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Fulda

Coordinates:50°33′3″N9°40′31″E/ 50.55083°N 9.67528°E/50.55083; 9.67528
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This article is about the city in Germany. For other uses, seeFulda (disambiguation).
Fulda
City
Aerial view of the city center
Aerial view of the city center
Coat of arms of Fulda
Coat of arms
Location of Fulda within Fulda district
EiterfeldBurghaunRasdorfHünfeldNüsttalBad SalzschlirfGroßenlüderFuldaPetersbergHofbieberTannHildersDipperzKünzellPoppenhausenEhrenbergGersfeldEbersburgEichenzellKalbachFliedenHosenfeldNeuhofMain-Kinzig-KreisBavariaThuringiaHersfeld-RotenburgVogelsbergkreis
Fulda is located in Germany
Fulda
Fulda
Fulda is located in Hesse
Fulda
Fulda
Coordinates:50°33′3″N9°40′31″E/ 50.55083°N 9.67528°E/50.55083; 9.67528
CountryGermany
StateHesse
Admin. regionKassel
DistrictFulda
Founded744
Government
•Lord mayor(2021–27)Dr. Heiko Wingenfeld[1](CDU)
Area
• Total104.04 km2(40.17 sq mi)
Elevation
261 m (856 ft)
Population
(2022-12-31)[2]
• Total69,968
• Density670/km2(1,700/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00(CET)
• Summer (DST)UTC+02:00(CEST)
Postal codes
36001–36043
Dialling codes0661
Vehicle registrationFD
Websitewww.fulda.de

Fulda(German pronunciation:[ˈfʊlda]) (historically in English called Fuld) is a city inHesse,Germany;it is located on theriver Fuldaand is the administrative seat of theFulda district(Kreis). In 1990, the city hosted the 30thHessentagstate festival.

History

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Middle Ages

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The army gate, built around 1150, on the city side of the city palace, from which you walked past the abbot's castle out of the city to get to the Via Regia
Main article:Princely Abbey of Fulda

In 744Saint Sturm,a disciple ofSaint Boniface,founded theBenedictinemonastery of Fuldaas one of Boniface's outposts in the reorganization of the church inGermany.[3]The initial grant for the abbey was signed byCarloman,Mayor of the PalaceinAustrasia(in office 741–47), the son ofCharles Martel.[4]The support of the Mayors of the Palace, and later of the early Pippinid andCarolingianrulers, was important to Boniface's success. Fulda also received support from many of the leading families of the Carolingian world. Sturm, whose tenure as abbot lasted from 747 until 779, was most likely related to theAgilolfingdukes ofBavaria.

Fulda also received large and constant donations from the Etichonids, a leading family inAlsace,and from theConradines,predecessors of theSalianHoly Roman Emperors.Under Sturm, the donations Fulda received from these and other important families helped in the establishment of daughter-houses near Fulda. In 751, Boniface and his disciple and successorLullusobtained an exemption for Fulda, having it placed directly under thePapal Seeand making it independent of interference by bishops or worldly princes. The monastery school became a renowned center of learning.[5]

St Bonifacebaptizingand undergoingmartyrdom– from the Sacramentary of Fulda

After his martyrdom by theFrisiansin 754, the relics of Saint Boniface were brought back to Fulda. Because of the stature this afforded the monastery, the donations increased, and Fulda could establish daughter-houses further away, for example inHamelin.Meanwhile, SaintLullus,successor of Boniface asarchbishop of Mainz,tried to absorb the abbey into his archbishopric, but failed.

Between 790 and 819 the community rebuilt the main abbey church to more fittingly house therelics.They based their newbasilicaon the original 4th-century (since demolished)Old St. Peter's Basilicain Rome, using thetranseptandcryptplan of that greatpilgrimagechurch to frame their own saint as the "Apostle to the Germans".

The crypt of the original abbey church still holds those relics, but the church itself has been subsumed into aBaroquerenovation. A small, 9th-century chapel remains standing within walking distance of the church, as do the foundations of a later women's abbey.Rabanus Maurusserved as abbot at Fulda from 822 to 842.[6]Fulda Abbey owned such works as theRes Gestaeby the fourth-century Roman historianAmmianus Marcellinusand theCodex Fuldensis,as well as works byCicero,Servius,BedeandSulpicius Severus.

Counter-Reformation

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Fulda in the 16th century

Prince-abbotBalthasar von Dernbachadopted a policy ofcounter-reformation.In 1571 he called in theJesuitsto found a school and college. He insisted the members of the chapter should return to amonasticform of life. Whereas his predecessors had toleratedProtestantism,resulting in most of the citizenry of Fulda and a large portion of the principality's countryside professingLutheranism,Balthasar ordered his subjects either to return to theCatholic faithor leave his territories.[7]He also ordered theFulda witch trials,in which hundreds of people, including a number of crypto-Protestants were arrested on charges of witchcraft alongside others.[8]

18th and 19th centuries

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The foundation of the abbey of Fulda and its territory originated with an Imperial grant, and the sovereignprincipalitytherefore was subject only to theGerman emperor.Fulda became a bishopric in 1752 and theprince-abbotswere given the additional title ofprince-bishop.The prince-abbots (and later prince-bishops) ruled Fulda and the surrounding region until thebishopricwas forcibly dissolved byNapoleon Iin 1802.

