Birstein
Encyclopedia
Birstein is a municipality on the northeastern edge of the Main-Kinzig-Kreis
in Hesse
, Germany
with approximately 6,600 inhabitants. It was the home of the former principality of Isenburg-Birstein
.
. For this reason, and because of the natural beauty of its setting, it is known as the "Pearl of the Vogelsberg".
Birstein proper has two sections. The northern part, uphill from the palace, is known as the "Oberberg", while the southern part, where most of the shops and commercial establishments are located, is called the "Unterberg".
, which lies in the Vogelsbergkreis
, and on the east, its neighbors are Freiensteinau
(also in the Vogelsbergkreis) and the town of Steinau an der Straße
. Bad Soden-Salmünster
and the municipality of Brachttal
border it on the south, as do Kefenrod
and the town of Gedern
on the west, both in the Wetteraukreis
.
, Obersotzbach, Unterreichenbach
, Untersotzbach, Völzberg, Wettges, and Wüstwillenroth.
The separation of Bösgesäß I (Prussian Bösgesäß) and Bösgesäß II (Hessian Bösgesäß) took place as a result of the Congress of Vienna
. The brook which flows through this area, called the Bracht, was designated as the border between the two localities. They lie approximately 100 meters apart.
dynasty, whose ancestor Heinrich II von Isenburg obtained it as part of his marriage settlement with Adelheid von Hanau in 1332.
In 1815, the principality was divided between Hesse-Darmstadt
and Hesse-Kassel
, and Birstein fell to Kassel. With the Prussian victory against Austria in 1866, Birstein became part of the Prussian empire until German unification in 1875.
Birstein, like other German regions, was greatly affected by the Thirty Years War, most markedly in 1634-36. It was occupied by Swedish soldiers in 1643. On September 7, 1763, the French army under Jean-Baptiste Jourdan
, which had been defeated at Würzburg four days before, marched through the town on their retreat.
Other events also left their mark. On July 21, 1684, fire destroyed 17 homes, 18 barns, 9 cattle stalls, and a bakehouse in the Oberberg, but spared the nearby church and rectory. Another fire in the Oberberg on July 14, 1744 destroyed 23 homes. On June 27, 1767, a terrible hailstorm gave rise to a yearly day of prayer against severe weather.
In 1590 a Latin school was founded in Birstein. It remained in various forms and locations for over three hundred years. By the early 20th century, girls were also admitted. The school closed in 1939.
Birstein escaped damage in World War II, although many of its young men were killed as soldiers. It was occupied by the Americans after the war, and eventually became part of the Main-Kinzig-Kreis
in the state of Hesse in the new Federal Republic of Germany. It was declared an official fresh-air spa resort in 1963, increasing its attractiveness for tourists. The unification of its various district subdivisions (see above) took place from 1971–74, bringing the municipality to its present form.
Originally Roman Catholic, Birstein began to move toward Protestantism in 1530, when the minister Johannes Henkel began to preach in favor of Martin Luther
in Unterreichenbach. In 1544, Count Reinhard of Isenburg, the ruler of the region, converted to Protestantism. On August 7, 1597 Count Wolfgang Ernst I of Isenburg announced the conversion of the region itself. The 200-year-old Protestant church in Birstein burned to its foundations on January 7, 1913; the current church was built on the same site and consecrated on April 19, 1914.
In 1840, a small Catholic house of worship was built. A larger Catholic church, Mariä Heimsuchung (Church of the Visitation) was built in 1912-14. The current Count of Isenburg, Franz Alexander, is also Catholic. While his ancestor Karl V of Isenburg was raised a Protestant in the family tradition after his father's early death, he converted to Catholicism, the religion of his mother Princess Maria Crescentia zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, on May 2, 1861. Four years later, he married the Catholic princess Marie Luise of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, and since then all the ducal family have remained members of this faith. The church has been the site of many Isenburg weddings, most recently that of Princess Katharina of Isenburg to Archduke Martin of Austria-Este in 2004.
Princess Katharina's younger sister, Princess Sophie of Isenburg, became engaged to Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, in January 2011. This wedding, involving the highest branches of German aristocracy, will take place in Potsdam, however.
