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Philippsthal (Werra)
Encyclopedia
Philippsthal is a market community in Hersfeld-Rotenburg
district in eastern Hesse
, Germany
, right at the boundary with Thuringia
.
and the Thuringian Forest
(ranges) on the river Werra
. The river Ulster empties into the Werra between the main centre and the outlying centre of Röhrigshof.
The nearest major towns are Bad Hersfeld
(some 25 km to the west) and Eisenach
(some 29 km to the northeast).
(in Hersfeld-Rotenburg), in the east on the town of Vacha
, in the south on the communities of Unterbreizbach
(both in the Wartburgkreis
in Thuringia) and Hohenroda
and in the west on the community of Friedewald
(both in Hersfeld-Rotenburg).
to the Hersfeld Abbey
. In this year, the Abbey founded a Benedictine
convent
and named it after the living knightly family von Cruceburg, after whom the growing community of Kreuzburg was then also named.
The convent was destroyed in the German Peasants' War
in 1525 and forsaken by the nuns in 1568. All that is still preserved is the former convent church from the 12th century. On the spot where the convent stood, Landgrave Philipp of Hesse-Philippsthal (b. 14 December 1655, d. 18 June 1721) had a palatial residence built in 1685, which he named Schloss Philippsthal. By the late 18th century, this had become the local placename.
After mining began at the Hattorf potash works in 1905, the craft and weaving village became an industrial community.
During the time of Germany’s division, the former Hoßfeld printing shop building earned some fame as the border between East and West Germany
ran straight through it. Only in 1976 did East and West Germany agree to a border adjustment that put the whole property in West Germany.
The community’s executive (Gemeindevorstand) is made up of ten members, with four seats allotted to the SPD, two to the CDU and four to the FWG.
might be described thus: Gules a mount of three argent, issuant therefrom a cross of Lorraine pattée of the second, upon the mound an inescutcheon azure a lion rampant barry of nine argent and gules armed and crowned Or.
The “double cross” recalls the convent in the community and the Hersfeld Abbey
, which was a definite factor in earlier centuries. The striped lion (Hesse’s heraldic beast) stands for the Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel
, into whose ownership the community came in the 16th century.
, Haute-Garonne
, France
since 1974 Vacha
, Thuringia since 1990 Dorndorf
, Thuringia since 1990
Hersfeld-Rotenburg
Hersfeld-Rotenburg is a Kreis in the east of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Werra-Meißner, Wartburgkreis, Fulda, Vogelsbergkreis, Schwalm-Eder.-History:...
district in eastern 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...
, right at the boundary with 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....
.
Location
Philippsthal lies between the outliers of the RhönRhön 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...
and the Thuringian Forest
Thuringian Forest
The Thuringian Forest running northwest to southeast, forms a continuous stretch of ancient rounded mountains posing ample difficulties in transit routing save through a few navigable passes in the southern reaches of the German state of Thuringia. It is about long and wide...
(ranges) on the river Werra
Werra
The Werra is a river in central Germany, the right-source river of the Weser. The Werra has its source near Eisfeld in southern Thuringia. After 293 km the Werra joins the river Fulda in the town of Hann. Münden, forming the Weser....
. The river Ulster empties into the Werra between the main centre and the outlying centre of Röhrigshof.
The nearest major towns are Bad Hersfeld
Bad Hersfeld
The festival and spa town of Bad Hersfeld is the district seat of Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany, roughly 50 km southeast of Kassel....
(some 25 km to the west) and Eisenach
Eisenach
Eisenach is a city in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated between the northern foothills of the Thuringian Forest and the Hainich National Park. Its population in 2006 was 43,626.-History:...
(some 29 km to the northeast).
Neighbouring communities
Philippsthal borders in the north on the town of HeringenHeringen
Heringen is a small town in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in eastern Hesse, Germany lying right at the boundary with Thuringia.- Geography :- Location :...
(in Hersfeld-Rotenburg), in the east on the town of Vacha
Vacha
Vacha may refer to:*Acorus calamus, Vacha an ayurvedic medicine, mentioned in the bible*Vacha Dam, a dam in Bulgaria*Vacha , a river in Bulgaria...
, in the south on the communities of Unterbreizbach
Unterbreizbach
Unterbreizbach is a municipality in the Wartburgkreis district of Thuringia, Germany....
(both 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...
in Thuringia) and Hohenroda
Hohenroda
Hohenroda is a municipality in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in eastern Hesse, Germany lying right at the boundary with Thuringia.-Location:The municipality lies between the Rhön and the Thuringian Forest in the so-called Kuppenrhön...
and in the west on the community of Friedewald
Friedewald, Hesse
Friedewald is a community in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in eastern Hesse, Germany, directly east of Bad Hersfeld.-Location:The community lies in the boundary zone between the Kuppenrhön and the Seulingswald ranges...
