Berkatal
Encyclopedia
Location
Berkatal lies in the Meißner-Kaufunger Wald Nature Park at the foot of the Hoher MeißnerHoher Meißner
Hoher Meissner is a mountain massif with a height of 753.6 m and is located in the Meissner Kaufunger nature park in Hesse, Germany.-Geography:...
massif. The river Berka rises within community limits.
Neighbouring communities
Berkatal borders in the west and north on the town of Bad Sooden-AllendorfBad Sooden-Allendorf
-Location:The spa town of Bad Sooden-Allendorf lies in the Werra valley near the Hoher Meißner, right on the boundary with Thuringia, almost at Germany’s geographical centre, 33 km east of Kassel.-Neighbouring communities:...
, in the east on the town of Eschwege
Eschwege
Eschwege , the district seat of the Werra-Meißner-Kreis, is a town in northeastern Hesse, Germany.- Location :The town lies on a broad plain tract of the river Werra at the foot of the Leuchtberg northwest of the Schlierbachswald and east of the Hoher Meißner...
, in the south on the community of Meißner
Meißner, Hesse
Meißner is a community in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Meißner lies at the Krösselberg between the Hoher Meißner and the Werra valley in the Meißner-Kaufunger Wald Nature Park, some 40 km southeast of Kassel and 10 km west of Eschwege.-Neighbouring...
and in the southwest on the towns of Hessisch Lichtenau
Hessisch Lichtenau
Hessisch Lichtenau is a small town in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in eastern Hesse, Germany. It was the 2006 host of the 46th Hessentag.-Location:...
and Großalmerode
Großalmerode
Großalmerode is a town in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.- Location :The small town, which has had town rights since 1775, lies 21 km east of Kassel in the Meißner-Kaufunger Wald Nature Park on the river Gelster...
(all in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis).
Constituent communities
Berkatal’s three Ortsteile are Frankenhain, Frankershausen (administrative seat) and Hitzerode. The nearest major town is the district seat of Eschwege. Berkatal lies roughly 40 km south of GöttingenGöttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
and 45 km east 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 :...
.
Frankershausen
The constituent community of Frankershausen, having had its first documentary mention in 876, is one of the region’s oldest settlements. At first, Frankershausen was within the lands held by the Counts of Bilstein, who sold the village in 1301 to the Landgraves of HesseLandgraviate of Hesse
The Landgraviate of Hesse was a Landgraviate of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed as a unity from 1264 to 1567, when it was divided between the sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse.-History:...
. The Landgraves enfeoffed various noble families with the rights to Frankershausen over the course of its history. Originally, the village core stretched around the village church, which was expanded in the Classicist
Classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
style. With the beginning of the salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
trade in the 16th century, the valley was settled alongside the Berka. In time arose great estates with stately houses with cellars in which was kept wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
from the Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
meant for sale. Still bearing witness today to the Frankershausen salt and wine dealers’ wealth are the preserved houses from the late 18th century along the Berkastraße and Am Wasser (“At the Water”). In business in Frankershausen today are many craft businesses and trade operations, along with a small metal-processing business. In 1976, the community’s 1,200-year jubilee was celebrated.
Frankenhain
The constituent community of Frankenhain, having had its first documentary mention in 1360, is the community’s third oldest place. The community acquired economic ascendancy during the boom in the salt and wine trades, to which the dwellers of the whole Meißnervorland dedicated themselves beginning in the 16th century. The resident wagon drivers built along what is today the Meißnerstraße extensive estates with the typical great cellars for keeping wine. In the 19th century, mining and melting potMelting pot
The melting pot is a metaphor for a heterogeneous society becoming more homogeneous, the different elements "melting together" into a harmonious whole with a common culture...
making became the main sources of livelihood for Frankenhain’s inhabitants. Even today, there is still a business in Frankenhain that produces melting pots, which sells its products worldwide.
Hitzerode
The constituent community of Hitzerode had its first documentary mention in 1195 in a document from Pope Celestine IIIPope Celestine III
Pope Celestine III , born Giacinto Bobone, was elected Pope on March 21, 1191, and reigned until his death. He was born into the noble Orsini family in Rome, though he was only a cardinal deacon before becoming Pope...
, in which he confirmed the Germerode Monastery’s lordship. About 1300, Hitzerode passed to the Landgraves of Hesse
Landgraviate of Hesse
The Landgraviate of Hesse was a Landgraviate of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed as a unity from 1264 to 1567, when it was divided between the sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse.-History:...
. In 1498, one half belonged to the Landgraviate of Hesse and the other half was enfeoffed to the Lords of Völkershausen, and later to the Apel Appe zu Aue and the Lords of Eschwege
Eschwege
Eschwege , the district seat of the Werra-Meißner-Kreis, is a town in northeastern Hesse, Germany.- Location :The town lies on a broad plain tract of the river Werra at the foot of the Leuchtberg northwest of the Schlierbachswald and east of the Hoher Meißner...
. The village’s history was shaped, as in the community’s other centres by the salt and wine trade. Early in the village’s history, building was confined to the Kirchberg (“Church Hill”) and the course of the Albunger Straße (road). So, when the salt trade was beginning, the Lange Straße (“Long Road”), was also built up. This ran from Dohlsbach towards Frankershausen, across the Meißner to Spangenberg. Here arose the merchants’ representative estates which still characterize the settlement today. In 1995, the settlement’s 800-year jubilee was marked.
