Borken, Hesse
Encyclopedia
Borken is a small town with about 13,000 inhabitants in the 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:...

 in northern 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...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

.

The town is a former centre for brown coal mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...

 and coal-fired electrical generation
Fossil fuel power plant
A fossil-fuel power station is a power station that burns fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas or petroleum to produce electricity. Central station fossil-fuel power plants are designed on a large scale for continuous operation...

 in Hesse. The coalmine, unlike those in other regions, also had underground workings. After a major disaster – namely a coal dust
Coal dust
Coal dust is a fine powdered form of coal, which is created by the crushing, grinding, or pulverizing of coal. Because of the brittle nature of coal, coal dust can be created during mining, transportation, or by mechanically handling coal.-Explosions:...

 explosion – the mine was shut down on 1 June 1988.

Since that time, the former coal pits have been redeveloped into recreation areas with lakes, nature areas – some actually protected by law – and sporting grounds. Among these areas are der Borkener See
Borkener See
Borkener See is a lake in West Hesse Depression, Hesse, Germany. At an elevation of 177 m, its surface area is 139 ha....

(Borken Lake) with its nature reserve, der Singliser See
Singliser See
Singliser See is a lake in West Hesse Depression, Hesse, Germany. At an elevation of 185 m, its surface area is 74 ha....

(Singlis Lake) with windsurfing
Windsurfing
Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...

, and die Stockelache ("Stagnant Puddle"), used as a bathing lake.

One particular attraction in Borken is the Hessian Brown Coal Mining Museum (Hessisches Braunkohle Bergbaumuseum) which displays the town's coal-mining tradition. Since 2003, an open-air museum, where visitors may learn about "coal and energy", has also been open. The museum is also affiliated with a nature conservation information centre for the Borkener See.

Borken's best known landmark is its watertower.

Geographical location

The next towns to Borken are Fritzlar
Fritzlar
Fritzlar is a small German town in the Schwalm-Eder district in northern Hesse, north of Frankfurt, with a storied history. It can reasonably be argued that the town is the site where the Christianization of northern Germany began and the birthplace of the German empire as a political entity.The...

 (15 km) in the northwest and Homberg
Homberg (Efze)
Homberg is a small town in northern state of Hesse in central Germany with about 15,000 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Schwalm-Eder district.-Geography:...

 (15 km) in the west. Within 50 km distance is Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...

 the next large city in the north and with 55 km Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...

 in the south.
Table: Using the area:
Utilization Area in acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...

 and Percent
Farming 11,873.41
(58.3 %)
Forrest 4,262.58
(20.9 %)
Building 1,393.67
(6.9 %)
Traffic 1,322.01
(6.5 %)
Water 753.67
(3.7 %)
Companies 363.24
(1.8 %)
Recreations 108.73
(0.5 %)
Nature protection
area
259.46
(1.4 %)
Summary 20336.77 acres (82.3 km²)
(100.0 %)

Geology

The municipal area is a part of natural region
Natural region
A Natural region is one which is distinguished by its natural features of geography and usually more important, geology. The natural ecology of the region is likely to be significant but one of these factors tends to influence the others....

 west hesse depression
West Hesse Depression
The West Hesse Depression is part of the West Hesse Highlands and Lowlands region in the north of the German state of Hesse.- Geographical location :...

. Following sub-divisions of this natural region participated Borken:
  • Landsburg Depression with the divisions:
    • Trockenerfurth Plain
    • Borken Basin
  • Hessengau
    Hessengau
    Hessengau is an historical region of modern-day Germany located between Beverungen and Marburg in the north and Bad Hersfeld to the south....

     with the division:
    • Großenenglise Plateau


In the area of Borken are different rivers and creeks. The famous river is 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...

 with the discharged creeks Olmes
Olmes
-See also:*List of rivers of Hesse...

 (right side) with Merrebach
Merrebach
Merrebach is a river of Hesse, Germany....

, Lembach (right side) and Hundsbach (left side).

