Schenklengsfeld
Encyclopedia
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
.
(range) between the Seulingswald (range) in the north and the Hessisches Kegelspiel (a range of volcanic
mountains) in the south. Some 8 km westnorthwest lies Bad Hersfeld
and about 17 km southsouthwest Hünfeld
(each as the crow flies
). It is found on a fertile plateau. In the west, the land slopes down to the Fulda
and in the east to the Werra
valley. Near Schenklengsfeld runs part of the watershed between these two rivers. Within community limits rises the small river Solz, which in Bad Hersfeld empties into the Fulda
. Furthermore, the Ransbach, which near Philippsthal
empties into the Werra, also begins here.
The community’s lowest point lies on the Solz floodplain at 225 m above sea level
. The highest point within community limits is the 510.9 m-high Landecker Berg.
and the community of Friedewald
, in the east on the community of Hohenroda
(all three in Hersfeld-Rotenburg), in the south on the community of Eiterfeld
(in Fulda district
) and in the west on the community of Hauneck
(in Hersfeld-Rotenburg).
’s Breviarium Sancti Lulli (“Saint Lullus’s Summary”) and grew quickly into an Amt centre with a Vogt
ei, court and Amtmann. Moreover, gallows
were mentioned in 1688. From 1648, Schenklengsfeld, along with the whole of the Amt of Landeck, belonged to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel
and was Reformed Protestant
.
In 1455, near Lengsfeld in the Amt of Landeck, a healing spring
was mentioned. Besides this one, two further ones sprang up in 1688. As of 23 April 1688, there was for several years a spa here with a pumphouse, overseen by a hydrotherapist Doctor Bachoff from Gotha
.
The community had, beginning in 1912 – when it had 930 inhabitants – a railway link with the Hersfelder Kreisbahn to Bad Hersfeld
and into the Werra valley to Heimboldshausen. Today, the former district railway’s operating lands can only be seen at the old railway station. A preservation society has plans to open a museum railway here.
The community’s executive (Gemeindevorstand) is made up of six members, with four seats allotted to the SPD (Hans-Otto Burschel, Uwe Wolf, Dieter Kümmel, Peter Bock), and two to the CDU (Hans Heimeroth, Gunter Rexroth).
, Stefan Gensler (CDU), with 51.1% of the vote, beat his opponent Werner Kümmel (SPD), who got 48.9% of the vote. Stefan Gensler took office on 2 May 2006.
might be described thus: Argent a linden twig fourché vert with six leaves, in chief dexter a cross patée gules.
, a Jewish elementary school and a Jewish graveyard, which still exists now and is worth seeing. The last Jews left in the summer of 1940. All together, 22 of the community’s Jewish population, for whom a memorial stone was placed at the graveyard in November 1988, were murdered in the Holocaust.
A linden
tree that is over 1000 years old stands on the former marketplace in Schenklengsfeld. According to the ARD
programme Deutschlands älteste Bäume (“Germany’s Oldest Trees”), which was first broadcast on 23 April 2007, the tree, believed to be 1,120 years old, is Germany’s oldest. There is a German article devoted to it.
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 roughly 30 km northeast of 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 :...
and 60 km southeast of 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 :...
.
Location
The community of Schenklengsfeld lies in the outliers of the KuppenrhönRhön 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...
(range) between the Seulingswald (range) in the north and 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) in the south. Some 8 km westnorthwest lies 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....
and about 17 km southsouthwest Hünfeld
Hünfeld
Hünfeld is a town in the district of Fulda, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated 16 km northeast of Fulda.-Notable people:* Wilm Hosenfeld *Johann Leonhard Pfaff , bishop of Fulda* Konrad Zuse -Transport:...
(each as the crow flies
As the crow flies
"As the crow flies" or beelining is an idiom for the shortest route between two points; the geodesic distance.An example is the great-circle distance between Key West and Pensacola, at either end of the U.S...
). It is found on a fertile plateau. In the west, the land slopes down to the Fulda
Fulda River
The Fulda is a river in Hesse, Germany. It is one of two headstreams of the Weser . The Fulda is 218 km in length....
and in the east to the Werra
Werra
The Werra is a river in central Germany, the right-source river of the Weser. The Werra has its source near Eisfeld in southern Thuringia. After 293 km the Werra joins the river Fulda in the town of Hann. Münden, forming the Weser....
valley. Near Schenklengsfeld runs part of the watershed between these two rivers. Within community limits rises the small river Solz, which in Bad Hersfeld empties into the Fulda
Fulda River
The Fulda is a river in Hesse, Germany. It is one of two headstreams of the Weser . The Fulda is 218 km in length....
