinian
monastery church around 1435 with two asymmetric nave
s. As was customary in churches built for Mendicant orders, it has no steeple. Again, the stained glass windows were fashioned by Charles Crodel in 1962 and 1963.
Only a small section of the town wall remains, together with the Leonhardsturm (Leonard's Tower), which was one of the gate towers built as part of the town fortifications in 1386.
Alsfeld is situated right off the Alsfeld East and Alsfeld West exits on the Autobahn A 5
The Rimberg rest area near Alsfeld is the second highest rest area (in altitude) along the A 5 and also a popular meeting place for travelers coming from the B 49.
Visitors can reach Alsfeld also by train via the Vogelsberg line Gießen - Alsfeld - Fulda. In addition, from April 1, 1916 until 1974 the Gründchen line connected Alsfeld with Niederaula
. Passenger traffic on the Gründchen line was discontinued on May 25 and the last freight train left Alsfeld on May 28, 1974. Since then the right-of-way
between Alsfeld and Breitenbach
has been renaturalized to varying degrees.
((Städte und Gemeinden im Vogelsberg (Bezirk)))
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, somewhere in Germany. Large towns nearby are Bad Hersfeld
Bad Hersfeld
The festival and spa town of Bad Hersfeld is the district seat of Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany, roughly 50 km southeast of Kassel....
about 33 km to the east, Fulda
Fulda
Fulda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district .- Early Middle Ages :...
36 km to the southeast, Gießen
Gießen
Gießen, also spelt Giessen is a town in the German federal state of Hesse, capital of both the district of Gießen and the administrative region of Gießen...
47 km to the west and Marburg an der Lahn about 36 km to the northwest. Alsfeld is located on the upper part of the Schwalm
Schwalm
The Schwalm is a river in Hesse, Germany, right tributary of the Eder. It rises on the north side of the Vogelsberg Mountains. It flows north through Alsfeld, Schwalmstadt and Borken...
in the northern Vogelsberg Mountains
Vogelsberg Mountains
The Vogelsberg Mountains are a group duct of ancient volcanic activity and are separated from the Rhön Mountains by the Fulda River and its valley....
and just to the south of the Knüll Mountains at the western edge of the Alsfeld basin. Different interests group Alsfeld with different regions, but it is easy to find the town right in the heart of Germany.
Neighboring communities
Alsfeld borders on the following towns, listed here clockwise starting in the north: WillingshausenWillingshausen
-Neighbouring communities:Willingshausen borders in the north on the town of Schwalmstadt, in the northeast on the community of Frielendorf, in the east on the town of Neukirchen and the community of Schrecksbach , in the south on the town of Alsfeld and the community of Antrifttal , and in the...
, Schrecksbach
Schrecksbach
-Location:Schrecksbach lies in the southern part of Schwalm-Eder on the river Schwalm, and forms the border with the Vogelsbergkreis.-Constituent communities:The following centres belong to the greater community::-History:...
, Ottrau
Ottrau
-Constituent communities:The community of Ottrau is made up of six constituent communities:* Ottrau: 730 inhabitants* Immichenhain: 605 inhabitants* Weißenborn: 377 inhabitants* Görzhain: 374 inhabitants...
(all Schwalm-Eder district
Schwalm-Eder-Kreis
Schwalm-Eder is a Kreis in the north of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Kassel, Werra-Meißner, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Vogelsbergkreis, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Waldeck-Frankenberg.-History:...
), Breitenbach
Breitenbach am Herzberg
Breitenbach am Herzberg is a community in southwesternmost Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in eastern Hesse, Germany.-Location:...
(Hersfeld-Rotenburg district
Hersfeld-Rotenburg
Hersfeld-Rotenburg is a Kreis in the east of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Werra-Meißner, Wartburgkreis, Fulda, Vogelsbergkreis, Schwalm-Eder.-History:...
) and Grebenau
Grebenau
-Location:Lying from 220 to 350 m above sea level, Grebenau is northeast of the Vogelsberg some 26 km northwest of Fulda, at the place where the Schwarza empties into the Jossa, itself a tributary to the Fulda.-Neighbouring communities:...
, Schwalmtal
Schwalmtal, Hesse
-Neighbouring communities:Schwalmtal borders in the north on the towns of Alsfeld and Grebenau, in the east on the town of Lauterbach, in the south on the community of Lautertal, and in the west on the community of Feldatal and the town of Nidda and the town of Romrod.-Constituent communities:The...
, Romrod
Romrod
-Neighbouring communities:Romrod borders in the north on the town of Alsfeld, in the east on the community of Schwalmtal, in the south on the community of Feldatal, and in the west on the community of Gemünden and the town of Kirtorf.-Constituent communities:...