A Jewish community existed in Birstein from the 17th century on, with the first mention of a Jewish inhabitant in 1549. A Jewish cemetery was founded in 1679, while a synagogue built in 1749 was rebuilt and expanded in 1866. A Jewish school was built in 1849 and operated until 1936.
In 1925, Jews composed 10.4% of Birstein's population. A majority of these were forced to emigrate in the first years of the National Socialist regime, and the Jewish community was officially dissolved in 1937. Although Birstein did not take part in the violence of Kristallnacht
, the cemetery was vandalized. At least 26 Jews who were born and/or lived in Birstein died in concentration camps.
Main-Kinzig-Kreis
Main-Kinzig is a Kreis in the east of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Wetteraukreis, Vogelsbergkreis, Fulda, Bad Kissingen, Main-Spessart, Aschaffenburg, Offenbach and the district-free cities of Offenbach and Frankfurt.-History:...
in 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...
with approximately 6,600 inhabitants. It was the home of the former principality of Isenburg-Birstein
Isenburg-Birstein
Isenburg-Birstein was the name of two German historical states based around Birstein in southeastern Hesse, Germany. The first "Isenburg-Birstein" was a County and was created as a partition of Isenburg-Büdingen-Birstein in 1628. It was merged into Isenburg-Offenbach in 1664. The second...
.
Geography
The town lies at the southern base of the Vogelsberg MountainsVogelsberg Mountains
The Vogelsberg Mountains are a group duct of ancient volcanic activity and are separated from the Rhön Mountains by the Fulda River and its valley....
. For this reason, and because of the natural beauty of its setting, it is known as the "Pearl of the Vogelsberg".
Birstein proper has two sections. The northern part, uphill from the palace, is known as the "Oberberg", while the southern part, where most of the shops and commercial establishments are located, is called the "Unterberg".
Neighboring municipalities
On the north, Birstein borders on GrebenhainGrebenhain
-Location:The community of Grebenhain lies from 400 to 733 m above sea level in the southeastern Vogelsberg Mountains, about 30 km west of Fulda.-Neighbouring communities:...
, which lies in the Vogelsbergkreis
Vogelsbergkreis
The Vogelsbergkreis is a Kreis in the middle of Hesse, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Schwalm-Eder, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Fulda, Main-Kinzig, Wetteraukreis, Gießen and Marburg-Biedenkopf.-Geography:...
, and on the east, its neighbors are Freiensteinau
Freiensteinau
-Neighbouring communities:Freiensteinau borders in the north on the community of Grebenhain, in the northeast on the community of Hosenfeld , in the east on the community of Neuhof , in the south on the town of Steinau an der Straße and in the west on the community of Birstein .-Constituent...
(also in the Vogelsbergkreis) and the town of Steinau an der Straße
Steinau an der Straße
Steinau an der Straße is a town in the Main-Kinzig district, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated on the river Kinzig, 32 km southwest of Fulda.-History:...
. Bad Soden-Salmünster
Bad Soden-Salmünster
Bad Soden-Salmünster is a town in the Main-Kinzig district, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated on the river Kinzig, between Fulda and Hanau.-References:...
and the municipality of Brachttal
Brachttal
Brachttal is a municipality in the Main-Kinzig district, in Hesse, Germany....
border it on the south, as do Kefenrod
Kefenrod
Kefenrod is a municipality in the Wetteraukreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located approx. 46 kilometers northeast of Frankfurt am Main....
and the town of Gedern
Gedern
Gedern is a town in the Wetteraukreis district in Hesse, Germany, and historically belongs to Oberhessen. It is located northeast of Hanau at the foot of the Vogelsberg, once one of the largest inactive volcanoes in Europe.-Neighboring towns:...
on the west, both in the 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:...
.
Municipality structure
The municipality consists of the subdivisions of Birstein, Bösgesäß I, Bösgesäß II, Fischborn, Hettersroth, Illnhausen, Kirchbracht. Lichenroth, Mauswinkel, OberreichenbachOberreichenbach
Oberreichenbach is a town in the district of Calw in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
, Obersotzbach, Unterreichenbach
Unterreichenbach
Unterreichenbach is a town in the district of Calw in the northern Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.-Geography:Unterreichenbach is in the Nagold River Valley between Calw and Pforzheim, at an altitude of between 292 und 633 metres....
