Kirtorf
Encyclopedia
Kirtorf is a town in the northern Vogelsbergkreis
in Hesse
, Germany
. Through the town runs the Deutsche Märchenstraße, or German Fairytale Road, a touristic route joining many of the places commonly associated with the Brothers Grimm
's tales.
between the east-flowing Antrift and the west-flowing Gleen.
(Marburg-Biedenkopf
), in the east on the community of Antrifttal
, the town of Alsfeld
and the community of Romrod
, in the south on the community of Gemünden
, and in the west on the town of Homberg (Ohm)
, and the town of Stadtallendorf
(Marburg-Biedenkopf).
, vice
and the like, under the Bishopric of Mainz. This court included 40 places. From 1205, the town belonged to the Abbey of Fulda, the Counts of Ziegenhain were the Vögte
( ≈ sheriffs) here and held jurisdiction in the Eußergericht court district until the 14th century. By 1366, the Landgrave
s of Hesse had come into ownership of some parts of the court district. Kirtorf's town rights were granted in 1489. On 1 April 1725, the town almost completely burnt down; only the town hall (built in 1559) was left standing and unscathed.
Note: FWG and UWL are citizens' coalitions.
shows the helmet and crest of the Counts of Hesse. The oldest example of the arms is in a seal dating from 1489. Some former versions of the town's arms have red as the background colour instead of blue.http://www.ngw.nl/int/dld/k/kirtorf.htm
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:...
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...
. Through the town runs the Deutsche Märchenstraße, or German Fairytale Road, a touristic route joining many of the places commonly associated with the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
's tales.
Geography
The town lies at the top of the Rhine-Weser watershedWater divide
A drainage divide, water divide, divide or watershed is the line separating neighbouring drainage basins...
between the east-flowing Antrift and the west-flowing Gleen.
Neighbouring communities
Kirtorf borders in the north on the town of NeustadtNeustadt (Hesse)
Neustadt is a town in the Marburg-Biedenkopf district in Hessen, Germany.-Location:Neustadt lies in the Middle Hessian Bergland at the eastern end of Marburg-Biedenkopf district.-Neighbouring communities:...
(Marburg-Biedenkopf
Marburg-Biedenkopf
Marburg-Biedenkopf is a Kreis in the west of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Waldeck-Frankenberg, Schwalm-Eder, Vogelsbergkreis, Gießen, Lahn-Dill, Siegen-Wittgenstein.- History :...
), in the east on the community of Antrifttal
Antrifttal
-Location:Antrifttal lies, as its name suggests, in the valley of a brook called the Antrift, a tributary to the Schwalm, between the Vogelsberg in the south and the Knüllgebirge in the northeast ....
, the town of Alsfeld
Alsfeld
Alsfeld is a town in the center of Hesse, somewhere in Germany. Large towns nearby are Bad Hersfeld about 33 km to the east, Fulda 36 km to the southeast, Gießen 47 km to the west and Marburg an der Lahn about 36 km to the northwest...
and the community of Romrod
Romrod
-Neighbouring communities:Romrod borders in the north on the town of Alsfeld, in the east on the community of Schwalmtal, in the south on the community of Feldatal, and in the west on the community of Gemünden and the town of Kirtorf.-Constituent communities:...
, in the south on the community of Gemünden
Gemünden (Felda)
-Location:Gemuenden lies on the rivers Felda and Ohm, flowing from the Vogelsberg Mountains in the region of Upper Hessen amongst Homberg Grünberg, Kirtorf, Romrod and Feldatal, or more broadly, between Gießen and Bad Hersfeld...
, and in the west on the town of Homberg (Ohm)
Homberg (Ohm)
-Location:The officially recognized climatic spa of Homberg lies from 203 to 350 m above sea level in the valley of the Ohm, a tributary to the Lahn, some 19 km southeast of Marburg.-Neighbouring communities:...
, and the town of Stadtallendorf
Stadtallendorf
Stadtallendorf is a town in Marburg-Biedenkopf, Hesse, Germany, which lies about east of Marburg.- Location :Under the German system of Naturräume, Stadtallendorf lies in the West Hesse Depression Zone which is divided into basins and ridges...
(Marburg-Biedenkopf).
Constituent communities
Besides the town's main centre, which bears the same name as the whole municipality, there are outlying centres named Arnshain, Gleimenhain, Heimertshausen, Lehrbach, Ober-Gleen and Wahlen.History
Kirtorf was mentioned in a document as Gleene in 917. Kirtorf was the seat of a Sendgericht, a church court that tried cases of sinSin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
, vice
Vice
Vice is a practice or a behavior or habit considered immoral, depraved, or degrading in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a defect, an infirmity, or merely a bad habit. Synonyms for vice include fault, depravity, sin, iniquity, wickedness, and corruption...
and the like, under the Bishopric of Mainz. This court included 40 places. From 1205, the town belonged to the Abbey of Fulda, the Counts of Ziegenhain were the Vögte
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
( ≈ sheriffs) here and held jurisdiction in the Eußergericht court district until the 14th century. By 1366, the Landgrave
Landgrave
Landgrave was a title used in the Holy Roman Empire and later on by its former territories. The title refers to a count who had feudal duty directly to the Holy Roman Emperor...
s of Hesse had come into ownership of some parts of the court district. Kirtorf's town rights were granted in 1489. On 1 April 1725, the town almost completely burnt down; only the town hall (built in 1559) was left standing and unscathed.
Amalgamations
All constituent communities named above were united as part of Hesse's municipal reforms in 1971.Politics
Kirtorf's town council has 23 councillors. As of municipal elections held on 26 March 2006 the seats are apportioned thus:| FWG/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... |
: 16 seats |
| SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... /UWL |
: 7 seats |
Note: FWG and UWL are citizens' coalitions.
Coat of arms
Kirtorf's civic coat of 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...
shows the helmet and crest of the Counts of Hesse. The oldest example of the arms is in a seal dating from 1489. Some former versions of the town's arms have red as the background colour instead of blue.http://www.ngw.nl/int/dld/k/kirtorf.htm
Buildings
- Historic marketplaceMarketplaceA marketplace is the space, actual, virtual or metaphorical, in which a market operates. The term is also used in a trademark law context to denote the actual consumer environment, ie. the 'real world' in which products and services are provided and consumed.-Marketplaces and street markets:A...
with town hall - Doktorhaus in Kirtorf
- Schmerofen ("Leaf Fat Oven") near Kirtorf
- Lehrbach 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...
ruins - Schmitthof with the historic Waldmühle (forest mill) in Lehrbach
- Kirschbrücke ("Cherry Bridge") in Lehrbach (built in 1541)
- "Kirchenstumpf" ("Church Stump") in Lehrbach (remains of a chapelChapelA chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
from the time before Saint BonifaceSaint BonifaceSaint Boniface , the Apostle of the Germans, born Winfrid, Wynfrith, or Wynfryth in the kingdom of Wessex, probably at Crediton , was a missionary who propagated Christianity in the Frankish Empire during the 8th century. He is the patron saint of Germany and the first archbishop of Mainz...
. This chapel was built by Irish-Scottish monkHiberno-Scottish missionThe Hiberno-Scottish mission was a mission led by Irish and Scottish monks which spread Christianity and established monasteries in Great Britain and continental Europe during the Middle Ages...
s who – unlike Boniface – preached a ChristianityChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
independent of the PopePopeThe Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
.) - Nellenburg (castle) near Gleimenhain