Wiesbaden-Klarenthal
Encyclopedia
Klarenthal is a borough
of Wiesbaden
, capital of the federal state of Hesse
, Germany
. The community, situated on the slopes of the Taunus
Mountains, was planned by architect and urban planner Ernst May
in the style of a commuter town
in the early 1960s. It was built on free arable land between the railway line to Bad Schwalbach
and Klarenthaler Straße, overlooking the city center of Wiesbaden proper. Klarenthal consists mainly of large multi-family homes and residential high-rise buildings, surrounded with lots of green space, as well as many townhouses. The ground-breaking ceremony was held on September 11, 1964 and the first residents moved in in late February 1966. Today, over 10,000 people live there.
The name comes from the medieval Kloster Klarenthal (Klarenthal Monastery), which was located nearby on the edge of today's settlement, in Wellritztal. The monastery was established by Count Adolf of Nassau (born before 1250; died July 2, 1298), who was elected King of Germany on May 5, 1292. The monastery was to serve as a tomb for the House of Nassau
, and his wife Queen Imagina and many of his descendants were buried here. Kloster Klarenthal was the only monastery of the city of Wiesbaden. Its nuns belonged to the Order of Poor Ladies
(also known as the Order of Saint Clare or the Poor Clares), which was founded by Clare of Assisi
, hence the name Klarenthal. The monastery was secularized in 1559, after the Protestant Reformation
. Only a few buildings are still preserved today.
Other consultants advised them that St. Clare herself should not be pictured; only her attributes were suitable for a coat of arms. Suggested attributes included the rule book, a lily, a cross, a burning lamp and a monstrance. The lily and book were quickly rejected, since the lily is already the symbol of the City of Wiesbaden and the coat of arms from Nordenstadt contains a book.
The lamp was finally chosen because it directly related to St. Clare – “Clare” is Latin for "the Light." To continue with the connected to the name "Klarenthal", a symbol of a valley was also proposed. The classical heraldic symbol is a so-called "supporting rafters", which looks roughly like the letter "V". This symbol is also included in the coat of arms of Schierstein. Finally, the colors blue and gold were chosen. These were the national colors of Nassau, recalling that the Klarenthal Monastery was founded by Adolf of Nassau. It was officially adopted in November 1988.
Built in 1972, the community center was the first phase of construction of the church’s planned facilities. The second phase of construction was repeatedly postponed, so that its inauguration was not until the fourth Sunday of Advent in 1986. The church is an architecturally interesting round building, joined idiosyncratically and yet harmoniously to the cubes of the buildings of the first construction phase. The interior space of the church can be varied, in order to facilitate newer forms of worship or traditional Sunday worship services.
SC Klarenthal is involved in nine sports, including organized teams in football, volleyball, and table tennis. It has 22 youth teams in these sports, as well as master and senior level team. Its women’s volleyball team competes in the Hessian Landesliga Süd. It also offers gymnastics classes for Mother and Child, children, and seniors and Jazz dance for children. Its facilities include a football pitch, two beach volleyball courts, three tennis courts, and a gymnasium (Turnhalle).
The "Förderverein Fasanerie e.V." (the supporters' association of the Fasanerie) and the "Naturpädagogische Zentrum" (the nature teaching center) host natural history tours for young and old which communicate about types of animals and plants to children and young people in a lively way. About 70 events take place in the Fasanerie each year.
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
of Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
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...
, capital of the federal state of 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...
. The community, situated on the slopes of 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...
Mountains, was planned by architect and urban planner Ernst May
Ernst May
Ernst May was a German architect and city planner.May successfully applied urban design techniques to the city of Frankfurt am Main during Germany's Weimar period, and in 1930 less successfully exported those ideas to Soviet Union cities, newly created under Stalinist rule...
in the style of a commuter town
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
in the early 1960s. It was built on free arable land between the railway line to Bad Schwalbach
Bad Schwalbach
Bad Schwalbach is the district seat of Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany.- Geographic Location :Bad Schwalbach is a spa town some 20 km northwest of Wiesbaden. It lies at 289 to 465 m above sea level in the Taunus, along the small river Aar...
and Klarenthaler Straße, overlooking the city center of Wiesbaden proper. Klarenthal consists mainly of large multi-family homes and residential high-rise buildings, surrounded with lots of green space, as well as many townhouses. The ground-breaking ceremony was held on September 11, 1964 and the first residents moved in in late February 1966. Today, over 10,000 people live there.
The name comes from the medieval Kloster Klarenthal (Klarenthal Monastery), which was located nearby on the edge of today's settlement, in Wellritztal. The monastery was established by Count Adolf of Nassau (born before 1250; died July 2, 1298), who was elected King of Germany on May 5, 1292. The monastery was to serve as a tomb for the House of Nassau
House of Nassau
The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The lords of Nassau were originally titled Count of Nassau, then elevated to the princely class as...
, and his wife Queen Imagina and many of his descendants were buried here. Kloster Klarenthal was the only monastery of the city of Wiesbaden. Its nuns belonged to the Order of Poor Ladies
Order of Poor Ladies
The Poor Clares also known as the Order of Saint Clare, the Order of Poor Ladies, the Poor Clare Sisters, the Clarisse, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Congregation, and the Second Order of St. Francis, , comprise several orders of nuns in the Catholic Church...