, Untersotzbach, Völzberg, Wettges, and Wüstwillenroth.
The separation of Bösgesäß I (Prussian Bösgesäß) and Bösgesäß II (Hessian Bösgesäß) took place as a result of the Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
. The brook which flows through this area, called the Bracht, was designated as the border between the two localities. They lie approximately 100 meters apart.
History
The palace at Birstein, originally a fortified royal hunting lodge, was first cited in documents in 1279 as castrum birsenstein and gave its name to the surrounding town. The name comes from the archaic verb "birsen" (= "birschen"), which means to hunt with tracking dogs. The palace was remodeled several times and took its present form in 1764-1768. It is still inhabited by members of the Isenburg-BirsteinIsenburg-Birstein
Isenburg-Birstein was the name of two German historical states based around Birstein in southeastern Hesse, Germany. The first "Isenburg-Birstein" was a County and was created as a partition of Isenburg-Büdingen-Birstein in 1628. It was merged into Isenburg-Offenbach in 1664. The second...
dynasty, whose ancestor Heinrich II von Isenburg obtained it as part of his marriage settlement with Adelheid von Hanau in 1332.
In 1815, the principality was divided between Hesse-Darmstadt
Grand Duchy of Hesse
The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine , or, between 1806 and 1816, Grand Duchy of Hesse —as it was also known after 1816—was a member state of the German Confederation from 1806, when the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was elevated to a Grand Duchy, until 1918, when all the German...
and 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 Birstein fell to Kassel. With the Prussian victory against Austria in 1866, Birstein became part of the Prussian empire until German unification in 1875.
Birstein, like other German regions, was greatly affected by the Thirty Years War, most markedly in 1634-36. It was occupied by Swedish soldiers in 1643. On September 7, 1763, the French army under Jean-Baptiste Jourdan
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, 1st Comte Jourdan , enlisted as a private in the French royal army and rose to command armies during the French Revolutionary Wars. Emperor Napoleon I of France named him a Marshal of France in 1804 and he also fought in the Napoleonic Wars. After 1815, he became reconciled...
, which had been defeated at Würzburg four days before, marched through the town on their retreat.
Other events also left their mark. On July 21, 1684, fire destroyed 17 homes, 18 barns, 9 cattle stalls, and a bakehouse in the Oberberg, but spared the nearby church and rectory. Another fire in the Oberberg on July 14, 1744 destroyed 23 homes. On June 27, 1767, a terrible hailstorm gave rise to a yearly day of prayer against severe weather.
In 1590 a Latin school was founded in Birstein. It remained in various forms and locations for over three hundred years. By the early 20th century, girls were also admitted. The school closed in 1939.
Birstein escaped damage in World War II, although many of its young men were killed as soldiers. It was occupied by the Americans after the war, and eventually became part of the Main-Kinzig-Kreis
Main-Kinzig-Kreis
Main-Kinzig is a Kreis in the east of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Wetteraukreis, Vogelsbergkreis, Fulda, Bad Kissingen, Main-Spessart, Aschaffenburg, Offenbach and the district-free cities of Offenbach and Frankfurt.-History:...
in the state of Hesse in the new Federal Republic of Germany. It was declared an official fresh-air spa resort in 1963, increasing its attractiveness for tourists. The unification of its various district subdivisions (see above) took place from 1971–74, bringing the municipality to its present form.
Religion
A high percentage of the population of greater Birstein is Protestant (evangelical Lutheran). In addition to the five Protestant churches, there is currently one Roman Catholic church and other religious communities.Originally Roman Catholic, Birstein began to move toward Protestantism in 1530, when the minister Johannes Henkel began to preach in favor of Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
in Unterreichenbach. In 1544, Count Reinhard of Isenburg, the ruler of the region, converted to Protestantism. On August 7, 1597 Count Wolfgang Ernst I of Isenburg announced the conversion of the region itself. The 200-year-old Protestant church in Birstein burned to its foundations on January 7, 1913; the current church was built on the same site and consecrated on April 19, 1914.