Using municipal area

The municipal area are 82.3 square kilometres or 8,230 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...

 in metric
Metric system
The metric system is an international decimalised system of measurement. France was first to adopt a metric system, in 1799, and a metric system is now the official system of measurement, used in almost every country in the world...

 orientated countries (f.e. Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

). In anglo Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...

 based countries (f.e. United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 or United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

) 31.78 square miles or 20,336.77 ar. 11,873.41 ar were used by farming, 4,262.58 ar are forrest, buildings for living are used 1,393.67 ar, the roads and railroad are using 1,322.01 ar, waterbodies using 753.67 ar, companies using 363.24 ar, for recreation 108.73 ar and 259.46 ar are nature protection area.

In the neighbourhood

The next municipals at the “border“ at the area of Borken are in the northwest Fritzlar
Fritzlar
Fritzlar is a small German town in the Schwalm-Eder district in northern Hesse, north of Frankfurt, with a storied history. It can reasonably be argued that the town is the site where the Christianization of northern Germany began and the birthplace of the German empire as a political entity.The...

. In the northeast you can find Wabern. Homberg
Homberg (Efze)
Homberg is a small town in northern state of Hesse in central Germany with about 15,000 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Schwalm-Eder district.-Geography:...

 can you find at the east of Borken. The southeast show you the municipal of Frielendorf
Frielendorf
-Location:The state-recognized climatic spa of Frielendorf lies 9 km southwest of Homberg on the edge of the Knüllgebirge .-Constituent communities:...

. Neuental
Neuental
-Geography:Neuental lies in the Schwalm river valley between Borken and Schwalmstadt south of Kassel.-Constituent communities:The community consists of the eight centres of Bischhausen, Dorheim, Gilsa, Neuenhain, Römersberg, Schlierbach, Waltersbrück and Zimmersrode .-History:The community came...

 is the next municipal at the southwest. And at the last (but not the least) you find Bad Zwesten
Bad Zwesten
-Location:Bad Zwesten lies about 8 km southeast of Bad Wildungen on the river Schwalm, which belongs to the Eder watershed. North of the community begins the Kellerwald-Edersee Nature Park.-Constituent communities:* Betzigerode* Niederurff...

 at the west.

Quarters

The municipality of Borken (Hesse) has 14 quarters (in bracket the date of annexation):
  • 1. Großenenglis
    Großenenglis
    The formerly independent community of Großenenglis has been since its amalgamation with Borken in 1974 with its population then of 1,190 the northernmost and largest by land area of Borken's constituent communities....

     (1 January 1974)
  • 2. Gombeth
    Gombeth
    Gombeth is a constituent community of Borken and had its first documentary mention in 857 as "Gumbetta die Marka". Once an independent community, it has now been amalgamated with Borken. Gombeth is surrounded on all sides by brown coal mines, being found to the south, towards Singlis , and towards...

     (31 December 1971)
  • 3. Singlis
    Singlis
    The formerly independent community of Singlis has been since its amalgamation with Borken in 1974 with its population then of 880.The following constituent communities are in direct neighbourhood...

     (31 December 1971)
  • 4. Lendorf
    Lendorf, Borken
    Lendorf is a constituent community of Borken and had its first documentary mention in 1221 as "Lintdorf". Once an independent community, it has now been amalgamated with Borken since 1971. Lendorf has about 400 inhabitants....

     (31 December 1971)
  • 5. Freudenthal (31 December 1971)
  • 6. Pfaffenhausen (31 December 1971)
  • 7. Stolzenbach (31 December 1971)
  • 8. Dillich (31 December 1971)
  • 9. Haarhausen (31 December 1971)
  • 10. Nassenerfurth (1 January 1974)
  • 11. Trockenerfurth (1 January 1974)
  • 12. Arnsbach
    Arnsbach, Borken
    The formerly independent community of Arnsbach has been since its amalgamation with Borken in 1974 with its population then of 600.It lies near the Stockelache bathing lake. On the northeastern foot of the Altenburg lies the early settlement of Blankenhain. East of Arnsbach was the first brown...

     (1 January 1974)
  • 13. Kleinenglis
    Kleinenglis
    Kleinenglis is a constituent community of Borken . Kleinenglis has about 1300 inhabitants, and over the years it has become Borken's biggest community.- Sightseeing :...

     (1 January 1974)
  • 14. Kerstenhausen
    Kerstenhausen
    Kerstenhausen is a constituent community of Borken and had its first documentary mention in 1044 as Christinehysen. The document, issued from Gandersheim, can today be found in the State Archive in Lucerne....