(also known as the Order of Saint Clare or the Poor Clares), which was founded by Clare of Assisi
Clare of Assisi
Clare of Assisi , born Chiara Offreduccio, is an Italian saint and one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi...
, hence the name Klarenthal. The monastery was secularized in 1559, after the Protestant 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...
. Only a few buildings are still preserved today.
Coat of arms
Klarenthal’s coat of arms is the youngest in Wiesbaden. It could not be based on any historical seal because the settlement of Klarenthal was only built in the 1960s. When the desire for a unique crest for the borough came in the mid-1980s, a heraldic proposed that it should picture St. Clare, together with a lamp as a symbol of the history of the settlement. The borough council, however, also wanted to add the silhouette of a newly built house. This design was eventually discarded as far too complicated.Other consultants advised them that St. Clare herself should not be pictured; only her attributes were suitable for a coat of arms. Suggested attributes included the rule book, a lily, a cross, a burning lamp and a monstrance. The lily and book were quickly rejected, since the lily is already the symbol of the City of Wiesbaden and the coat of arms from Nordenstadt contains a book.
The lamp was finally chosen because it directly related to St. Clare – “Clare” is Latin for "the Light." To continue with the connected to the name "Klarenthal", a symbol of a valley was also proposed. The classical heraldic symbol is a so-called "supporting rafters", which looks roughly like the letter "V". This symbol is also included in the coat of arms of Schierstein. Finally, the colors blue and gold were chosen. These were the national colors of Nassau, recalling that the Klarenthal Monastery was founded by Adolf of Nassau. It was officially adopted in November 1988.
Politics
Election results and the distribution of seats in borough council (Ortsbeirat) of Klarenthal are as follows:| Political parties | % 2006 |
Seats 2006 |
% 2001 |
Seats 2001 |
% 1997 |
| Social Democratic Party of Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
43.5 | 5 | 38.8 | 4 | 46.6 |
| Christian Democratic Union 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... |
33.7 | 3 | 35.7 | 4 | 38.9 |
| 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... |
8.4 | 1 | 16.7 | 2 | 4.2 |
| The Republicans | 7.7 | 1 | 7.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Alliance '90/The 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... |
6.7 | 1 | 1.7 | 0 | 10.2 |
| Total | 100.0 | 11 | 100.0 | 11 | 100.0 |
| Voter turnout in % | 36.9 | 49.1 | 62.3 | ||
Social infrastructure
Klarenthal has an excellent social infrastructure, composed of the two churches, schools, numerous clubs and other social institutions, as well as an engaged borough council (Ortsbeirat), committed to the cohesion and well-being of the neighborhood residents.Lutheran community
The first Protestant inhabitants of the settlement were members of Kreuzkirche (Cross Church). On April 1, 1968, Klarenthal became a separate parish. In 1969, Walter Wenzel came as the first pastor. On May 20, 1969, the first ecumenical church service of the Klarenthal Lutheran Church was held in the old chapel of Klarenthal. There were (with the priest) ten visitors.Built in 1972, the community center was the first phase of construction of the church’s planned facilities. The second phase of construction was repeatedly postponed, so that its inauguration was not until the fourth Sunday of Advent in 1986. The church is an architecturally interesting round building, joined idiosyncratically and yet harmoniously to the cubes of the buildings of the first construction phase. The interior space of the church can be varied, in order to facilitate newer forms of worship or traditional Sunday worship services.
Recreation
The scenic benefits on the edge of a large recreation area with lots of greenery, good air and miles of walking trails have also long recognized many of Wiesbaden. Other attractions include the Fasanerie, an animal and plant park; and the annual "Klarenthaler Kulturtage" (culture days) and the Klarenthaler Sommerfest (summer festival).Sports
Klarenthal has several clubs engaged in organized athletic activities. The largest, with about 700 members, is 1. SC Klarenthal 1968 eV. Other sports clubs include the Wiesbadener Fechtclub 1879 e.V. (fencing club) and the Wiesbadener Schützengesellschaft 1843-1860 e. V. (shooting club).SC Klarenthal is involved in nine sports, including organized teams in football, volleyball, and table tennis. It has 22 youth teams in these sports, as well as master and senior level team. Its women’s volleyball team competes in the Hessian Landesliga Süd. It also offers gymnastics classes for Mother and Child, children, and seniors and Jazz dance for children. Its facilities include a football pitch, two beach volleyball courts, three tennis courts, and a gymnasium (Turnhalle).
Fasanerie Zoo and Botanical Gardens
The Fasanerie Zoo and Botanical Gardens, with an area of 18 hectares, is situated between Aar Strasse and Klarenthaler Strasse. It offers a home to around 50 types of animals, including many indigenous wild and domesticated animals, including domestic pig, wolves, foxes, and probably the best-known animals at present, the bears Ronja, Troxi II, and Kuno. The gardens include meadows, woods and water, as well as exotic and indigenous plants. The Fasanerie is open daily and admission is free. No dogs are allowed.The "Förderverein Fasanerie e.V." (the supporters' association of the Fasanerie) and the "Naturpädagogische Zentrum" (the nature teaching center) host natural history tours for young and old which communicate about types of animals and plants to children and young people in a lively way. About 70 events take place in the Fasanerie each year.