Willingen
Encyclopedia
Willingen is a community in Waldeck-Frankenberg
in northern Hesse
, Germany
, some 80 km west of Kassel
.
Willingen is regularly advertised as Willingen Hochsauerland and Willingen (Upland).
name, not the English
word). Its main town stretches between two river valleys, the Hoppecke in the west and the Itter in the east. The ski resort Skigebiet Willingen is near.
, in the east on the town of Korbach
, in the south on the community of Medebach
, and in the west on the towns of Winterberg
, Olsberg
and Brilon
(all three in the Hochsauerlandkreis in North Rhine-Westphalia
).
.
Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.
The community was granted this coat of arms on 12 June 1974.
. There were 1.3 million overnight stays in 2003, and attractions include winter sports and bowling
clubs.
's yearly World Cup Ski-jumping competition at the Mühlenkopfschanze
(a ski-jump arena with seats for 100,000) and the yearly "Mountainbike-Event" at the Ettelsberg (mountain) to which 35,000 spectators came in 2005. Nearby lie the trails of Bike Arena Sauerland.
and Brilon
-Wald.
Waldeck-Frankenberg
Waldeck-Frankenberg is a Kreis in the north of Hesse, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Höxter, Kassel, Schwalm-Eder, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Hochsauerland.-History:...
in northern 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...
, some 80 km west 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 :...
.
Willingen is regularly advertised as Willingen Hochsauerland and Willingen (Upland).
Location
Willingen is found in Waldeck-Frankenberg district in the Upland (a GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
name, not the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
word). Its main town stretches between two river valleys, the Hoppecke in the west and the Itter in the east. The ski resort Skigebiet Willingen is near.
Neighbouring communities
Willingen borders in the north on the community of DiemelseeDiemelsee
Diemelsee is a community in Waldeck-Frankenberg in northwest Hesse, Germany, and is part of the Upland region.-Location:Diemelsee lies in the River Diemel in the Diemelsee Nature Park just upstream from and southwest of the Diemelsee reservoir...
, in the east on the town of Korbach
Korbach
Korbach is the district seat of Waldeck-Frankenberg in northern Hesse, Germany. It is over a thousand years old and a former Hanseatic town. It is located on the German Framework Road.- Geography and geology :...
, in the south on the community of Medebach
Medebach
Medebach is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Medebach is situated approx. 15 km east of Winterberg, 17 km south-west of Korbach and 45 km north of Marburg.- Neighbouring municipalities:...
, and in the west on the towns of Winterberg
Winterberg
Winterberg is a town in the Hochsauerland district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and a major winter sport resort of the Wintersport Arena Sauerland.-Geography:...
, Olsberg
Olsberg, Germany
Olsberg is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:It is situated on the river Ruhr, approx. 15 km east of Meschede. It is bordered by Arnsberg Forest Nature Park, on the northern fringe of the Rothaargebirge...
and Brilon
Brilon
Brilon is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, that belongs to the Hochsauerlandkreis.- Geography :Brilon is situated on the Brilon Heights at an altitude of about 450 m on the upper reaches of the river Möhne...
(all three in the Hochsauerlandkreis in North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
).
Constituent communities
Willingen consists of the following centres:- Bömighausen, 300 inhabitants (as of 1 September 2003)
- Eimelrod, 582 inhabitants (as of 31. December 2006)
- Hemmighausen, 100 inhabitants
- Neerdar, 100 inhabitants
- Rattlar, 400 inhabitants
- Schwalefeld, 900 inhabitants
- Usseln, 2,100 inhabitants
- Welleringhausen, 100 inhabitants
- Willingen, 3,500 inhabitants
History
Willingen was founded in 1974 in the second municipal reform by uniting the villages of Bömighausen, Eimelrod, Hemmighausen, Neerdar, Rattlar, Schwalefeld, Welleringhausen and the climatic spas of Usseln and Willingen. Until 1929, Willingen belonged to the Free State of Waldeck, after which it passed to PrussiaPrussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
.
Municipal council
Willingen's council is made up of 31 councillors, with seats apportioned thus, in accordance with municipal elections held on 26 March 2006:| 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... |
11 seats |
| SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
10 seats |
| 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... |
5 seats |
| FWG | 5 seats |
Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.
Coat of arms
The field is parted horizontally, below the middle, by a row of interlocking arrows between the gold above and the green below. It is meant, of course, to look like treetops, and refers to the Upland's extensive woods. There are two charges, one inside the other. The eight-pointed black star is the ubiquitous – in terms of the local civic heraldry – Star of Waldeck, borne centuries ago by the Counts of Waldeck when they held sway over the area. The snowflake is included as a charge within the star and is representative of the community's status as a winter resort.The community was granted this coat of arms on 12 June 1974.
Culture and sightseeing
Willingen's landmark is the great railway bridge, "Das Viadukt", built about 1918. The community thrives mainly on tourismTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
. There were 1.3 million overnight stays in 2003, and attractions include winter sports and bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
clubs.
Regular events
Among Willingen's greatest events are the International Ski FederationInternational Ski Federation
The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports...
's yearly World Cup Ski-jumping competition at the Mühlenkopfschanze
Mühlenkopfschanze
Mühlenkopfschanze is a German ski jumping hill, located in Willingen. It is the world's biggest large hill, and holds World Cup events every year....
(a ski-jump arena with seats for 100,000) and the yearly "Mountainbike-Event" at the Ettelsberg (mountain) to which 35,000 spectators came in 2005. Nearby lie the trails of Bike Arena Sauerland.
Transport
Willingen lies on the Uplandbahn railway line between KorbachKorbach
Korbach is the district seat of Waldeck-Frankenberg in northern Hesse, Germany. It is over a thousand years old and a former Hanseatic town. It is located on the German Framework Road.- Geography and geology :...
and Brilon
Brilon
Brilon is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, that belongs to the Hochsauerlandkreis.- Geography :Brilon is situated on the Brilon Heights at an altitude of about 450 m on the upper reaches of the river Möhne...
-Wald.