, Kirtorf
Kirtorf
Kirtorf is a town in the northern Vogelsbergkreis in Hesse, Germany. Through the town runs the Deutsche Märchenstraße, or German Fairytale Road, a touristic route joining many of the places commonly associated with the Brothers Grimm's tales.-Geography:...
and Antrifttal
Antrifttal
-Location:Antrifttal lies, as its name suggests, in the valley of a brook called the Antrift, a tributary to the Schwalm, between the Vogelsberg in the south and the Knüllgebirge in the northeast ....
(all Vogelsbergkreis
Vogelsbergkreis
The Vogelsbergkreis is a Kreis in the middle of Hesse, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Schwalm-Eder, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Fulda, Main-Kinzig, Wetteraukreis, Gießen and Marburg-Biedenkopf.-Geography:...
).
Boroughs
In addition to Alsfeld (proper) the town includes the following boroughs: Altenburg, Angenrod, Berfa, Billertshausen, Eifa, Elbenrod, Eudorf, Fischbach, Hattendorf, Heidelbach, Leusel, Liederbach, Lingelbach, Münch-Leusel, Reibertenrod and Schwabenrod.History
In the 5th century the HunsHuns
The Huns were a group of nomadic people who, appearing from east of the Volga River, migrated into Europe c. AD 370 and established the vast Hunnic Empire there. Since de Guignes linked them with the Xiongnu, who had been northern neighbours of China 300 years prior to the emergence of the Huns,...
under Attila
Attila the Hun
Attila , more frequently referred to as Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in 453. He was leader of the Hunnic Empire, which stretched from the Ural River to the Rhine River and from the Danube River to the Baltic Sea. During his reign he was one of the most feared...
came through the region around Alsfeld as the higher than average occurrence of the Mongolian spot
Mongolian spot
A Mongolian spot, also known as "Mongolian blue spot," "Congenital dermal melanocytosis," and "Dermal melanocytosis" is a benign, flat, congenital birthmark with wavy borders and irregular shape, discovered on and named after Mongolians by Erwin Bälz. It is also extremely prevalent among East...
around Alsfeld evidences to this day.
Alsfeld was first mentioned in an official document in 1069. Excavations in the Walpurgiskirche have discovered that a Roman church existed here already in the 9th and 10th centuries. It is therefore estimated that the town was founded in Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
times. Between 1180 and 1190 the Counts of Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
built a castle along the historic trading route of the Kurze Hessen. That location favored the development of Alsfeld and it was subsequently documented as a town as early as 1222.
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
and in 1254 the town joined the Rheinischer Städtebund. Hermann II built himself a castle here in 1695 and for a time turned the town into his official residence. From 1567 Alsfeld belonged to Hesse-Marburg
Hesse-Marburg
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Marburg was a German landgraviate, and independent principality, within the Holy Roman Empire, that existed between 1485 and 1500, and between 1567 and 1604/1650....
and from 1604 on to Hesse-Darmstadt
Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was a member state of the Holy Roman Empire. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse between the four sons of Philip I, the last Landgrave of Hesse....
. Until 1972 it was the seat of Alsfeld district until the district was merged with neighboring Lauterbach district and the Schotten
Schotten
Schotten is a town in the middle of Hesse, Germany. Larger towns nearby include Alsfeld in the north, Fulda in the east, Friedberg in the south and Gießen in the west.-Location:...
region into the present-day Vogelsberg district
Vogelsbergkreis
The Vogelsbergkreis is a Kreis in the middle of Hesse, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Schwalm-Eder, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Fulda, Main-Kinzig, Wetteraukreis, Gießen and Marburg-Biedenkopf.-Geography:...
. At that time, the decision to designate Lauterbach as seat of the new district led to bitterness in Alsfeld that put a damper on the relationship between the two towns for years. This went so far that because of protests in and around Alsfeld the motor vehicle registration office in Alsfeld, for instance, would not issue licence plates with the code "LAT" (for Lauterbach) and instead continued to issue plates sporting the code "ALS" for Alsfeld until 1978 when the licence plate code "VB" was agreed on for the entire district of Vogelsberg.
One of the many legends about how Alsfeld came to its name and location goes as follows: Around 1200 the Margrave of Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
/Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
went riding his horse over the Vogelsberg. When he got to the Homberg (a hill near Alsfeld) a very strong wind was blowing. Supposedly at this point the Margrave said: "Als fällt mir der Hut vom Kopp." (trans. I keep losing my hat.) The "Als fällt" in that statement supposedly became the name "Alsfeld" – it has the same pronunciation.
