Kriftel
Encyclopedia
Kriftel is a municipality in the Main-Taunus district, in Hesse
, Germany
. It is situated 16 km west of Frankfurt
(centre).
It has about 10,000 inhabitants.
Kriftel is also common as "Obstgarten des Vordertaunus" (fruit orchard before the Taunus
), because of the fields around it which are mainly used for producing strawberries
.
Kriftel was first mentioned documentary in 790.
The Thirty Years' War
damaged a lot in Kriftel including the chapel which was rebuild until 1755. It took that long because in 1661 a big fire destroyed the whole village (34 houses out of 38).
From 1945 until the oil crisis in 1973, Kriftel had a population explosion due to massive immigration from urban sprawl and workers of the Hoechst-AG, whom were offered cheap land to build their housing units.
In 1959 the chapel had to be relocated because of the growing of the community.
During the mid 1970s Kriftel had to fight for his independence, because Hofheim, the capital of the Main-Taunus district wanted that it belongs to him.
Sister city is since 1981 the French city Airaines. The "Platz von Airaines" (Place of Airaines) before the train station is named after the partnership.
). Kriftel lies at the federal motorway A 66 and the regional train line S 2 (From Niedernhausen over Frankfurt to Dietzenbach).
Kriftel is known for its good leisure time facilities. Kriftel has a Freizeitpark (Freetime park) with a swimming pool, places to play soccer, miniature golf and beach volleyball, a quarter pipe for skating and playgrounds. The village is also affected from various club activities. The most important clubs are the SV 07 Kriftel (soccer) and the Turn- und Sportverein Kriftel (sports in general especially volleyball
and trick cycling). Two feasts strengthen the community also a lot. They are the Lindenblütenfest (Feast of the blossom of the linden) in summer and the Krifteler Kerb (Kriftel's Kermesse) in autumn.
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...
. It is situated 16 km west of Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
(centre).
It has about 10,000 inhabitants.
Kriftel is also common as "Obstgarten des Vordertaunus" (fruit orchard before the Taunus
Taunus
The Taunus is a low mountain range in Hesse, Germany that composes part of the Rhenish Slate Mountains. It is bounded by the river valleys of Rhine, Main and Lahn. On the opposite side of the Rhine, the mountains are continued by the Hunsrück...
), because of the fields around it which are mainly used for producing strawberries
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
.
History
In July AD 754 the track which carried the dead Saint Boniface rested over night in the village. To the honour of the saint the Bonifatiuskapelle (chapel of Boniface) was built.Kriftel was first mentioned documentary in 790.
The Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
damaged a lot in Kriftel including the chapel which was rebuild until 1755. It took that long because in 1661 a big fire destroyed the whole village (34 houses out of 38).
From 1945 until the oil crisis in 1973, Kriftel had a population explosion due to massive immigration from urban sprawl and workers of the Hoechst-AG, whom were offered cheap land to build their housing units.
In 1959 the chapel had to be relocated because of the growing of the community.
During the mid 1970s Kriftel had to fight for his independence, because Hofheim, the capital of the Main-Taunus district wanted that it belongs to him.
Sister city is since 1981 the French city Airaines. The "Platz von Airaines" (Place of Airaines) before the train station is named after the partnership.
Today
Kriftel owns two churches, the Catholic Church "St. Vitus" and the evangelic "Resurrection Church" and three schools, one elementary school (Lindenschule [Linden School]), a comprehensive school (Weingartenschule [Vineyard School]) and a training school (Konrad-Adenauer-SchuleKonrad Adenauer
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer was a German statesman. He was the chancellor of the West Germany from 1949 to 1963. He is widely recognised as a person who led his country from the ruins of World War II to a powerful and prosperous nation that had forged close relations with old enemies France,...
). Kriftel lies at the federal motorway A 66 and the regional train line S 2 (From Niedernhausen over Frankfurt to Dietzenbach).
Kriftel is known for its good leisure time facilities. Kriftel has a Freizeitpark (Freetime park) with a swimming pool, places to play soccer, miniature golf and beach volleyball, a quarter pipe for skating and playgrounds. The village is also affected from various club activities. The most important clubs are the SV 07 Kriftel (soccer) and the Turn- und Sportverein Kriftel (sports in general especially volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
and trick cycling). Two feasts strengthen the community also a lot. They are the Lindenblütenfest (Feast of the blossom of the linden) in summer and the Krifteler Kerb (Kriftel's Kermesse) in autumn.
External links
- www.kriftel.de Official homepage of the administration (German)
- www.feuerwehr-kriftel.de Homepage of the volunteer fire department (German)