Usingen
Encyclopedia
Usingen is a small town in the Hochtaunuskreis
in Hessen, Germany
. Until 1972, this residential and school town was the seat of the former district of Usingen.
in the Taunus
, putting it on the edge of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region.
The town core is about 300 m above sea level
. The highest elevation in the main town of Usingen is the Hohe Berg ("High Mountain"), 414 m above sea level.
, in the east on the communities of Ober-Mörlen
(both in Wetteraukreis
) and Wehrheim
, in the south on the town of Neu-Anspach
and the community of Schmitten
, and in the west on the communities of Weilrod
and Grävenwiesbach
.
Osinga), which in Frankish
times likely existed as a fortified stopping place at an old crossroads, was first mentioned in a document in 802 in the Codex Eberhardi from the Fulda
Monastery, although what exists nowadays itself dates from the late 12th century, referring to an earlier document. This codex, however, contains quite a few falsifications, which has led to doubts about the reliability of the statements. Archaeological
proof of a settlement on the modern town's site back in Carolingian
times has yet to be unearthed, although not far from town, the remains of a Carolingian courtyard were once dug up. The possibility therefore exists that today's Usingen might not lie on the same spot as it once did, having relocated at some time in the past. More investigation will be needed before this is ascertained.
In 1207, being on the outskirts of the Usinger Land, it passed into the ownership of the Counts of Diez, who had acquired this Imperial estate in exchange for Mainz-Kastell (fort).
A Nassau castle
– in 1326, the Counts of Nassau had acquired the Usinger Land by pledge, and by 1405 for good – on the site of today's Christian-Wirth-Schule
(school) and a wall with five towers protected this small weaving
town in the Middle Ages
.
It is likely that Usingen was granted town rights in the 14th century.
As of 1659, the Counts resided in the castle, now converted into a stately home with a lovely garden, and from 1688 to 1744 the Princes of Nassau-Usingen lived there.
One prominent personage in Usingen's history was Fürst (Prince) Walrad. When Nassau-Saarbrücken lands were being divided up on 31 March 1659, Count Walrad got the Usinger Land. He governed for 43 years and was a respected commander, among other things field marshal of the Dutch States Army
under William III
of Orange
. He was a decisive factor in making Usingen the way it is today, since after the Thirty Years' War
and the three town fires in the 17th century – with their attendant drop in population – he settled Huguenots in the town and had the New Town built.
Another personage worthy of note was the violin
ist August Wilhelmj
. He was made an honorary citizen of Usingen on 31 March 1876 on the occasion of his last concert in the town of his birth – Usingen. He was born here on 21 September 1845. The house where he was born stood at the lower end of the Rathauspassage, now called Wilhelmjstraße after him. On the lot where the house where he was born stood, where a bank building now stands, a memorial stone with a plaque recalls the important violinist.
Usingen was until 1886 the seat of an Amt
and thereafter, until 1972 a district seat. The scant industrial development in modern times could not even be strengthened by the railway connection that came in 1895. Usingen has been since the time of the Reformation
a school town: Latin school until 1817, teachers' college from 1851 to 1926, Christian-Wirth-Schule (Gymnasium
) since 1926 – today together with many other kinds of school.
As part of municipal reform, the communities of Usingen, Eschbach, Kransberg, Merzhausen, Michelbach, Wernborn and Wilhelmsdorf merged in 1972 into the town of Usingen. Even after losing its function as district seat (Usingen district was merged with Obertaunus district to form the Hochtaunuskreis with its seat at Bad Homburg) Usingen is more than ever the midpoint of the Usinger Land.
Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.
shows four lions rampant, two gold and two silver. The earliest seal whose appearance is known – there had been earlier ones, but what they looked like is unknown – dates from 1277 and shows the four lions (golden ones denoting Nassau; silver ones denoting Saarbrücken
), since the town was ruled then by the Counts of Nassau-Saarbrücken. Later seals did not show the billets and crosses with which the fields are spangled, but they reappeared in 1935, when the current arms were conferred. An earlier town symbol, a cloverleaf (or heraldically, a trefoil), may explain the charge on the inescutcheon. This was also added to the arms in 1935.http://www.ngw.nl/int/dld/u/usingen.htm
, Netherlands
Coleshill, Warwickshire
, United Kingdom
Chassieu
, France
In the middle of downtown Usingen is Usingen's stately home, the Usinger Schloss. The home's exact origins have yet to be fully explained. It is assumed that it was built in the 14th century as a castle under Johann I of Nassau-Weilburg. Prince Walrad had a new stately home built on the castle's site in 1660–1663. The architect Friedrich Joachim Stengel (1694–1787) remodelled the Usinger Schloss into a Baroque
residence between 1733 and 1738 as instructed by Princess Charlotte Amalie, Prince Wilhelm Heinrich I's widow. In 1873, a great fire destroyed the Schloss, which was afterwards built anew. Today it is used as a Gymnasium
(Christian-Wirth-Schule). Bordering right on the Schloss is the Usinger Schlossgarten, the stately home garden.
Another great fire in 1692 destroyed the so-called Usinger Oberstadt (Upper Town). The overlord at that time, Prince Walrad (1635–1702) gave orders for its prompt reconstruction. Symmetrical rows of houses, which still form the townscape now, were built, and along the Obergasse (Upper Lane) appeared representative buildings. The so-called New Town's heart was shaped by the Hugenottenkirche with what is nowadays the old marketplace. Benedikt Burtscher was the building master of the church, built in 1700 and showing in its building style certain commonalities with the well known church at La Rochelle
. After the Huguenot church fell out of use with the union of the Lutheran Protestants and the Reformed Church, it was soon converted into a school. Today, however, it houses the Usingen library. On the upper floors are found many places where concerts and gatherings can be accommodated. The wedding
room is a favourite place for couples to plight their troth.
s up to 12 m high and made of quartz
. The cliff wall is the visible part of a roughly six-kilometre-long quartz seam which continues slantwise across the Usa Valley to the Wormstein in Usingen town forest. From a geological
standpoint, it is an oblique upthrow (fault with one side thrust up higher than the other) formed by faulting in the mountain range. The erosion-resistant quartz has lasted to this day and can be seen in many places in the Taunus, but nowhere is it more spectacular than here.
Climbers use the steeper walls for training.
The Hattsteinweiher near Usingen is the only bathing lake in the Usinger Land. In summer, when the weather is good, it is the centre of attraction for many visitors from the Taunus and the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region.
makes swimming possible the year round. Designed as a sporting facility, it is the only public indoor swimming pool in the Usinger Land.
. Service ends, however, at about 23:00 (0:00 on Saturday nights).
) and home to a hospital
.
Usingen is home to a ground station with satellite dishes and various other antennas run by T-Systems
. After the Second World War, during which the property was used as an aerodrome
, a shortwave
transmission station was built here. In 1979 came the first big parabolic antenna
. Meanwhile, the station now houses more than 90 antennas, among them three dishes measuring 19 m across.
) in late June and the
Usinger Laurentiusmarkt, every second weekend in September.
Hochtaunuskreis
The Hochtaunuskreis is a Kreis in the middle of Hesse, Germany and is part of the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. Neighbouring districts are Lahn-Dill, Wetteraukreis, district-free Frankfurt, Main-Taunus, Rheingau-Taunus, Limburg-Weilburg.The Hochtaunuskreis and the Landkreis Starnberg...
in Hessen, 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...
. Until 1972, this residential and school town was the seat of the former district of Usingen.
Location
Usingen an der Usa lies about 35 km north of Frankfurt am Main and 50 km northeast of WiesbadenWiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
in 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...
, putting it on the edge of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region.
The town core is about 300 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 elevation in the main town of Usingen is the Hohe Berg ("High Mountain"), 414 m above sea level.