The city went through a baroque building campaign in the 18th century, resulting in the current "Baroque City" status. This included a remodeling ofFulda Cathedral(1704–12)[9]and of theStadtschloss(Fulda Castle-Palace, 1707–12) byJohann Dientzenhofer.The city parish church, St. Blasius, was built between 1771 and 1785. In 1764 aporcelainfactory was started in Fulda under Prince-Bishop, Prince-AbbotHeinrich von Bibra,but shortly after his death it was closed down in 1789 by his successor, Prince-Bishop, Prince-Abbot Adalbert von Harstall.[10]

The city was given toPrince William Frederick of Orange-Nassau(the later KingWilliam I of the Netherlands) in 1803 (as part of the short-livedPrincipality of Nassau-Orange-Fulda), was annexed to theGrand Duchy of Bergin 1806, and in 1809 to thePrincipality of Frankfurt.After theCongress of Viennaof 1814–15, most of the territory went to theElectorate of Hesse,whichPrussiaannexed in 1866.[11]

20th century

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From 1938 to 1943, Fulda was the location of a Naziforced labourcamp forRomani people.[12]

Fulda lends its name to theFulda Gap,a traditional east–west invasion route used by Napoleon I and others. During theCold War,it was presumed to be an invasion route for any conventional war betweenNATOandSoviet forces.Downs Barracks in Fulda was the headquarters of the American14th Armored Cavalry Regiment,later replaced by the11th Armored Cavalry Regiment.The cavalry had as many as 3,000 soldiers from the end ofWorld War IIuntil 1993. Not all those soldiers were in Fulda proper, but scattered over observation posts and in the cities ofBad KissingenandBad Hersfeld.The strategic importance of this region, along the border between East and West Germany, led to a largeUnited Statesand Soviet military presence.[13]

Politics

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Fulda has traditionally been a conservative Catholic city, with theRoman Catholic Diocese of Fuldabeing based in the city cathedral. During the time of theGerman EmpireandWeimar Republic,the city was a stronghold for theCentre Party.After the end of World War II, in addition to all mayors, Fulda's constituency seats have been safe seats forCDUin both theLandtag of Hesse(District X 1946–1950, District 14 1950–1983, Fulda I since 1983) andBundestag(Fulda electoral district). The CDU has never received less than 42.4 percent of the vote in communal elections since 1946.

Oberbürgermeister (Lord mayor) Department I(head and personnel administration, finance, committee work, culture, business development, city marketing, investments)

  • Cuno Raabe (CDU): 1946–1956
  • Alfred Dregger(CDU): 1956–1970
  • Dr. Wolfgang Hamberger (CDU): 1970–1998
  • Dr. Alois Rhiel (CDU): 1998–2003
  • Gerhard Möller (CDU): 2003–2015
  • Heiko Wingenfeld (CDU): 2015–

Department II(public security and order, family, youth, schools, sports, social affairs, seniors)

  • Karl Ehser: 1934–1945
  • Karl Schmitt: 1946–1948
  • Heinrich Gellings: 1948–1969
  • Dr. Wolfgang Hamberger: 1969–1970
  • Dr. Tilman Pünder: 1971–1980
  • Lutz von Pufendorf: 1981–1984
  • Dr. Alois Rhiel: 1984–1989
  • Josef H. Mayer: 1990–1995
  • Oda Scheibelhuber: 1995–1999
  • Bernd Woide: 1999–2003
  • Dr. Wolfgang Dippel: 2004–2014
  • Dag Wehner (CDU): 2014–

Landtag(state parliament)

  • Cuno Raabe (CDU): 1946–1962, elected in 1946, 1950, 1954 and 1958
  • Alfred Dregger (CDU): 1962–1972, elected in 1962, 1966 and 1970, resigned to accept Bundestag mandate
  • Winfried Rippert (CDU): 1972–1999, appointed in 1972, elected in 1974, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1991 and 1995
  • Walter Arnold (CDU): 1999-2004 and again 2009–2018, elected in 1999, 2003; resigned in 2004; elected in 2009 and 2013
  • Margarete Ziegler-Raschdorf (CDU): 2004–2009, appointed in 2004, elected in 2008
  • Thomas Hering (CDU): 2018-, elected in 2018

Bundestag(federal parliament)

  • Anton Sabel(CDU): 1949–1957, elected in 1949 and 1953
  • Hermann Götz(CDU): 1957–1976, elected in 1957, 1961, 1965, 1969 and 1972
  • Alfred Dregger (CDU): 1976–1998, elected in 1976, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1990 and 1994
  • Martin Hohmann(CDU): 1998–2005, elected in 1998 and 2002; expelled from CDU in 2003 for anti-Semitic remarks
  • Michael Brand(CDU): 2005-, elected in 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2021

Source:[14]

Between 1927 and 1974, Fulda was a district-free city (Kreisfreie Stadt). Since 1974, it has been included in the eponymous district as a city with special status (Stadt mit Sonderstatus), a distinction it shares with six other Hessian cities, meaning that it takes on tasks more usually performed by the district.

