Hohenroda
Encyclopedia
Hohenroda is a municipality in Hersfeld-Rotenburg
district in eastern Hesse
, Germany
lying right at the boundary with Thuringia
.
and the Thuringian Forest
(ranges) in the so-called Kuppenrhön. The highest elevation in the Hessisches Kegelspiel (a range of volcanic
mountains), the Soisberg, stands at the western municipal limits.
The nearest major centres are Bad Hersfeld
(some 20 km to the northwest) and Fulda
(some 32 km to the southwest).
(in Hersfeld-Rotenburg), in the east on the municipality of Unterbreizbach
, in the southeast on the municipality of Buttlar
(both in Thuringia’s Wartburgkreis
), in the south on the municipality of Eiterfeld
(in Fulda district
), in the west on the municipality of Schenklengsfeld
and in the northwest on the municipality of Friedewald
(both in Hersfeld-Rotenburg).
, Ransbach
and Soislieden.
In 1232, Mansbach had its first documentary mention and is believed to have been bound to the Buchonia
n knightly order of Mansbach since its founding. Ransbach followed with its first documentary mention in 1254 as a village of the Amt of Landeck.
The Lords of Mansbach built up a half-independent lesser lordly house in which they could take advantage of relations with the neighbouring Hersfeld
and Fulda Abbeys and the Landgraves of Hesse
.
Mansbach Castle was destroyed by Abbot Bertho IV of Fulda between 1274 and 1286. After it had been built up once again, it was at times in the 14th and 15th centuries a fief or an allodial holding
. In 1364, the Mansbachs acquired jurisdiction over the community. In 1662, the Lords of Geyso bought lands from the Mansbachs and built a palatial residence here. Until Mediatization
in 1806, the village was claimed by the Fulda Abbey as a territory without Imperial immediacy
, although in practice, it consisted of three knightly estates that did have Imperial immediacy.
In the early 20th century, the manufacturer Adolf Hupertz (then also owner of Rieneck Castle) became owner of 1,700 morgen
of land between Mansbach, Glaam and Oberbreitzbach. He made a farming estate out of it and named it Hohenroda, which for ever thereafter belonged to the community of Oberbreitzbach. Between 1907 and 1909, Hupertz had himself a manor house with parkland built on the estate. This he called Schloss Hohenroda. When the greater community was founded on 1 February 1972, the estate’s and manor house’s name was also applied to it. Since 1988, the community’s administrative seat has been housed at the old manor house.
In the leadup to this, Glaam was amalgamated with Ransbach in 1968, while Oberbreitzbach and Soislieden were amalgamated with Mansbach in 1970.
The community’s arms
might be described thus: Gyronny of six gules and argent, six leaves conjoined at the fess point counterchanged.
The six leaves symbolize the merger of the six former communities into the greater community. They are appletree leaves (which is not mentioned in the German blazon), referring to a variety of apple named after the centre of Ausbach, the Ausbacher Roter, which is often still found growing on orchard meadows. The tincture
s silver and red come from the arms borne by the Lords of Mansbach, Electoral Hesse
and the community of Ransbach. The gyronny parting – the pattern of parting lines radiating from the escutcheon’s centre – likewise comes from the von Mansbach family’s arms.
Hersfeld-Rotenburg
Hersfeld-Rotenburg is a Kreis in the east of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Werra-Meißner, Wartburgkreis, Fulda, Vogelsbergkreis, Schwalm-Eder.-History:...
district in eastern 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...
lying right at the boundary with 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....
.
Location
The municipality lies between the RhönRhön Mountains
The Rhön Mountains are a group of low mountains in central Germany, located around the border area where the states of Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia come together. These mountains, which are at the extreme southeast end of the East Hesse Highlands , are partly a result of ancient volcanic activity...
and the Thuringian Forest
Thuringian Forest
The Thuringian Forest running northwest to southeast, forms a continuous stretch of ancient rounded mountains posing ample difficulties in transit routing save through a few navigable passes in the southern reaches of the German state of Thuringia. It is about long and wide...