Neighbouring communities
Usingen borders in the north on the town of ButzbachButzbach
Butzbach is a town in the Wetteraukreis district in Hesse, Germany. It is located approx. 16 km south of Gießen and 35 km north of Frankfurt am Main....
, in the east on the communities of Ober-Mörlen
Ober-Mörlen
Ober-Mörlen is a municipality in the Wetteraukreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located approx. 29 kilometers north of Frankfurt am Main.- References :...
(both in Wetteraukreis
Wetteraukreis
The Wetteraukreis is a Kreis in the middle of Hesse, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Landkreis Gießen, Vogelsbergkreis, Main-Kinzig-Kreis, district-free Stadt Frankfurt, Hochtaunuskreis, Lahn-Dill-Kreis.-History:...
) and Wehrheim
Wehrheim
Wehrheim is a municipality in Hesse, Germany some 30 km north of Frankfurt am Main.The town Wehrheim carries the nickname "Apfeldorf Wehrheim" .- Location :...
, in the south on the town of Neu-Anspach
Neu-Anspach
-Geography:-Neighbouring communities:Neu-Anspach borders in the north on the town of Usingen, in the east on the community of Wehrheim, in the south on the town of Bad Homburg and in the west on the community of Schmitten.-Transport:...
and the community of Schmitten
Schmitten, Germany
Schmitten is a climatic spa and municipality in the Hochtaunuskreis in Hesse, Germany.-Geography:Schmitten is the highest community in the Taunus some 24 km north of Frankfurt am Main within whose limits is the Großer Feldberg ....
, and in the west on the communities of Weilrod
Weilrod
Weilrod is a municipality made up of several villages in the northwest Hochtaunuskreis lying in the Weil Valley in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Weilrod lies north of the crest of the Taunus, from 210 to 600 m above sea level...
and Grävenwiesbach
Grävenwiesbach
Grävenwiesbach is a municipality in the Hochtaunuskreis in Hesse, Germany.- Location :Grävenwiesbach lies between 300 and 600 m above sea level north of the Taunus Ridge...
.
Constituent communities
The town has seven centres named Usingen, Eschbach, Kransberg, Merzhausen, Michelbach, Wernborn and Wilhelmsdorf.History
Usingen (LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
Osinga), which in Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
times likely existed as a fortified stopping place at an old crossroads, was first mentioned in a document in 802 in the Codex Eberhardi from the 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 :...
Monastery, although what exists nowadays itself dates from the late 12th century, referring to an earlier document. This codex, however, contains quite a few falsifications, which has led to doubts about the reliability of the statements. Archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, 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...
proof of a settlement on the modern town's site back in Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
times has yet to be unearthed, although not far from town, the remains of a Carolingian courtyard were once dug up. The possibility therefore exists that today's Usingen might not lie on the same spot as it once did, having relocated at some time in the past. More investigation will be needed before this is ascertained.
In 1207, being on the outskirts of the Usinger Land, it passed into the ownership of the Counts of Diez, who had acquired this Imperial estate in exchange for Mainz-Kastell (fort).
A Nassau castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
– in 1326, the Counts of Nassau had acquired the Usinger Land by pledge, and by 1405 for good – on the site of today's Christian-Wirth-Schule
Christian-Wirth-Schule
Christian-Wirth-Schule is a secondary school located in Usingen, Germany. Originally established as Lehrerbildungsanstalt für evangelische Seminaristen in 1851, it was later renamed in 1922 to Christian-Wirth-Schule, named after the accomplished attorney at law, Christian Wirth, who resided in...
(school) and a wall with five towers protected this small weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
town in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
.
It is likely that Usingen was granted town rights in the 14th century.
As of 1659, the Counts resided in the castle, now converted into a stately home with a lovely garden, and from 1688 to 1744 the Princes of Nassau-Usingen lived there.
