Hohenroda

Hohenrodais a municipality inHersfeld-Rotenburgdistrict in easternHesse,Germanylying right on the boundary withThuringia.

Hohenroda
Municipality
Coat of arms
Location of Hohenroda within Hersfeld-Rotenburg district
Hohenroda Hohenroda
Coordinates:50°48′28″N9°55′22″E
Country	Germany
State	Hesse
Admin. region	Kassel
District	Hersfeld-Rotenburg
Government
•Mayor(2019–25)	Andre Stenda(Ind.)
Area
• Total	35.74 km2(13.80 sq mi)
Elevation	340 m (1,120 ft)
Population (2022-12-31)
• Total	3,099
• Density	87/km2(220/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00(CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00(CEST)
Postal codes	36284
Dialling codes	06676
Vehicle registration	HEF
Website	www.hohenroda.de

Geography

Location

The municipality lies between theRhönand theThuringian Forest(ranges) in the so-calledKuppen Rhön.The highest elevation in theHessian Skittles(a range ofvolcanicmountains), the Soisberg, stands at the western municipal limits.

The nearest major centres areBad Hersfeld(some 20 km to the northwest) andFulda(some 32 km to the southwest).

Neighbouring municipalities

Hohenroda borders in the north on the municipality ofPhilippsthal(in Hersfeld-Rotenburg), in the east on the municipality ofUnterbreizbach,in the southeast on the municipality ofButtlar(both in Thuringia'sWartburgkreis), in the south on the municipality ofEiterfeld(inFulda district), in the west on the municipality ofSchenklengsfeldand in the northwest on the municipality ofFriedewald(both in Hersfeld-Rotenburg).

Constituent communities

Hohenroda's districts areAusbach,Glaam,Mansbach,Oberbreitzbach,Ransbachand Soislieden.

History

The church in Mansbach

In 1232, Mansbach had its first documentary mention and is believed to have been bound to theBuchonianknightly order of Mansbach since its founding. Ransbach followed with its first documentary mention in 1254 as a village of theAmtof Landeck.

The Lords of Mansbach built up a half-independent lesser lordly house in which they could take advantage of relations with the neighbouringHersfeldandFulda Abbeysand theLandgraves of Hesse.

Mansbach Castle was destroyed by Abbot Bertho IV of Fulda between 1274 and 1286. After it had been built up once again, it was at times in the 14th and 15th centuries a fief or anallodial holding.In 1364, the Mansbachs acquired jurisdiction over the community. In 1662, the Lords of Geyso bought lands from the Mansbachs and built a palatial residence here. UntilMediatizationin 1806, the village was claimed by the Fulda Abbey as a territory withoutImperial immediacy,although in practice, it consisted of three knightly estates that did have Imperial immediacy.

In the early 20th century, the manufacturer Adolf Hupertz (then also owner of Rieneck Castle) became owner of 1,700morgenof land between Mansbach, Glaam and Oberbreitzbach. He made a farming estate out of it and named it Hohenroda, which for ever thereafter belonged to the community of Oberbreitzbach. Between 1907 and 1909, Hupertz had himself a manor house with parkland built on the estate. This he called Schloss Hohenroda. When the greater community was founded on 1 February 1972, the estate's and manor house's name was also applied to it. Since 1988, the community's administrative seat has been housed at the old manor house.

Amalgamations

With municipal reform, the new community of Hohenroda came into being in 1971 and 1972 through the merger of the communities of Ausbach, Mansbach and Ransbach.

In the leadup to this, Glaam was amalgamated with Ransbach in 1968, while Oberbreitzbach and Soislieden were amalgamated with Mansbach in 1970.

Politics

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	21.3	5	22.6	5
SPD	Social Democratic Party of Germany	65.6	15	68.9	16
FDP	Free Democratic Party	13.1	3	8.5	2
Total		100.0	23	100.0	23
Voter turnout in %		55.2		66.6

Mayor

Mayor Andre Stenda (independent) was elected to office on 12 May 2013 with 70.7% of the vote.

Coat of arms

On the left, the von Mansbach family's arms

The community'sCoat of armsmight be described thus: Gyronny of six gules and argent, six leaves conjoined at the fess point counterchanged.

The six leaves symbolize the merger of the six former communities into the greater community. They are appletree leaves (which is not mentioned in the German blazon), referring to a variety of apple named after the centre of Ausbach, theAusbacher Roter,which is often still found growing on orchard meadows. Thetincturessilver and red come from the arms borne by the Lords of Mansbach,Electorate of Hesseand the community of Ransbach. The gyronny parting – the pattern of parting lines radiating from theescutcheon’s centre – likewise comes from the von Mansbach family’s arms.

Culture and sightseeing

Museums

The Renaissance palace (Geyso Schloss) in Mansbach

• Heimatstube(local history parlour) in thetimber-framewing of theGeyso-Schlossin Mansbach. This is where the coachmen lived-
• Heimatstubein the constituent community of Ausbach
• Museum in Ransbach
• Border documentation post on the former border withEast Germany

Buildings

• Baroquevillage church in Mansbach. Oldest parts are to be found in the choir, reassembling stones shaped to demons to shoo away bad forces. Using this foundation, in the 15th century, a gothic tracery was built. The nave origins from renaissance times, used as a castle for the villains. Small windows and thick walls are witnesses. In the late 17th century Christian Bamberger changed the room into what we see still today. There are to galleries, painted with pictures or citing the Holy Bible. The organ was built in late 18th century and is still almost original. The arched wooden ceiling is painted with angels playing baroque instruments and a sun, encircling Jahwes name, written in Hebrew. The church is the first of this type in Hessia.
• Unterhof (Blaues Schlossor Blue Palace) from 1569 (von Mansbach family’s residence)
• Schloss Geyso (1577–1578) in Mansbach

Sonnenuhrgebäude (Renaissance castle, fortified.

• Grasburg (system of pallisades and walls for refugees) near Mansbach (8th century) Celtic origin? But in the war of 1618–1648 people used to fortify hill tops as those to flee the enemy. Archeologic surveys happened in the 1930s. No evidence of every-day-live had been found. The conclusion is, that Grasburg was a hide-away place in time of dangers, that had been fortified. This is according to tales from Schenklengsfeld, a village in the neighborhood, telling villains tried to hide in holes called "Kroatenlöcher" (Croatian mercenaries fought in that war). Trenches and walls can be seen clear on that place, closing in a nearly circular section, one end touching a cliff, the other end allowing a narrow access through a gate.
• Mansbach Jewish graveyard. Mansbach had a flourishing Jewish community. The graveyard is a witness. Some stones were found in a little river, attached to regulate its flow. That stones were brought back to the graveyard.

External links

(in German)