(ranges) in the so-called Kuppenrhön. The highest elevation in the Hessisches Kegelspiel (a range of volcanic
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
mountains), the Soisberg, stands at the western municipal limits.
The nearest major centres 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....
(some 20 km to the northwest) and 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 :...
(some 32 km to the southwest).
Neighbouring municipalities
Hohenroda borders in the north on the municipality of PhilippsthalPhilippsthal (Werra)
Philippsthal is a market community in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in eastern Hesse, Germany, right at the boundary with Thuringia.-Location:Philippsthal lies between the outliers of the Rhön and the Thuringian Forest on the river Werra...
(in Hersfeld-Rotenburg), in the east on the municipality of Unterbreizbach
Unterbreizbach
Unterbreizbach is a municipality in the Wartburgkreis district of Thuringia, Germany....
, in the southeast on the municipality of Buttlar
Buttlar
Buttlar is a municipality in the Wartburgkreis district of Thuringia, Germany....
(both in Thuringia’s Wartburgkreis
Wartburgkreis
Wartburgkreis is a Kreis in the west of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the districts Unstrut-Hainich, Gotha, Schmalkalden-Meiningen, and the districts Fulda, Hersfeld-Rotenburg and Werra-Meißner in Hesse...
), in the south on the municipality of Eiterfeld
Eiterfeld
Eiterfeld is a municipality in the district of Fulda, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated in the north of the district, 25 km north of Fulda.-External links:* * *...
(in Fulda district
Fulda (district)
Fulda is a Kreis in the north-east of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Wartburgkreis, Schmalkalden-Meiningen, Rhön-Grabfeld, Bad Kissingen, Main-Kinzig, Vogelsbergkreis.-History:...
), in the west on the municipality of Schenklengsfeld
Schenklengsfeld
Schenklengsfeld is a community in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in eastern Hesse, Germany lying roughly 30 km northeast of Fulda and 60 km southeast of Kassel.-Location:...
and in the northwest on the municipality of Friedewald
Friedewald, Hesse
Friedewald is a community in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in eastern Hesse, Germany, directly east of Bad Hersfeld.-Location:The community lies in the boundary zone between the Kuppenrhön and the Seulingswald ranges...
(both in Hersfeld-Rotenburg).
Constituent communities
Hohenroda’s Ortsteile are Ausbach, Glaam, Mansbach, OberbreitzbachOberbreitzbach
Oberbreitzbach is a village and a municipal district of Hohenroda in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in eastern Hesse, Germany....
, Ransbach
Ransbach (Hohenroda)
Ransbach is a village and a municipal district of Hohenroda in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in eastern Hesse, Germany....
and Soislieden.
History
Buchonia
Buchonia is a region in Hesse, a state of Germany, where one of the first forestry planning systems was developed by Georg Ludwig Hartig . It was called "Flächenfachwerk". He also wrote in 1791 "Anweisung zur Holzzucht für Förster"-Books:...
n knightly order of Mansbach since its founding. Ransbach followed with its first documentary mention in 1254 as a village of the Amt of Landeck.
The Lords of Mansbach built up a half-independent lesser lordly house in which they could take advantage of relations with the neighbouring Hersfeld
Hersfeld Abbey
Hersfeld Abbey was an important Benedictine imperial abbey in the town of Bad Hersfeld in Hesse , Germany, at the confluence of the rivers Geisa, Haune and Fulda.-History:...
and Fulda Abbeys and the Landgraves of Hesse
Landgraviate of Hesse
The Landgraviate of Hesse was a Landgraviate of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed as a unity from 1264 to 1567, when it was divided between the sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse.-History:...
.
Mansbach Castle was destroyed by Abbot Bertho IV of Fulda between 1274 and 1286. After it had been built up once again, it was at times in the 14th and 15th centuries a fief or an allodial holding
Allodial title
Allodial title constitutes ownership of real property that is independent of any superior landlord, but it should not be confused with anarchy as the owner of allodial land is not independent of his sovereign...