. Furthermore, the Ransbach, which near Philippsthal
Philippsthal (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...
empties into the Werra, also begins here.
The community’s lowest point lies on the Solz floodplain at 225 m above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. The highest point within community limits is the 510.9 m-high Landecker Berg.
Neighbouring communities
Schenklengsfeld borders in the north on the town of Bad HersfeldBad 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....
and the community 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...
, in the east on the community of Hohenroda
Hohenroda
Hohenroda is a municipality in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in eastern Hesse, Germany lying right at the boundary with Thuringia.-Location:The municipality lies between the Rhön and the Thuringian Forest in the so-called Kuppenrhön...
(all three in Hersfeld-Rotenburg), in the south on the community 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:...
) and in the west on the community of Hauneck
Hauneck
Hauneck is a community in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in eastern Hesse, Germany.-Location:The town of Bad Hersfeld lies right nearby to the north. Some 35 km away lie Fulda to the south and Alsfeld to the west.The community stretches along the Haune...
(in Hersfeld-Rotenburg).
Constituent communities
The community’s Ortsteile are Schenklengsfeld, Dinkelrode, Erdmannrode, Hilmes, Konrode, Lampertsfeld, Landershausen, Malkomes, Oberlengsfeld, Schenksolz, Unterweisenborn, Wehrshausen, Wippershain and Wüstfeld.History
About 800, Schenklengsfeld had its first documentary mention as Lengesfeld in Thuringia in the Hersfeld AbbeyHersfeld 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:...
’s Breviarium Sancti Lulli (“Saint Lullus’s Summary”) and grew quickly into an Amt centre with a Vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
ei, court and Amtmann. Moreover, gallows
Gallows
A gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging, or by means to torture before execution, as was used when being hanged, drawn and quartered...
were mentioned in 1688. From 1648, Schenklengsfeld, along with the whole of the Amt of Landeck, belonged to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel
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 was Reformed Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism 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...
.
In 1455, near Lengsfeld in the Amt of Landeck, a healing spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
was mentioned. Besides this one, two further ones sprang up in 1688. As of 23 April 1688, there was for several years a spa here with a pumphouse, overseen by a hydrotherapist Doctor Bachoff from Gotha
Gotha (town)
Gotha is a town in Thuringia, within the central core of Germany. It is the capital of the district of Gotha.- History :The town has existed at least since the 8th century, when it was mentioned in a document signed by Charlemagne as Villa Gotaha . Its importance derives from having been chosen in...
.
The community had, beginning in 1912 – when it had 930 inhabitants – a railway link with the Hersfelder Kreisbahn to 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....
and into the Werra valley to Heimboldshausen. Today, the former district railway’s operating lands can only be seen at the old railway station. A preservation society has plans to open a museum railway here.
Amalgamations
The small community of Lampertsfeld was amalgamated with Schenklengsfeld early on, on 1 April 1962. The greater community came into being in 1971 and 1972 on the occasion of Hesse’s municipal reform. On 1 February 1971, Konrode, Oberlengsfeld, Schenklengsfeld, Unterweisenborn and Wehrshausen were merged. On 31 December 1971 followed the communities of Dinkelrode, Landershausen, Malkomes and Schenksolz. On 1 August 1972 these were joined by the communities of Erdmannrode, Hilmes, Wippershain and Wüstfeld.Population development
| Year | 1972 | 1975 | 1978 | 1981 | 1986 | 1989 | 1991 | 1993 | 1995 | 1997 | 2000 | 2001 |
| Inhabitants | 4,742 | 4,717 | 4,643 | 4,577 | 4,592 | 4,671 | 4,850 | 4,936 | 4,944 | 4,915 | 4,921 | 4,889 |
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 | 38.2 | 9 | 27.1 | 6 |
| 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... |
50.5 | 12 | 62.7 | 14 |
| 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... |
5.0 | 1 | 3.5 | 1 |
| FWG | Freie Wählergemeinschaft Schenklengsfeld | 6.4 | 1 | – | – |
| FWG-Wipp. | Freie Wählergemeinschaft Wippershain | – | – | 6.6 | 2 |
| Total | 100.0 | 23 | 100.0 | 23 | |
| Voter turnout in % | 64.9 | 65.7 | |||
The community’s executive (Gemeindevorstand) is made up of six members, with four seats allotted to the SPD (Hans-Otto Burschel, Uwe Wolf, Dieter Kümmel, Peter Bock), and two to the CDU (Hans Heimeroth, Gunter Rexroth).