Amalgamation
In 1971, by merging the centres of Frankenhain and Frankershausen, the community was founded. One year later, Hitzerode was also amalgamated. As it was unclear until then whether Hitzerode would be amalgamated with Bad Sooden-Allendorf, it still has the telephone area code 05652 (Bad Sooden-Allendorf) today, whereas the other two centres both have the area code 05657 (Meißner).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 | 26.8 | 4 | 23.2 | 3 |
| 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... |
40.2 | 6 | 39.7 | 6 |
| ÜWG | Überparteiliche Wählergemeinschaft | 30.0 | 5 | 30.0 | 5 |
| BLB | Bürgerliste Berkatal | 3.0 | 0 | 7.1 | 1 |
| Total | 100 | 15 | 100 | 15 | |
| Voter turnout in % | 66.1 | 71.9 | |||
Mayors
Since 1997 the community’s mayor has been Friedel Lenze (SPD). His predecessors were Willi Hildebrandt (SPD) from 1971 to 1979, Ferdinand Nieland (CDU) from 1979 to 1991 and Hansjörg Haas (CDU) from 1991 to 1996.Community executive
As laid down in Hessian law, the community of Berkatal has an executive (Gemeindevorstand) as the community’s collective leadership board. On this board, besides Mayor Friedel Lenze are two members each of the CDU, the SPD and the ÜWG. The ranking member, and thereby the deputy mayor, is Lutz Bergner (CDU). The executive’s chairman is Manfred Zindel (ÜWG).The executive has two committees, each with five members: a main, financial and social committee and a building and planning committee. The former’s chairman is Bernd Fink (ÜWG) and the latter’s Wolfgang Friederich (CDU).
The three parties or voter communities represented on the executive have each joined together into a faction, with Matthias Dix as the CDU faction’s chairman, Reinhard Philipp as the SPD faction’s and Thomas Schill as the ÜWG faction’s.
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: Gules a bend sinister wavy argent between a cross moline and a wagon wheel of six spokes Or.
The wavy bend sinister represents the community’s namesake, the Berka. The cross is the Frankenkreuz, a reference to the names Frankershausen and Frankenhain. The wagon wheel stands for the wagon drivers who were once widespread here.
Culture and sightseeing
- Bilstein Castle
- The castleCastleA 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...
of the Counts of Wigger – named after Wigger IWigger IWigger I was the father of a line of counts ruling from his new castle of Bilstein, west of Albungen to the Werra...
– was built by Count Rugger II beginning in 1120, and was completed no later than 1145. Only wall remnants remain today, in particular parts of the ringwall, remains of a well in the bailey and a cistern on the motte. In the area of the castle ruins are found three redoubts, the High Redoubt, the Redoubt over the Bilstein and the Schnepfenburg, which are likewise castle constructions in the wider sense. According to legend, the last Count of Bilstein, along with his family, is said to have set off a rockfall in a coach at the slope on the occasion of a siege, after which the besieging forces discovered a secret passage leading between the castle and the Höllenmühle (mill) down in the valley through which the castle had been being supplied.- 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...
parish church of Hitzerode
- Evangelical
- The church in Hitzerode was built in an exposed spot in the old village core. Building, in its four phases, lasted almost two centuries. The massive lower part of the choir tower was built in the early years of the 16th century. The timber-frameTimber framingTimber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
floors above were put in place in 1687. The finishing touch, the cupola, was put on in 1738. The nave, built in 1793, is still preserved in its original form today. The organ has a 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...
prospect. Furthermore, this Evangelical parish church houses a baptismal font dated to 1603.- Frankenhain church with frescoes
- The Evangelical parish church in Frankenhain is built in an exposed, elevated spot in the village core. The oldest preserved part of the complex is the quire tower whose basic style is Early GothicGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
, to which a ClassicistClassicismClassicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
transept was added in 1838. The church houses a preserved baptismal font from the 16th century and an organ from 1843.- Frau-Holle-Teich
- The “Mother Hulda Pond” lies in a hollow on the Meißner. Stories handed down have it that Mother Hulda’s home was on the Meißner. The name Frau-Holle-Teich has been shown to have existed for at least 300 years.
- Kripplöcher and Hielöcher
- The Kripplöcher and Hielöcher are to be found near Frankershausen. The whole area is a nature conservation area characterized by karstKARSTKilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
geology with both small and big, flat and deep holes formed by collapses. Through the Hielöcher runs a learning path. The Kripplöcher, however, may not be entered without a guide. In 1958 a whole team of cows sank into a new earthfall. Earthfalls are brought about when gypsum and salt deposits are washed away.- Dolmen
- In the north of Hitzerode stand some five to seven dolmenDolmenA dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
s. These come from the time around 2000 BC. In 1880, the first one was opened, and in late August 1881, under scientific guidance, so was the second one. This was the biggest, with a diameter of roughly 16 m, and the excavation lasted three days. At the time, two round walls made of loose, layered stones under the earth were found. Inside lay some human bones and bits of coal.- Roman camp
- North of Hitzerode on the north slope of the Ihringsberg lies the so-called Römerlager, or “Roman camp”. It is, in fact, a square wall complex, rounded at the corners, ringed by a ditch, of early mediaevalMiddle AgesThe 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...
, GermanicGermanic peoplesThe Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
origin. The walls measure some 85 m from east to west and from north to south some 75 m in length. On average, they are about 2 to 3 m in height. There was a small, open room with heavy fortification here.- Fortress church in Frankershausen
- The fortress church in Frankershausen, which was expanded in the ClassicistClassicismClassicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
style, is an 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...
parish church with an Early GothicGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
core which has come to form the heart of the village. The outside is dominated by the quire tower.