District reform
As a result of the district reform that took effect on July 11, 1972 the villages of Berfa, Hattendorf, Liederbach and Lingelbach were merged into the town of Alsfeld.Town council and executive
After the municipal elections of June 26, 2006 the town council was made up of 37 councillors:{| border="0"
| valign="top" |
{| class="wikitable"
! Party
! Seats
|-
| align="left" | SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
|| align="right" | 16
|-
| align="left" | CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
|| align="right" | 15
|-
| align="left" | UWA (Independents)|| align="right" | 3
|-
| align="left" | ALA (Alternative List)|| align="right" | 2
|-
| align="left" | FDP
Free Democratic Party (Germany)
The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
|| align="right" | 1
|}
The town's executive has nine members:
{| border="0"
| valign="top" |
{| class="wikitable"
! Party
! Seats
|-
| align="left" | SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
|| align="right" | 4
|-
| align="left" | CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
|| align="right" | 3
|-
| align="left" | UWA || align= "right" | 1
|-
| align="left" | ALA || align="right" | 1
|}
Mayor
The current mayor, Ralf Becker, was elected on September 9, 2007 with a 54,3% share of the vote.Coat of arms
The Coat of Arms depicts a red lion with golden claws and crown facing right on blue background. To the right of it is shown a silver sword with a golden grip.
The oldest seal of the town features the Count of Hesse as judge with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. That shield depicted the lion of Hesse. The combination used today has been seen since the late 14th century; since then there have only been some minor variations in color.
Theatre and museums
- The Theater Regional performs in the community centre
- Annual theatre productions take place in local high schools
- The Regionalmuseum Alsfeld, located in the former Patrician homes Neurath-Haus (built in 1688) and the Minnigerode-Haus (built in 1687), hosts speaking events and other occasions and often puts on small exhibitions
- Alsfeld Toy Museum
- Alsfeld Fairy Tale House: opening hours and event calendar are available at the Alsfeld Tourist Centre in the marketplace
Buildings
Altstadt
Altstadt is the German language word for "old town", meaning "historical city centre within the city wall", in contrast to a Neustadt built outside later....
, the historic town centre, with its uninterrupted blocks of historic buildings. The Altstadt has a typical layout for a medieval town. The town wall
Defensive wall
A defensive wall is a fortification used to protect a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements...
was built in an almost perfect circle centred on the market place (for strategic reasons). Roads lead mostly straight from the gates in the wall to the town centre. One can deduce where the town wall was from the picturesque narrow streets which remain in their original state: their bends and curves in those small streets follow the original town wall.
Town Hall was constructed in medieval, Rähmbau style timber framing
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
between 1512 and 1516. It is next to the market place in the center of the Altstadt. Its ground floor, built of stone, was once used as a market hall.
Next to the Town Hall is the Weinhaus ("Wine House"), built in 1538 by Hans von Frankfurt as the town's wine storage and distribution facility. It has a Staffelgiebel (a gable that rises to the top of the roof in the form of a staircase). Its original windows were modified in 1840.
At the corner of the Weinhaus is the Pranger
Pranger
The pranger is a German physical punishment device related to the stocks and the pillory. The Middle Low German word means something that pinches badly.The pranger chained the victim's neck to a pair of leg restraints fastened around the ankles...
, a lockable iron collar into which mediaeval law-breakers were locked. They then had to suffer the verbal and physical abuse of their fellow citizens without any means of defending themselves. The Pranger is much photographed by tourists.
Leaning up against the Weinhaus is the oldest timber-framed house in Alsfeld. It was built in Ständerbau style beginning in 1350 and then expanded and again modified in 1403 and 1464. Underneath the house are two cellars with barrel vault
Barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
s that date back to the foundation of the town.
The Walpurgiskirche is located behind these three buildings. It was built in the second half of the 13th century. The church choir was built in 1393, and the tower was rebuilt in 1394 after an earlier collapse. It was not finished until 1543 and was reduced by one floor in 1836. The Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
long house was remodelled into a church nave from 1472 onwards. The extensive stained glass art in the church was created in 1963 by Charles Crodel.
The late Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
Beinhaus is located in the immediate vicinity of the Walpurgiskirche. This ossuary
Ossuary
An ossuary is a chest, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the skeletal remains are removed and placed in an ossuary...
is first recorded in 1368, and was expanded in 1510.
The Dreifaltigkeitskirche (Trinity Church) was built as an Augustinian
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
monastery church around 1435 with two asymmetric nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
s. As was customary in churches built for Mendicant orders, it has no steeple. Again, the stained glass windows were fashioned by Charles Crodel in 1962 and 1963.
Only a small section of the town wall remains, together with the Leonhardsturm (Leonard's Tower), which was one of the gate towers built as part of the town fortifications in 1386.