Mayors
Mayor Horst Hannich (SPD) was elected on 31 October 1999 with 86.0% of the vote. After 30 years in office, Hannich did not stand as a candidate in the mayoral election on 27 November 2005, but was named honorary mayor. In the runoff electionTwo-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
, Stefan Gensler (CDU), with 51.1% of the vote, beat his opponent Werner Kümmel (SPD), who got 48.9% of the vote. Stefan Gensler took office on 2 May 2006.
Coat of arms
The community’s armsCoat 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: Argent a linden twig fourché vert with six leaves, in chief dexter a cross patée gules.
Museums
The Judaica Museum has been open since 1999 in Schenklengsfeld. It was set up in the former teacher’s house of Schenklengsfeld’s Jewish community as a memorial place. The house, built by the Jewish community in 1912, was thoroughly restored between 1996 and 1999 by the specially commissioned Förderkreis Jüdisches Lehrerhaus Schenklengsfeld e.V. (roughly “Society for the Promotion of the Jewish Teacher’s House of Schenklengsfeld”) and contains, besides two dwellings on the upper floors, a seminar room with a specialized library, as well as an exhibition room with exhibits on religion and history of Schenklengsfeld’s Jewish minority, which in 1925 numbered 149 souls, thereby making up about 13% of the population. In the community were a synagogueSynagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
, a Jewish elementary school and a Jewish graveyard, which still exists now and is worth seeing. The last Jews left in the summer of 1940. All together, 22 of the community’s Jewish population, for whom a memorial stone was placed at the graveyard in November 1988, were murdered in the Holocaust.
Buildings
- Landeck Castle, on the Landecker Berg, built in the early 12th century by the abbots of Hersfeld AbbeyHersfeld AbbeyHersfeld 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 destroyed in the German Peasants' WarGerman Peasants' WarThe German Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt was a widespread popular revolt in the German-speaking areas of Central Europe, 1524–1526. At its height in the spring and summer of 1525, the conflict involved an estimated 300,000 peasants: contemporary estimates put the dead at 100,000... - EvangelicalEvangelical Church in GermanyThe Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
mother church of the parish of Schenklengsfeld, tower built in the 12th century and nave in 1736-1740. The 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...
cupola was added in 1822. - Historic Schenklengsfeld graveyard and Jewish graveyard (Schenklengsfeld had until 1933 a major, independent Jewish community)
Natural monuments
Tilia
Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
tree that is over 1000 years old stands on the former marketplace in Schenklengsfeld. According to the ARD
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
programme Deutschlands älteste Bäume (“Germany’s Oldest Trees”), which was first broadcast on 23 April 2007, the tree, believed to be 1,120 years old, is Germany’s oldest. There is a German article devoted to it.
Regular events
- Kuppenrhöner Landmarkt an der Linde (country market, every year on a Sunday in September)
- Lindenblütenfest an der Linde (“Linden Blossom Festival”, every other year on a weekend in June)
Further reading
- Anette Lenzing: Gerichtslinden und Thingplätze in Deutschland. Langewiessche, Königstein 2005, ISBN 3-7845-4520-3
- Konrad Schüler, Das Amt Landeck und seine Bewohner, Kassel (1914) 1933.
- Peter Roßkopf, Das Landecker Amt im Kreise Hersfeld, Bad Hersfeld 1964.
- Christlich-Jüdischer Arbeitskreis Schenklengsfeld, Geschichte der Jüdischen Gemeinde Schenklengsfeld, Schenklengsfeld 1988.
- Karl Honikel, Vor 60 Jahren: Deportation der Schenklengsfelder Familie Sally Löwenberg nach Riga. Ein Beitrag zur Erinnerung und zum Gedenken, in: Mein Heimatland, Beilage der Hersfelder Zeitung, Januar 2002.
- Karl Honikel, Roland Wenzel et al., Heimerskirchen, Bethäuser und Glockentürme im ehemaligen Amt Landeck. Eine Untersuchung zu den kleinen Dorfkirchen aus dem 18. und 19. Jahrhundert im Kirchspiel Schenklengsfeld (Kreis Hersfeld-Rotenburg). Ihre Bedeutung und ihr Verfall um 19. und 20 Jahrhundert. In: Schriftenreihe des Hessischen Ministeriums für Wissenschaft und Kunst, Heft 5, Wiesbaden und Kassel 2007, Seite 19 bis 66.