Herbstein

Herbstein
Town
Town hall
Coat of arms
Location of Herbstein within Vogelsbergkreis district
Herbstein Herbstein
Coordinates:50°33′N09°21′E
Country	Germany
State	Hesse
Admin. region	Gießen
District	Vogelsbergkreis
Government
•Mayor(2023–29)	Astrid Staubach(Ind.)
Area
• Total	79.98 km2(30.88 sq mi)
Elevation	461 m (1,512 ft)
Population (2022-12-31)
• Total	4,685
• Density	59/km2(150/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00(CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00(CEST)
Postal codes	36358
Dialling codes	06643, 06647
Vehicle registration	VB
Website	www.herbstein.de

Herbstein(German pronunciation:[ˈhɛʁpˌʃtaɪ̯n]) is a small town in theVogelsbergkreisinHesse,Germany.

Geography

Herbstein

Location

Thespa townof Herbstein lies on the eastern slope of theVogelsberg Mountains.in Germany.

Neighbouring communities

Herbstein borders in the north on the community ofLautertaland the community ofWartenberg,in the east on the communities ofGroßenlüderandHosenfeld(both inFuldadistrict), in the south on the community ofGrebenhain,and in the west on the town ofSchotten.

Constituent communities

The town consists of the main town of Herbstein and also the outlying centres of Altenschlirf, Lanzenhain, Schlechtenwegen, Steinfurt, Rixfeld, Schadges and Stockhausen.

The last name of the community, Stockhausen, is particularly old, having had its first documentary mention in 882 when it was identified as a fief of the Fulda Abbey. It is believed, however, to date back much further than that.

History

Herbstein had its first documentary mentioned in 1011 in a donation document from themonasteryatFulda.In 1262, Herbstein was granted town rights. Until 1802 the town belonged to the Princely Abbey (Fürstabtei) of Fulda. There followed a short time of changing leadership until the town passed to theGrand Duchy of Hessein 1810.

As part of Hesse's municipal reforms, the formerly independent municipalities of Altenschlirf, Lanzenhain, Schlechtenwegen and Steinfurt were amalgamated into the town of Herbstein with effect on 31 December 1971. Rixfeld, Schadges and Stockhausen followed on 1 August 1972.

Politics

Town council

The municipal elections on 11 March 2011 yielded the following results:

• CDU9 seats
• SPD7 seats
• FW (citizens' coalition) 7 seats

Coat of arms

Herbstein's civiccoat of armsin its present form seems to have originated in the 17th century. Before that, the arms were a simple cross from the arms of the Fulda Abbey. The figure in the arms is Saint James the Elder, and the two crossed staffs on the inescutcheon are symbols associated with him – he was beaten to death with clubs. The arms were conferred on Herbstein in 1952.[1]

Partnerships

The town of Herbstein maintains partnerships with the following places:

• Oelegem (part ofRanst) nearAntwerp,Belgium,since 1968
• Hévíz,Hungary,since 1995.

Economy and infrastructure

Ever since athermal springwas bored in 1976, the town has been increasingly gearing its activities towards running a spa. In 1980, a thermal orthopaedic bath (of a kind known inGermanas aBewegungsbad– "movement bath" ) opened in Herbstein and in the year 1994 theKurmittelhaus– a place offering treatments for various complaints – was dedicated. In 2000 these efforts were at last crowned when the town had the title"Heilbad"– "Healing Bath" – bestowed upon it.

Sundry

Within Herbstein's bounds lay the geographical centre point of the oldWest Germany.

See also

• Herbstein (surname)