Geisa
Encyclopedia
Geisa is a town
in the Wartburgkreis
district, in Thuringia
, Germany
. It is situated in the Rhön Mountains
, 26 km northeast of Fulda
.
The near border with Hesse
was the border between West Germany
and the GDR during the Cold War
. Thus, Geisa was in the East German border restriction area of the former inner German border.
. It is located on the Ulster River
.
, near Fulda
.
Geisa's oldest area of settlement is located on Mount Gangolfiberg, which is also the highest point of the little town and the only surviving medieval place of jurisdiction in Thuringia
, the so called Zentgericht - dating from the 11th century.
The deed of town ordinances and privileges was lost, the first notation as civitas is from 1302.
As an administration centre of the abbey Fulda
, Geisa was a Catholic-dominated region.
Athanasius Kircher
was born on May 2 in either 1601 or 1602 in Geisa.
Because of wars and fires in the past, only a modicum of historic buildings is present. In the heart of the town is the Catholic Parish Church (Stadtpfarrkirche) of St Philip and St James, which was built between 1489 and 1504. It is the only surviving Gothic church in the Geisa region.
A rarity is the carillon
, a special kind of 49 bronze bells on the church tower.
Above the marketplace is the listed Geisa castle ensemble. The Schlossplatz, the square in front of the castle, is framed by the local court (1540), a former prison, the Stadtschloss (1700–1714) - a building of Johann Dientzenhofer
, a number of commercial buildings, and the Protestant church (1860).
For many years a former US observation camp - in military notation Point Alpha - was one of the hottest spots in the Cold War
. Since 2008, the headquarters of the Point Alpha foundation have been located in the castle in Geisa, as well as the municipal museum too.
Perhaps the best-preserved and most beautifully situated Jewish village cemetery in Germany is on its outskirts.
" is the name of a memorial place at the former inner German border.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the Wartburgkreis
Wartburgkreis
Wartburgkreis is a Kreis in the west of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the districts Unstrut-Hainich, Gotha, Schmalkalden-Meiningen, and the districts Fulda, Hersfeld-Rotenburg and Werra-Meißner in Hesse...
district, in Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
, 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...
. It is situated in the Rhön Mountains
Rhön Mountains
The Rhön Mountains are a group of low mountains in central Germany, located around the border area where the states of Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia come together. These mountains, which are at the extreme southeast end of the East Hesse Highlands , are partly a result of ancient volcanic activity...
, 26 km northeast of 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 :...
.
The near border with 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...
was the border between West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
and the GDR during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. Thus, Geisa was in the East German border restriction area of the former inner German border.
Geography
Geisa is a town in the north of the Rhön MountainsRhön Mountains
The Rhön Mountains are a group of low mountains in central Germany, located around the border area where the states of Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia come together. These mountains, which are at the extreme southeast end of the East Hesse Highlands , are partly a result of ancient volcanic activity...
. It is located on the Ulster River
Ulster River
The Ulster is a 56 km long river in Thuringia and Hesse, Germany, left tributary of the Werra. Its source is in the Rhön Mountains, near Ehrenberg. The Ulster flows generally north through the towns Hilders, Tann, Geisa and Unterbreizbach. It flows into the Werra in Philippsthal....
.
History
Geisa is located in BuchoniaBuchonia
Buchonia is a region in Hesse, a state of Germany, where one of the first forestry planning systems was developed by Georg Ludwig Hartig . It was called "Flächenfachwerk". He also wrote in 1791 "Anweisung zur Holzzucht für Förster"-Books:...
, near 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 :...
.
Geisa's oldest area of settlement is located on Mount Gangolfiberg, which is also the highest point of the little town and the only surviving medieval place of jurisdiction in Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
, the so called Zentgericht - dating from the 11th century.
The deed of town ordinances and privileges was lost, the first notation as civitas is from 1302.
As an administration centre of the abbey 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 :...
, Geisa was a Catholic-dominated region.
Athanasius Kircher
Athanasius Kircher
Athanasius Kircher was a 17th century German Jesuit scholar who published around 40 works, most notably in the fields of oriental studies, geology, and medicine...
was born on May 2 in either 1601 or 1602 in Geisa.
Because of wars and fires in the past, only a modicum of historic buildings is present. In the heart of the town is the Catholic Parish Church (Stadtpfarrkirche) of St Philip and St James, which was built between 1489 and 1504. It is the only surviving Gothic church in the Geisa region.
A rarity is the carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
, a special kind of 49 bronze bells on the church tower.
Above the marketplace is the listed Geisa castle ensemble. The Schlossplatz, the square in front of the castle, is framed by the local court (1540), a former prison, the Stadtschloss (1700–1714) - a building of Johann Dientzenhofer
Johann Dientzenhofer
Johann Dientzenhofer was a builder and architect during the Baroque period in Germany.Johann was born in St. Margarethen near Rosenheim, Bavaria, a member of the famous Dientzenhofer family of German architects, who were among the leading builders in the Bohemian and German Baroque which included...
, a number of commercial buildings, and the Protestant church (1860).
For many years a former US observation camp - in military notation Point Alpha - was one of the hottest spots in the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. Since 2008, the headquarters of the Point Alpha foundation have been located in the castle in Geisa, as well as the municipal museum too.
Perhaps the best-preserved and most beautifully situated Jewish village cemetery in Germany is on its outskirts.
Suburbs
Suburbs and their population:- Town overall: 3390
- City of Geisa (approx. 2260)
- Suburb Borsch (approx. 690)
- Suburb Bremen (approx. 320)
- Suburb Geblar (approx. 60)
- Suburb Otzbach (approx. 140)
- Suburb Wiesenfeld (approx. 180)
Museums
"Point AlphaObservation Post Alpha
Observation Post Alpha, OP Alpha or Point Alpha was a Cold War observation post between Rasdorf, Hesse, West Germany and Geisa, Thuringia, East Germany. The post overlooked the Fulda Gap, which would have been a prime invasion route had the Cold War erupted into actual warfare...
" is the name of a memorial place at the former inner German border.
People
- Athanasius KircherAthanasius KircherAthanasius Kircher was a 17th century German Jesuit scholar who published around 40 works, most notably in the fields of oriental studies, geology, and medicine...
(1602–1680), German Jesuit scholar - Peter Philipp von Dernbach (1619–1683), Prince-BishopPrince-BishopA Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bamberg and Roman Catholic Diocese of WürzburgRoman Catholic Diocese of WürzburgThe Diocese of Würzburg is a diocese of Catholic Church in Germany. The diocese is located in Lower Franconia, around the city of Würzburg, and the bishop is seated at Würzburg Cathedral... - Adalbert GeheebAdalbert GeheebAdalbert Geheeb was a German botanist specializing in mosses. The son of a pharmacist, he studied natural history as a pastime, and published extensively.- External links :...
(1842–1909), pharmacist - Moritz Goldschmidt (1863–1916), botanist
- Paul Geheeb (1870–1961), Progressive educationalist
- Eugene BuechelEugene BuechelEugene Buechel , * October 20, 1874 in Schleida, now Schleid, in Thuringia, Germany, † October 27, 1954 in O'Neill, Nebraska, was a Roman Catholic priest and missionary, linguist and anthropologist among the Brulé or Sicangu Lakota or Sioux on the Rosebud Indian Reservation and the related Oglala...
(1874–1954), missionary, linguist and ethnologist
External links
- www.pointalpha.com - Official website of the memorial
- www.geisa.de - Official website of the city