One prominent personage in Usingen's history was Fürst (Prince) Walrad. When Nassau-Saarbrücken lands were being divided up on 31 March 1659, Count Walrad got the Usinger Land. He governed for 43 years and was a respected commander, among other things field marshal of the Dutch States Army
Dutch States Army
The Dutch States Army was the army of the Dutch Republic. It was usually called this, because it was formally the army of the States-General of the Netherlands, the sovereign power of that federal republic...
under William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
of Orange
House of Orange-Nassau
The House of Orange-Nassau , a branch of the European House of Nassau, has played a central role in the political life of the Netherlands — and at times in Europe — since William I of Orange organized the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, which after the Eighty Years' War...
. He was a decisive factor in making Usingen the way it is today, since after 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....
and the three town fires in the 17th century – with their attendant drop in population – he settled Huguenots in the town and had the New Town built.
Another personage worthy of note was the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist August Wilhelmj
August Wilhelmj
August Wilhelmj was a German violinist and teacher.Wilhelmj was a child prodigy. When Henriette Sontag heard him in 1852, when he was seven, she said "You will be the German Paganini"...
. He was made an honorary citizen of Usingen on 31 March 1876 on the occasion of his last concert in the town of his birth – Usingen. He was born here on 21 September 1845. The house where he was born stood at the lower end of the Rathauspassage, now called Wilhelmjstraße after him. On the lot where the house where he was born stood, where a bank building now stands, a memorial stone with a plaque recalls the important violinist.
Usingen was until 1886 the seat of an Amt
Amt (subnational entity)
Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only found in Germany, but formerly also common in northern European countries. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to a U.S...
and thereafter, until 1972 a district seat. The scant industrial development in modern times could not even be strengthened by the railway connection that came in 1895. Usingen has been since the time of the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
a school town: Latin school until 1817, teachers' college from 1851 to 1926, Christian-Wirth-Schule (Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
) since 1926 – today together with many other kinds of school.
As part of municipal reform, the communities of Usingen, Eschbach, Kransberg, Merzhausen, Michelbach, Wernborn and Wilhelmsdorf merged in 1972 into the town of Usingen. Even after losing its function as district seat (Usingen district was merged with Obertaunus district to form the Hochtaunuskreis with its seat at Bad Homburg) Usingen is more than ever the midpoint of the Usinger Land.
Town council
| SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
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... |
Greens Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '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... |
FDP 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... |
BEU | FWG | |
| 2006 | 8 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.
Coat of arms
Usingen's civic coat of 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...
shows four lions rampant, two gold and two silver. The earliest seal whose appearance is known – there had been earlier ones, but what they looked like is unknown – dates from 1277 and shows the four lions (golden ones denoting Nassau; silver ones denoting Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
), since the town was ruled then by the Counts of Nassau-Saarbrücken. Later seals did not show the billets and crosses with which the fields are spangled, but they reappeared in 1935, when the current arms were conferred. An earlier town symbol, a cloverleaf (or heraldically, a trefoil), may explain the charge on the inescutcheon. This was also added to the arms in 1935.http://www.ngw.nl/int/dld/u/usingen.htm
Partnerships
Usingen maintains partnerships with the following places: OverbetuweOverbetuwe
Overbetuwe is a municipality in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. It was formed on 1 January 2001 as a merger of three former municipalities: Elst, Heteren and Valburg. Overbetuwe is bordered in the north by the river Rhine and in the south by the river Waal. The city hall is located...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Coleshill, Warwickshire
Coleshill, Warwickshire
Coleshill is a market town in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England, taking its name from the River Cole. It has a population of 6,343 and is situated east of Birmingham.-Location:...
, 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...
Chassieu
Chassieu
Chassieu is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France....
, 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...
Usinger Schloss
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
residence between 1733 and 1738 as instructed by Princess Charlotte Amalie, Prince Wilhelm Heinrich I's widow. In 1873, a great fire destroyed the Schloss, which was afterwards built anew. Today it is used as a Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
(Christian-Wirth-Schule). Bordering right on the Schloss is the Usinger Schlossgarten, the stately home garden.