(both in Hersfeld-Rotenburg).
Constituent communities
The community’s Ortsteile are Gethsemane, Harnrode, Heimboldshausen, Philippsthal, Röhrigshof and Unterneurode. All these places were merged into a new greater community of Philippsthal (Werra) within the framework of municipal reform on 1 August 1972. The title “market community” (Marktgemeinde) was granted the community on 30 May 2001.History
In 1191, Philippsthal had its first documentary mention in a Schutzbrief (“protection letter”) 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...
to the Hersfeld Abbey
Hersfeld Abbey
Hersfeld Abbey was an important Benedictine imperial abbey in the town of Bad Hersfeld in Hesse , Germany, at the confluence of the rivers Geisa, Haune and Fulda.-History:...
. In this year, the Abbey founded a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
and named it after the living knightly family von Cruceburg, after whom the growing community of Kreuzburg was then also named.
The convent was destroyed in the German Peasants' War
German Peasants' War
The German Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt was a widespread popular revolt in the German-speaking areas of Central Europe, 1524–1526. At its height in the spring and summer of 1525, the conflict involved an estimated 300,000 peasants: contemporary estimates put the dead at 100,000...
in 1525 and forsaken by the nuns in 1568. All that is still preserved is the former convent church from the 12th century. On the spot where the convent stood, Landgrave Philipp of Hesse-Philippsthal (b. 14 December 1655, d. 18 June 1721) had a palatial residence built in 1685, which he named Schloss Philippsthal. By the late 18th century, this had become the local placename.
During the time of Germany’s division, the former Hoßfeld printing shop building earned some fame as the border between East and 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....
ran straight through it. Only in 1976 did East and West Germany agree to a border adjustment that put the whole property in West Germany.
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 | 19.8 | 5 | 19.5 | 5 |
| 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... |
45.5 | 10 | 52.7 | 12 |
| FWG | Freie Wahlgemeinschaft Philippsthal | 34.7 | 8 | 27.9 | 6 |
| Total | 100.0 | 23 | 100.0 | 23 | |
| Voter turnout in % | 56.2 | 63.0 | |||
The community’s executive (Gemeindevorstand) is made up of ten members, with four seats allotted to the SPD, two to the CDU and four to the FWG.
Mayors
The mayoral election on 16 September 2007 brought Ralf Orth (SPD) into office with 55.1% of the vote. Since 1 January 2008 he has been Hartwig Klotzbach’s (FWG) successor after the latter had held the office since 2001.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 mount of three argent, issuant therefrom a cross of Lorraine pattée of the second, upon the mound an inescutcheon azure a lion rampant barry of nine argent and gules armed and crowned Or.
The “double cross” recalls the convent in the community and the Hersfeld Abbey
Hersfeld Abbey
Hersfeld Abbey was an important Benedictine imperial abbey in the town of Bad Hersfeld in Hesse , Germany, at the confluence of the rivers Geisa, Haune and Fulda.-History:...
, which was a definite factor in earlier centuries. The striped lion (Hesse’s heraldic beast) stands for the Landgraves of 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...
, into whose ownership the community came in the 16th century.
Town partnerships
Salies-du-SalatSalies-du-Salat
Salies-du-Salat is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.-Population:-Economy:The town of Salies-du-Salat is known for its therapeutic hot spring treatments. The spa buildings, recently renovated, form the attractive centrepiece to the town.There is a small casino located...
, Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne is a department in the southwest of France named after the Garonne river. Its main city is Toulouse.-History:Haute-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc.The...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
since 1974 Vacha
Vacha
Vacha may refer to:*Acorus calamus, Vacha an ayurvedic medicine, mentioned in the bible*Vacha Dam, a dam in Bulgaria*Vacha , a river in Bulgaria...
, Thuringia since 1990 Dorndorf
Dorndorf
Dorndorf is a municipality in the Wartburgkreis district of Thuringia, Germany....
, Thuringia since 1990
Culture and sightseeing
Buildings
- Schloss Philippsthal (palace)
- OrangeryOrangeryAn orangery was a building in the grounds of fashionable residences from the 17th to the 19th centuries and given a classicising architectural form. The orangery was similar to a greenhouse or conservatory...
in the palace park - Three-naved convent church from the 12th century
Further reading
- Philippsthal, in: Meyers Konversationslexikon, 4. edit. 1888-89, vol. 12, p. 1006.
- Das Haus Hessen-Philippsthal, in: Meyers Konversationslexikon, 4. edit. 1888-89, vol. 8, p. 486.