Transport

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Main railway station

Fulda stationis a transport hub and interchange point between local and long-distance traffic of theGerman railway network,and is classified byDeutsche Bahnas acategory2 station.[15]It is on theHanover–Würzburg high-speed railway;theNorth–South line(Nord-Süd-Strecke), comprising theBebra–Fulda linenorth of Fulda, and theKinzig Valley RailwayandFulda–Main Railwayto the south; theVogelsberg Railway,which connects to the hills of theVogelsbergin the west; and theFulda–Gersfeld Railway(Rhön Railway) toGersfeldin theRhön Mountainsto the east.

Fulda is on theBundesautobahn 7(BAB 7).Bundesautobahn 66starts at the interchange with the BAB 7, heading south towardsFrankfurt.Fulda is also on theBundesstraße 27.

Twin towns – sister cities

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See also:List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Fulda istwinnedwith:[16]

Notable people

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Pre-1800

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Anton Storch

1801–1850

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Ferdinand Braun

1851–1900

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1901–1950

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1951–present

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  • City palace garden
    City palace garden
  • Fulda Cathedral
    Fulda Cathedral
  • Statue of Saint Boniface (1830) in Fulda
    Statue of Saint Boniface (1830) in Fulda
  • Fulda in 1850
    Fulda in 1850
  • Entrance of the Stadtschloss (City Palace)
    Entrance of the Stadtschloss (City Palace)
  • Old City Hall
    Old City Hall
  • Orangerie
    Orangerie
  • Kloster Frauenberg (Fulda), a Franciscan monastery
    Kloster Frauenberg (Fulda), aFranciscanmonastery
  • St. Michael's Church
    St. Michael's Church
  • Baroque Adelspalais
    Baroque Adelspalais
  • Old University of Fulda: Adolphs-Universität Fulda, today the Adolf von Dalberg School
    OldUniversity of Fulda:Adolphs-Universität Fulda,today the Adolf von Dalberg School
  • Looking east toward Fulda over the rich farmlands
    Looking east toward Fulda over the rich farmlands
  • Weser river watershed, showing Fulda river and the city of Fulda
    Weserriver watershed, showingFulda riverand the city of Fulda
  • St. Paul's Gate, viewed from the south
    St. Paul's Gate, viewed from the south

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Ergebnisse der letzten Direktwahl aller hessischen Landkreise und Gemeinden"(XLS)(in German).Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt.5 September 2022.
  2. ^"Bevölkerung in Hessen am 31.12.2022 nach Gemeinden"(XLS)(in German).Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt.June 2023.
  3. ^"The Monastery of Fulda".The Catholic World, A Monthly Magazine of General Literature and Science,(1878). 28 (165). 301-309.
  4. ^Frassetto, Michael.Encyclopedia of Barbarian Europe: Society in Transformation,ABC-CLIO, 2003
  5. ^Hraban Maur inMonumenta Germaniae Historica Poetaes Latini Aevi CarolingiII, poem 13.
  6. ^One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Hrabanus Maurus Magnentius".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 842.
  7. ^Otto Schaffrath.Fürstabt Balthasar von Dermbach und seine Zeit. Studien zur Geschichte der Gegenreformation in Fulda(=Veröffentlichung des Fuldaer Geschichtsvereins.Bd. 44,ZDB-ID517272-x). Parzeller, Fulda 1967, mit umfangreicher Literaturübersicht.(in German)
  8. ^Stuart Clark, William Monter,Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Volume 4: The Period of the Witch Trials
  9. ^L. Pfaff:Der Dom zu Fulda.,publ. J. L. Ath, 1855, p.19
  10. ^Maggetti, Marino; Serneels, Vincent; Stasch, Georg (2015-06-01)."Composition and technology of 18th century high magnesia faïences from Fulda".Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.2:40–50.Bibcode:2015JArSR...2...40M.doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2014.12.004.ISSN2352-409X.
  11. ^One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879)."Fulda".The American Cyclopædia.
  12. ^"Fulda"(in German).Retrieved30 October2021.
  13. ^Brown, Jerold E., ed. (2001).Historical Dictionary of the U.S. Army.Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 209–10.ISBN9780313293221.
  14. ^"Oberbürgermeister"(in German). City of Fulda.Retrieved29 November2023.
  15. ^"Stationspreisliste 2024"[Station price list 2024](PDF)(in German).DB Station&Service.24 April 2023.Retrieved29 November2023.
  16. ^"Partnerstädte".fulda.de(in German). Fulda.Retrieved2019-11-30.
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