Spangenberg

Spangenberg

Coat of arms
Spangenberg

Coordinates: 51°7′N 9°40′E / 51.117°N 9.667°E / 51.117; 9.667Coordinates: 51°7′N 9°40′E / 51.117°N 9.667°E / 51.117; 9.667
Country Germany
State Hesse
Admin. region Kassel
District Schwalm-Eder-Kreis
Government
  Mayor Peter Tigges (CDU)
Area
  Total 97.7 km2 (37.7 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)[1]
  Total 6,081
  Density 62/km2 (160/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 34286
Dialling codes 05663
Vehicle registration HR
Website www.spangenberg.de

Spangenberg is a small town in northeastern Hesse, Germany.

Geography

Spangenberg lies in the Schwalm-Eder district some 35 km (22 mi) southeast of Kassel, west of the Stölzinger Gebirge, a low mountain range. Spangenberg is the demographic centrepoint of Germany.

History

The town of Spangenberg had its first documentary mention in 1261, at about the time when the Treffurt family ruled Spangenberg.

Historic sights

Schloss Spangenberg

The town is known best of all for its Schloss Spangenberg, a castle built in 1253 and the town's landmark. Also worth seeing are the half-timbered buildings in the Old Town and the remains of the town's old wall, several of whose towers are still standing.

In World War II, Spangenberg Castle was used as a prisoner of war camp, Oflag IX-A/H.

Coat of arms

Spangenberg's civic coat of arms is based on the town's oldest known seal from 1317. The object on the viewer's right (heraldically speaking, the left, as the shield is considered from the point of view of the bearer) side is a kind of fossilized plant locally known as a Spange (also German for "brooch" or "clip"), the town's namesake. The item on the viewer's left (heraldic right) is half of a wheel. Wheels are common in German civic heraldry, usually indicating some connection to the Archbishopric of Mainz, whose arms include wheels in honor of St. Willigis. The current colours – red and gold – have been in use since 1621.[2]

Constituent communities

In alphabetical order, these are Bergheim, Bischofferode, Elbersdorf, Herlefeld, Kaltenbach, Landefeld, Metzebach, Mörshausen, Nausis, Pfieffe, Schnellrode, Vockerode-Dinkelberg and Weidelbach.

Partnerships

Spangenberg maintains partnerships with the following places:

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, June 21, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.