     (1 January 1974)

  • Mining in Borken

    In the Borken region in the 20th century, the most important brown coal deposit in Hesse was mined and used at a thermal power plant to generate electricity
    Electricity
    Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...

    . With the end of the coal stocks, the Stolzenbach mine disaster in 1988 and the Borken Power Plant shutdown on 15 March 1991, this epoch in the region's history, which had lastingly shaped the economy, the landscape and the people, came to an end. Since then, the brown coal mining area has found itself the subject of a restructuring process by a service company.

    In the 21st century, the "Borkener Seenland" ("Borken Lakeland") and the Hessian Brown Coal Mining Museum turned the landmarks and the legacy, as well as the coal-mining and power plant era into a leisure and museum area.

    Municipal council

    The municipal council vote for the last two elections:
      2006 2001
    Party Percentage Seats ± Percentage ± Seats Percentage Seats
    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...

     
    21.4 % 8 − 1 % ± 0 22.4% 8
    SPD
    Social Democratic Party of Germany
    The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...

     
    52.2 % 19 − 2.1 % −1 54.3 % 20
    FWG
    FWG
    FWG may stand for:*Federal World Government, a concept of a democratic global government.*Forschungsanstalt der Bundeswehr für Wasserschall und Geophysik , in Germany....

     
    26.4 % 10 − 0.9 % +1 27.3 % 9

    Mayor

    Since the second world war
    World War II
    World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

     Borken have four majors:
    • Heinrich Albrecht (26. April 1945 till 2. Juno 1961)
    • Konrad Vogel (SPD) (3. Juno 1961 till 7. March 1971)
    • Heinz Kniest (SPD) (12. July 1971 till 30. September 1987)
    • Bernd Heßler (SPD) (1. October 1987 till today)


    The mayor of Borken is Bernd Heßler (SPD
    Social Democratic Party of Germany
    The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...

    ). By the last direct election he reached 60.0 %.

    Town partnerships

    Borken has a partnership to Méru
    Méru
    Méru is a town in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise. With a population of 13.000, Méru is the largest town of the Canton of Méru whose administrative centre Méru is. Further Méru located in the Arrondissement of Beauvais.-Partnership:Méru has...

    , France
    France
    The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

     since 1964. This partnership received a donation from the German French Culture Foundation for exemplary partnership in 1978. In 1999 received the partnership a donation from the European Parliament
    European Parliament
    The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...

     with the European diplom.

    Since 1989 it gives a partnership to Hüttschlag
    Hüttschlag
    Hüttschlag is a municipality in the St. Johann im Pongau district in the state of Salzburg in Austria. After Hüttschlag there is nothing only mountains. In St.Johann we call it "toischluss". That means that the valley is ended.-References:...

    , Austria
    Austria
    Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

    .

    For more good relationship to eastern European people came in 2001 a partnership to Izabelin
    Gmina Izabelin
    Gmina Izabelin is a rural gmina in Warsaw West County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. Its seat is the village of Izabelin, which lies approximately north of Ożarów Mazowiecki and north-west of Warsaw....

    , Poland
    Poland
    Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

    .

    In the course of the German reunification
    German reunification
    German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...

     said the parliament of Borken in 1991 we should get a partnership with Teuchern
    Teuchern
    Teuchern is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approx. 10 km southeast of Weißenfels....

    , Saxony-Anhalt
    Saxony-Anhalt
    Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...

     in the former eastern Germany.

    The quarter of Borken Großenenglis
    Großenenglis
    The formerly independent community of Großenenglis has been since its amalgamation with Borken in 1974 with its population then of 1,190 the northernmost and largest by land area of Borken's constituent communities....

     decided in 1970 a partnership with Noailles
    Noailles
    Noailles is the name of several communes in France:* Noailles, Corrèze, in the Corrèze département* Noailles, Oise, in the Oise département* Noailles, Tarn, in the Tarn département* Noailles, a neighborhood of Marseilles and its metro station...

    , France
    France
    The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

    .

    Another quarter of Borken Kleinenglis
    Kleinenglis
    Kleinenglis is a constituent community of Borken . Kleinenglis has about 1300 inhabitants, and over the years it has become Borken's biggest community.- Sightseeing :...

     decided in 1966 a partnership with Haucourt-Moulaine-St. Charles, France
    France
    The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

    .