Huguenot church with marketplace
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
. After the Huguenot church fell out of use with the union of the Lutheran Protestants and the Reformed Church, it was soon converted into a school. Today, however, it houses the Usingen library. On the upper floors are found many places where concerts and gatherings can be accommodated. The wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
room is a favourite place for couples to plight their troth.
Eschbacher Klippen
At the north end of Eschbach stands a group of cliffCliff
In 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...
s up to 12 m high and made of quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
. The cliff wall is the visible part of a roughly six-kilometre-long quartz seam which continues slantwise across the Usa Valley to the Wormstein in Usingen town forest. From a geological
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
standpoint, it is an oblique upthrow (fault with one side thrust up higher than the other) formed by faulting in the mountain range. The erosion-resistant quartz has lasted to this day and can be seen in many places in the Taunus, but nowhere is it more spectacular than here.
Climbers use the steeper walls for training.
Hattsteinweiher
Taunusbad
This district indoor swimming poolSwimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
makes swimming possible the year round. Designed as a sporting facility, it is the only public indoor swimming pool in the Usinger Land.
Public transport
Usingen has at its disposal a good connection to the public railway network. Whereas railway lines have been closed elsewhere, things have gone another way in the Hochtaunuskreis. The line that has connected the Usinger Land to Frankfurt since 1895 has been run since 1993 by the district as the Taunusbahn. At peak hours, the trains run half-hourly, and otherwise hourly, to Bad Homburg. Peak hours also bring hourly through trains to Frankfurt's main railway stationFrankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof
is the central station for Frankfurt am Main. In terms of railway traffic, it is the busiest railway station in Germany. With about 350,000 passengers per day the station is the second most frequented railway station in Germany and one of the most frequented in Europe.- Proto-history :In the late...
. Service ends, however, at about 23:00 (0:00 on Saturday nights).
Further infrastructure
Usingen is the seat of an Amtsgericht ( ≈ Magistrates' CourtMagistrates' Court
A magistrates' court or court of petty sessions, formerly known as a police court, is the lowest level of court in England and Wales and many other common law jurisdictions...
) and home to a hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
.
Antenna farm
T-Systems
T-Systems is a worldwide operating ICT provider founded in October 2000. It belongs to Deutsche Telekom AG and its central office is located in Bonn, Germany. Within Deutsche Telekom AG it is responsible for multinational corporations and public-sector institutions. It operates in more than 20...
. After the Second World War, during which the property was used as an aerodrome
Aerodrome
An aerodrome, airdrome or airfield is a term for any location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo, passengers or neither...
, a shortwave
Shortwave
Shortwave radio refers to the upper MF and all of the HF portion of the radio spectrum, between 1,800–30,000 kHz. Shortwave radio received its name because the wavelengths in this band are shorter than 200 m which marked the original upper limit of the medium frequency band first used...
transmission station was built here. In 1979 came the first big parabolic antenna
Parabolic antenna
A parabolic antenna is an antenna that uses a parabolic reflector, a curved surface with the cross-sectional shape of a parabola, to direct the radio waves. The most common form is shaped like a dish and is popularly called a dish antenna or parabolic dish...
. Meanwhile, the station now houses more than 90 antennas, among them three dishes measuring 19 m across.
Regular events
Known far beyond Usingen's borders is the yearly Usinger Flohmarkt (flea marketFlea market
A flea market or swap meet is a type of bazaar where inexpensive or secondhand goods are sold or bartered. It may be indoors, such as in a warehouse or school gymnasium; or it may be outdoors, such as in a field or under a tent...
) in late June and the
Usinger Laurentiusmarkt, every second weekend in September.
Literature
- 1200 Jahre Usingen, articles about the former residence and district seat, ISBN 3-924103-21-6
- Waren "Osungen" und "Otsingen" wirklich Usingen? in: Usinger Anzeiger, 11 May 2002