Niedenstein
Encyclopedia
Niedenstein is a small town and an officially recognized climatic spa in the Schwalm-Eder district in northern Hesse, Germany
.
, about 15 km to the northeast.
, in the east beyond the Langenberge on Baunatal
and Edermünde
and in the southeast by its constituent community of Metze on Gudensberg
. In the south, the constituent community of Kirchberg, through which flows the river Ems, borders on Fritzlar
, whose main town lies about 11 km away from Niedenstein. In the west, Niedenstein borders on Bad Emstal
.
(as of municipal elections held on 26 March 2006)
It lies about 80 km northwest of Paris
in Picardy
.
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...
.
Location
Niedenstein's main town lies in the southeast of the Habichtswald Nature Park right on the western slope of the Langenberge, a low mountain range reaching 557 m. The nearest city is KasselKassel
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 :...
, about 15 km to the northeast.
Neighbouring communities
In the north, Niedenstein abuts SchauenburgSchauenburg
Schaumburg and Schauenburg are the two versions of the name of a regional German dynasty.The usage is scattered, historically as well as locally:* Schaumburg, a district and former county in Lower Saxony*Schauenburg, Hesse, a municipality in Germany...
, in the east beyond the Langenberge on Baunatal
Baunatal
Baunatal is a town in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany. It is a comparatively young town which arose from fusion of the formerly independent municipalities Altenbauna, Altenritte, Großenritte, Guntershausen, Hertingshausen, Kirchbauna and Rengershausen in 1966.-Geographic location:Baunatal...
and Edermünde
Edermünde
Edermünde is a community in northern Hesse, Germany.-Location:Edermünde lies in the north of the Schwalm-Eder district not far southwest of Kassel. This is where the river Eder empties into the river Fulda...
and in the southeast by its constituent community of Metze on Gudensberg
Gudensberg
Gudensberg is a small town in northern Hesse, Germany. Since municipal reform in 1974, the nearby villages of Deute, Dissen, Dorla, Gleichen, Maden and Obervorschütz have been parts of the municipality.-Geography:...
. In the south, the constituent community of Kirchberg, through which flows the river Ems, borders on 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...
, whose main town lies about 11 km away from Niedenstein. In the west, Niedenstein borders on Bad Emstal
Bad Emstal
Bad Emstal is a municipality in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated 19 km southwest of Kassel, Germany....
.
Constituent communities
The town has five centres. Besides the main town, also called Niedenstein, there are Ermetheis, Metze (about 1000 inhabitants), Kirchberg (about 900 inhabitants) and Wichdorf.Town council
Niedenstein's town council is made up of 23 members.- SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
11 seats - CDUChristian 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...
5 seats - FWG (citizens' coalition) 5 seats
- GreensAlliance '90/The GreensAlliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
2 seats
(as of municipal elections held on 26 March 2006)
Town partnership
Niedenstein maintains a partnership with one place: St. Germer de Fly, FranceFrance
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...
It lies about 80 km northwest of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in Picardy
Picardie
Picardy is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northern part of France.-History:The historical province of Picardy stretched from north of Noyon to Calais, via the whole of the Somme department and the north of the Aisne department...
.
Buildings
- EvangelicalProtestantismProtestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
Village Church - Altenburg; a settlement built up on a basaltBasaltBasalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
cragCliffIn geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
, once a pre-Germanic castle village that was forsaken even before the Christian EraAnno Dominiand Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
, making its earlier identification with the ChattiChattiThe Chatti were an ancient Germanic tribe whose homeland was near the upper Weser. They settled in central and northern Hesse and southern Lower Saxony, along the upper reaches of the Weser River and in the valleys and mountains of the Eder, Fulda and Weser River regions, a district approximately...
's capital MattiumMattiumMattium was the ancient "capital" or principal settlement of the Chatti. Its exact location is unknown, though following the description of Tacitus it is generally assumed to be somewhere in the wider neighbourhood of Fritzlar in northern Hesse ....
unfounded. There are many archaeologicalArchaeologyArchaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
finds on show from the Altenburg at the Hessian State Museum in Kassel.
Natural monuments
- Niedensteiner Kopf (475 m above sea level)
- Tanz- und Gerichtslinde ("Dance and Court Linden", on the way out of town to the west)
Personalities
- Jürgen Schweinebraden, Freiherr von Wichmann-Eichhorn, gallery owner and publisher