    This quarters (Großenenglis, Kleinenglis) where in the years of hers decision independent communities.

    Coat of arms

    Borken's civic coat of arms
    Coat of arms
    A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

     might heraldically be described thus: Argent a lion rampant gules, armed Or and langued gules, within, a mullet of six argent.

    The arms were granted in their present form in 1951 after a series of different arms that all featured the lion, the oldest known of which dates from the late 14th century. Later, the lion in the town's arms was the red-and-silver-striped Lion of Hesse (which also appears in Hesse's arms and a great number of civic arms throughout Hesse). Other arms showed a red or blue lion. The star is a medieval symbol used by the Counts of Ziegenhain who held sway in the area in the early Middle Ages.http://www.ngw.nl/int/dld/b/borkenh.htm

    Borkener Seenland

    The "Stockelache Nature Bathing Lake", the Singlis surfing lake and the Borkener See nature reserve use the old coal-mining lands for tourism
    Tourism
    Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

     with a broad choice of activities ranging from bathing, swimming and diving to beach volleyball
    Beach volleyball
    Beach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played by two teams of two players on a sand court divided by a net.Like volleyball, the object of the game is to send the ball over the net in order to ground it on the opponent’s court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent....

    , windsurfing and Aqua-Golf, to recreation
    Recreation
    Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...

    , hiking
    Hiking
    Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...

    , and nature watching.

    Hessian Brown Coal Mining Museum

    The Hessian Brown Coal Mining Museum, founded in 1992, presents under the theme of "Discover industrial culture – experience landscape change" many exhibits from coal-mining and electrical generation, whose workings are demonstrated for visitors. These exhibits include the underground and above-ground mining of the raw material, brown coal, its use, and the conversion of the former mining lands as the centrepiece.

    The visitor may choose from among four museum areas:
    • In the 3.5 ha experience-oriented "Coal & Energy" theme park, rattling excavators, humming turbines and smoking power station kettles show how coal was mined from the pits, and how it was used for energy.
    • A reconstructed gallery displays the miners' work and everyday lives, and shows through original equipment the change in mining procedures.
    • A permanent exhibition presents the 400-year history of Hessian brown coal mining.
    • The "Borkener See" nature conservation information centre explains how "second-hand" landscapes are fashioned from former strip mining areas.


    The visitors' mine and the "mining history" exhibit are housed in Borken's oldest building, "Am Amtsgericht" – built in 1473 – in the Old Town. The "Coal & Energy" theme park and the adjoining "Borkener See" nature conservation information centre are found Am Freilichtmuseum ("At the Open-Air Museum") before the town's gates.

    Great power plant Borken

    The Borken power plant building, which still stands today is protected as a monument
    Monument
    A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...

    . It was built in 1922-1923 by the famous industrial architects Werner Issel and Walter Klingenberg.

    Nassenerfurth

    Nassenerfurth is a small livable village with good infrastructure. Nassenerfurth had its first documentary mention in 1040. There is a Wasserschloss (stately home with a moat
    Moat
    A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...

    ) as well as a church from the 15th century. The population is about 630.

    Stolzenbach

    Stolzenbach has 123 inhabitants. The Stolzenbach Pit mined brown coal beginning in 1956. On 1 June 1988, 51 miners were killed in a coal dust explosion there. The now abandoned coal pit is an important site for palaeontological finds, notably of the turtle
    Turtle
    Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...

     species Palaeoemys hessiaca and Borkenia oschkinisi, the former named after Hesse, and the latter after Borken.

    Sons of the town

    • Wilhelm Christoph Friedrich Arnold (1826-1883), cultural historian
    • Hans Wittich (1911-1984), mathematician
    • Ernst Koch (1807-1858), writer and jurist
    • Johann von Geyso (1593-1661), general

    Schools

    • Gesamtschule
      Comprehensive school
      A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...

       Gustav-Heinemann-Schule GHS-Borken]
    • Grundschule Borken
    • Förderschule
      Special education
      Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...

      - Teichgartenschule (Teichgartenweg 1)
    • Grundschule Kleinenglis

    External links

    The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
     
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