Events
- Regular rock, Pop and traditional concerts held in the Hessenhalle community center
- Regular alternative concerts held in the former Youth Center
- Ascension Thursday: academic Marktfrühschoppen (StudentenverbindungStudentenverbindungA Studentenverbindung is a student corporation in a German-speaking country somewhat comparable to fraternities in the US or Canada, but mostly older and going back to other kinds of...
festival) - Alsfeld Whitsun Fair
- Alsfeld Town Festival (1. Saturday in August)
- Marktspiel with a historic market (2nd weekend in September)
- Alsfeld Christmas Market
- Vogelsberg Specialties: Various popular activities staged by the citizens of Alsfeld on the first Saturday of each month
- Farmers and specialty market on the third Saturday of each month
Infrastructure
Alsfeld is situated right off the Alsfeld East and Alsfeld West exits on the Autobahn A 5Bundesautobahn 5
is a 445 km long Autobahn in Germany. Its northern end is the Hattenbach triangle intersection is a 445 km (277 mi) long Autobahn in Germany. Its northern end is the Hattenbach triangle intersection is a 445 km (277 mi) long Autobahn in Germany. Its northern end is the...
The Rimberg rest area near Alsfeld is the second highest rest area (in altitude) along the A 5 and also a popular meeting place for travelers coming from the B 49.
Visitors can reach Alsfeld also by train via the Vogelsberg line Gießen - Alsfeld - Fulda. In addition, from April 1, 1916 until 1974 the Gründchen line connected Alsfeld with NiederaulaNiederaula
Niederaula is a market community in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany, 59 km south of Kassel.-Location:The community lies on the Fulda between the outliers of the Rhön, the Vogelsberg and the Knüllgebirge...
. Passenger traffic on the Gründchen line was discontinued on May 25 and the last freight train left Alsfeld on May 28, 1974. Since then the right-of-way
Right-of-way (railroad)
A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism, for transportation purposes, such as for a trail, driveway, rail line or highway. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way...
between Alsfeld and Breitenbach
Breitenbach
- Places :Breitenbach is the name of several communes and places in Europe. In German, the name means 'wide brook'.Austria:*Breitenbach am Inn, in TyrolCzech Republic:*The former name of what is now PotůčkyFrance:...
has been renaturalized to varying degrees.
Sons and daughters of Alsfeld
- Samuel Spier (born April 4, 1838, died November 9, 1903), one of the founders of the German Social Democrats
- Rudolf Stammler (Philosopher)
- Henny KochHenny KochHenny Koch was a translator and a German children's author. She was born in Alsfeld, Grand Duchy of Hesse. From 1898 on, she lived in Jugenheim an der Bergstraße in Hessia, Germany, where she died in 1925. She produced the first German translation of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn...
(born September 22, 1854; died June 13, 1925), author - Peter GrussPeter GrussPeter Gruss is a German developmental biologist, and the current president of the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft...
(born June 28, 1949), President of the Max Planck Society (2002- ) - Thomas Freitag (born June 17, 1950), German comedian
- Manfred StumpfManfred StumpfManfred Stumpf is a German draftsman, sculptor, and digital artist. He started to study 1976 with Thomas Bayrle at the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main, since 1978 with Hans Haake at the Cooper Union in New York, and since 1979 with Bazon Brock at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria...
(born November 25, 1957), German draftsman, sculptor and digital artist - Stephan WeidnerStephan WeidnerStephan Weidner , often called "Der W," is a musician and music producer. From 25 November 1980 until 18 June 2005 he was the bassist, songwriter and leader of the German hard-rock band Böhse Onkelz. Weidner was also a singer with Nordend Antistars, a collaboration with Sub7even singer Daniel Wirtz...
(born May 29, 1963), lyrics, bass and vocals for Böhse OnkelzBöhse OnkelzThe Böhse Onkelz were a German rock group that existed from 1980 to 2005. Although being ignored by the mass media for their controversial past, since Viva los tioz in 1998 almost every album reached number one on the German album charts. According to record certifications and additional sources... - Gerd LudwigGerd LudwigGerd Ludwig is a German-American documentary photographer and photojournalist.- Biography :...
(born March 17, 1947), German-American documentary photographer and photojournalist - Lothar Hennighausen (born August 22, 1952), Geneticist at NIDDK at the National Institutes of Health
External links
- ((De Symbol)) Offizielle Webseite der Stadt Alsfeld
- ((De Symbol)) Tourist Center Alsfeld
- ((De Symbol)) Alsfeld Pentecostal Fair
- ((De Symbol)) Regionalmuseum Alsfeld
- ((De Symbol)) Bilder von Alsfeld
- ((De Symbol)) Bilder von alten Fachwerkbalken in Alsfeld
((Städte und Gemeinden im Vogelsberg (Bezirk)))