. In 1364, the Mansbachs acquired jurisdiction over the community. In 1662, the Lords of Geyso bought lands from the Mansbachs and built a palatial residence here. Until Mediatization
Mediatization
Mediatisation is the loss of imperial immediacy. Broadly defined it is the subsumption of one monarchy into another monarchy in such a way that the ruler of the annexed state keeps his sovereign title and, sometimes, a measure of local power...
in 1806, the village was claimed by the Fulda Abbey as a territory without Imperial immediacy
Reichsfreiheit
Imperial immediacy was a privileged feudal and political status, which the estates of the realm such as an imperial city, a religious entity, a feudal principality, or a minor lordship could attain within the Holy Roman Empire...
, although in practice, it consisted of three knightly estates that did have Imperial immediacy.
In the early 20th century, the manufacturer Adolf Hupertz (then also owner of Rieneck Castle) became owner of 1,700 morgen
Morgen
A morgen was a unit of measurement of land in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and the Dutch colonies, including South Africa and Taiwan. The size of a morgen varies from 1/2 to 2½ acres, which equals approximately 0.2 to 1 ha...
of land between Mansbach, Glaam and Oberbreitzbach. He made a farming estate out of it and named it Hohenroda, which for ever thereafter belonged to the community of Oberbreitzbach. Between 1907 and 1909, Hupertz had himself a manor house with parkland built on the estate. This he called Schloss Hohenroda. When the greater community was founded on 1 February 1972, the estate’s and manor house’s name was also applied to it. Since 1988, the community’s administrative seat has been housed at the old manor house.
Amalgamations
With municipal reform, the new community of Hohenroda came into being in 1971 and 1972 through the merger of the communities of Ausbach, Mansbach and Ransbach.In the leadup to this, Glaam was amalgamated with Ransbach in 1968, while Oberbreitzbach and Soislieden were amalgamated with Mansbach in 1970.
Community council
The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:| Parties and voter communities | % 2006 |
Seats 2006 |
% 2001 |
Seats 2001 |
|
| CDU | Christian Democratic Union of Germany | 21.3 | 5 | 22.6 | 5 |
| SPD | Social Democratic Party of Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
65.6 | 15 | 68.9 | 16 |
| FDP | Free Democratic Party 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... |
13.1 | 3 | 8.5 | 2 |
| Total | 100.0 | 23 | 100.0 | 23 | |
| Voter turnout in % | 55.2 | 66.6 | |||
Mayor
Mayor Jörg Schäfer (SPD) was elected to a third term in office on 18 March 2007 with 84.6% of the vote. Voter turnout was 48.6%.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 be described thus: Gyronny of six gules and argent, six leaves conjoined at the fess point counterchanged.
The six leaves symbolize the merger of the six former communities into the greater community. They are appletree leaves (which is not mentioned in the German blazon), referring to a variety of apple named after the centre of Ausbach, the Ausbacher Roter, which is often still found growing on orchard meadows. The tincture
Tincture (heraldry)
In heraldry, tinctures are the colours used to emblazon a coat of arms. These can be divided into several categories including light tinctures called metals, dark tinctures called colours, nonstandard colours called stains, furs, and "proper". A charge tinctured proper is coloured as it would be...
s silver and red come from the arms borne by the Lords of Mansbach, Electoral Hesse
Hesse-Kassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel or Hesse-Cassel was a state in the Holy Roman Empire under Imperial immediacy that came into existence when the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided in 1567 upon the death of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. His eldest son William IV inherited the northern half and the...
and the community of Ransbach. The gyronny parting – the pattern of parting lines radiating from the escutcheon’s centre – likewise comes from the von Mansbach family’s arms.
Museums
- Heimatstube (local history parlour) in the timber-frameTimber framingTimber 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...
wing of the Geyso-Schloss in Mansbach - Heimatstube in the constituent community of Ausbach
- Museum in Ransbach
- Border documentation post on the former border with East Germany
Buildings
- BaroqueBaroque architectureBaroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
village church in Mansbach (quire from about 1280, von Mansbach family’s former grave chapel)
- Unterhof (Blaues Schloss or Blue Palace) from 1569 (von Mansbach family’s residence)
- Schloss Geyso (1577 - 1578) in Mansbach
- Grasburg (castle) near Mansbach (8th century)
- Mansbach Jewish graveyard