In 1840, a small Catholic house of worship was built. A larger Catholic church, Mariä Heimsuchung (Church of the Visitation) was built in 1912-14. The current Count of Isenburg, Franz Alexander, is also Catholic. While his ancestor Karl V of Isenburg was raised a Protestant in the family tradition after his father's early death, he converted to Catholicism, the religion of his mother Princess Maria Crescentia zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, on May 2, 1861. Four years later, he married the Catholic princess Marie Luise of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, and since then all the ducal family have remained members of this faith. The church has been the site of many Isenburg weddings, most recently that of Princess Katharina of Isenburg to Archduke Martin of Austria-Este in 2004.
Princess Katharina's younger sister, Princess Sophie of Isenburg, became engaged to Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, in January 2011. This wedding, involving the highest branches of German aristocracy, will take place in Potsdam, however.
A Jewish community existed in Birstein from the 17th century on, with the first mention of a Jewish inhabitant in 1549. A Jewish cemetery was founded in 1679, while a synagogue built in 1749 was rebuilt and expanded in 1866. A Jewish school was built in 1849 and operated until 1936.
In 1925, Jews composed 10.4% of Birstein's population. A majority of these were forced to emigrate in the first years of the National Socialist regime, and the Jewish community was officially dissolved in 1937. Although Birstein did not take part in the violence of Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
, the cemetery was vandalized. At least 26 Jews who were born and/or lived in Birstein died in concentration camps.
Representation
The election of March 26, 2006 resulted in the following:| Parties and voter coalitions | % 2006 |
Seats 2006 |
% 2001 |
Seats 2001 |
|
| CDU | 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... |
34.3 | 9 | 33.6 | 10 |
| 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... |
36.9 | 9 | 34.7 | 11 |
| FBG | Free Voters Free Voters Free Voters is a German concept in which an association of persons participates in an election without having the status of a registered political party. Usually it is a locally organized group of voters in the form of a registered association . In most cases, Free Voters are active only at the... |
28.8 | 7 | 25.3 | 8 |
| GRÜNE | 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... |
– | – | 6.5 | 2 |
| Total | 100.0 | 25 | 100.0 | 31 | |
| Voter participation in % | 49.6 | 59.4 | |||
Cultural and tourist attractions
- The palace of the counts of Isenburg-BirsteinIsenburg-BirsteinIsenburg-Birstein was the name of two German historical states based around Birstein in southeastern Hesse, Germany. The first "Isenburg-Birstein" was a County and was created as a partition of Isenburg-Büdingen-Birstein in 1628. It was merged into Isenburg-Offenbach in 1664. The second...
in Birstein - The "Cathedral of the Vogelsberg" in Unterreichenbach
Famous natives and residents
- Anton PraetoriusAnton PraetoriusAnton Praetorius was a German Calvinist pastor who spoke out against the persecution of witches and against torture.-Life and writings :...
(1560–1613). Calvinist theologian who held the position of court preacher at the castle in Birstein from 1596-1598. As a witness in a celebrated witchcraft trial there, he made a historic protest against torture which, unusually, resulted in the release of the accused.
- Carl Lomb, who after his emigration to the U.S. made a fortune in optical instruments as part of the firm of Bausch & LombBausch & LombBausch & Lomb, an American company based in Rochester, New York, is one of the world's leading suppliers of eye health products, such as contact lenses and lens care products today. In addition to this main activity, in recent years the area of medical technology has been developed...
, founded by his cousin Henry Lomb. He donated two stained glass windows, "The Crucifixion" and "The Resurrection" to the Protestant church in Birstein, and was made an honorary citizen. This document is displayed in the foyer of the town hall. A street in Birstein, "Carl-Lomb-Strasse" is also named for him.
- Fritz Maubach (1912–1963), who wrote "Die Zwingburg" (1947), a description of his youth in Birstein as the son of the court pharmacist. He also published stories of local color under the pseudonym "Casper Reiserecht". Like his father, he trained as a pharmacist; he later worked as an editor, and as such was a correspondent at the Nuremberg TrialsNuremberg TrialsThe Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
.
- Georg Hermann Walther (1899–1988), local historian, composer, and folklorist, who was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit in 1974.
- Sophie, Princess of Isenburg, wife of Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia.
External links
- Official website (in German): www.birstein.de
- Links in German concerning Birstein: