Fritzlar

Fritzlar
Town
View of Fritzlar
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Fritzlar within Schwalm-Eder-Kreis district
Fritzlar Fritzlar
Coordinates:51°8′N9°17′E
Country	Germany
State	Hesse
Admin. region	Kassel
District	Schwalm-Eder-Kreis
Government
•Mayor(2018–24)	Hartmut Spogat(CDU)
Area
• Total	88.79 km2(34.28 sq mi)
Elevation	170 m (560 ft)
Population (2022-12-31)
• Total	15,031
• Density	170/km2(440/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00(CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00(CEST)
Postal codes	34560
Dialling codes	05622
Vehicle registration	HR
Website	fritzlar.de

Fritzlar(German pronunciation:[ˈfʁɪt͡slaːɐ̯]) is a small town (pop. 15,000) in theSchwalm-Ederdistrict in northernHesse,Germany,160 km (99 mi) north ofFrankfurt,with a storied history.

The town has amedievalcenter ringed by a wall with numerous watch towers. Thirty-eight meters (125 ft) high, the "Grey Tower" ( "Grauer Turm" ) is the highest remaining urban defense tower in Germany. The city hall, first documented in 1109, with a stone relief ofSt. Martin,the town's patron saint, is the oldest in Germany still in use for its original purpose. TheGothicchurch of the oldFranciscanmonasteryis today theProtestantparish church, and the monastery's other buildings have been converted into a modern hospital. Many houses in the town center, notably around the market square, date from the 15th to 17th centuries and have been carefully maintained or restored. The town is dominated by the imposing Romanesque-GothicChurch of St. Peterfrom the 12th-14th centuries.

In 1974, the town hosted the 14thHessentagstate festival.

Geography

Fritzlar lies in northern Hesse, mainly on the north bank of theEderriver. Ten villages in the surrounding area were incorporated into the town in 1974, among them the former town ofZüschen.The area is characterized by fertilefarmlandand mostly woodedbasaltpeaks, many of which are topped by mediaevalcastlesor castle ruins. Examples of these can be found atGudensberg,Homberg,Felsberg,Heiligenberg,Altenburg,Jesberg,andNaumburg,among others.

Climate

Climate data for Fritzlar (1981-2010)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	3.3 (37.9)	4.5 (40.1)	9.4 (48.9)	14.3 (57.7)	18.9 (66.0)	21.6 (70.9)	24.1 (75.4)	23.8 (74.8)	19.4 (66.9)	13.8 (56.8)	7.8 (46.0)	4.1 (39.4)	13.8 (56.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−2.3 (27.9)	−2.5 (27.5)	0.7 (33.3)	3.2 (37.8)	7.1 (44.8)	10.0 (50.0)	11.9 (53.4)	11.5 (52.7)	8.7 (47.7)	5.2 (41.4)	1.9 (35.4)	−0.9 (30.4)	4.5 (40.2)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	36.6 (1.44)	34.7 (1.37)	34.9 (1.37)	37.7 (1.48)	64.1 (2.52)	53.9 (2.12)	67.7 (2.67)	54.2 (2.13)	50.5 (1.99)	44.2 (1.74)	45.4 (1.79)	41.5 (1.63)	565.4 (22.25)
Source:Météoclimat

History

Saint Peter's Church,with statue of St. Boniface, who was a Christian missionary from England, in foreground

Grey Tower

Town Hall

Saint Boniface

TheAnglo-SaxonmissionarySaint Boniface,apostle of the Germans, established a church and monastery dedicated toSaint Peterin Fritzlar in 724.The currentSaint Peter's Church,constructed in the 11th century, is accompanied by a monument to Boniface.

Boniface also established the first bishopric in Germany outside the boundaries of the old Roman Empire on a hill (Büraburg) across the Eder river, where a Frankish fortress and town provided protection, but after the death ofWitta,its first and only bishop, in 747 the bishopric was incorporated into the diocese (later archdiocese) ofMainzbyLullus,the disciple and successor of Boniface asarchbishop of Mainz.TheBenedictinemonastery founded by Boniface in Fritzlar in 724 gained prominence as a center of religious and worldly learning under its first abbot, SaintWigbert,who built the original stonebasilicaof 732 on the site of Boniface's wooden chapel. In 782 emperorCharlemagnegranted it imperial protection and substantial territory, and this triggered the rapid development of the town around it. The monastery was converted into acollegeofsecular canons(Chorherrenstift) in 1005, its members no longer living in monastic union and simplicity, but maintaining their own, and generally rather well-to-do, households in town in the vicinity of the church. Several imposing stone residences (Curias) built by wealthy canons during the 14th century survive to this day in the old part of the town. The canons' college was dissolved only in 1803.

Birthplace of the German Kingdom

Located at the crossroads of several important trade routes and site of an imperial residence sinceCharlemagne,Fritzlar was a frequent site of royal visits and of assemblies and synods of the German princes and church leaders during the early Middle Ages. Undoubtedly the most important of these was theReichstagof 919 whenHenry I( "Henry the Fowler"), duke ofSaxony,was elected King of the Germans to succeed Charlemagne's Frankish successors on the throne of what had become known as the East Frankish Empire. This event marked the end of bitter rivalry between the two large German tribes of theFranksand theSaxonsand the beginning of the German Empire that lasted until the Napoleonic wars. KingConrad I of Germany,duke of Franconia, had died in December 918 without a son and urged his brother, margraveEberhard,who was to succeed him as Duke of Franconia, to nominate Henry as king, although they had been at odds with each other from 912 to 915 over the title to lands inThuringia.Conrad's choice was respected by the Reichstag of 919, where Henry was proclaimed king by the leaders of the Franks and Saxons.Burchard I, Duke of Swabiaquickly swore allegiance as well, but DukeArnulfofBavariadid not submit to Henry until the latter advanced with an army into Bavaria in 921.

Conrad himself had risen to the position of duke of Franconia only after defeating the rivalBabenbergcounts in a battle near Fritzlar in 906, in which his father,Conrad, Duke of Thuringiathe Elder, was killed.

Developments during the Middle Ages

In 1079 Fritzlar ceased to be a crown possession when it was given to the archbishop ofMainzby EmperorHenry IVin the aftermath of his submission to the Pope atCanossa.It thus became a pivotal pillar in the long-lasting feuds between Mainz and thelandgravesofThuringiaand later of Hesse for territorial supremacy in northern Hesse.

Located in the border area between Frankish and Saxon territories and, followingMartin Luther'sReformation,a Roman Catholic enclave owned by the Archbishop of Mainz in the midst of Protestant Hesse, the town was frequently embattled, by Saxons and Franks, by Protestant and Catholic princes, and repeatedly sacked and rebuilt.

The first major devastation occurred in 774, during Charlemagne'sSaxon Wars.While the king was in Italy, the Saxons invaded Hesse and besieged Büraburg, where the population of Fritzlar had sought refuge. Failing to take the fortress, the Saxons destroyed Fritzlar, but not St. Wigbert's stone basilica. This gave rise to the legend that two angels had appeared to chase away the invaders and protect the church.

The next happened in 1079. Emperor Henry IV, who frequently resided in Fritzlar, was faced with an insurrection led by the pretender kingRudolf of Swabia(Rudolf of Rheinfelden), who had been supported by the Pope. Having submitted to the Pope atCanossain 1077, Henry had gone to Fritzlar. A papal legate was not able to arrange an end to the dispute, and in early 1079 an army of Saxons, partisans of Rudolf, attacked Henry in Fritzlar. He fled, and town and church were sacked and destroyed.

Between about 1085 and 1118, a new and larger basilica was built at the site of St. Wigbert's church. It was the site of the imperialsynodof 1118 at which the papalinterdictofHenry V,who again had opposed the pope on the matter ofinvestitureof bishops, was announced and ratified and where SaintNorbert of Xanten,founder of the order of thePremonstratensians(Norbertines) and laterarchbishop of Magdeburg,successfully defended himself against charges ofheresy.At the same synod, prince-bishopOtto of Bambergwas suspended for having remained loyal to Henry V during his quarrels with the papacy.

This second basilica was radically reconstructed between 1180 and 1200, essentially in the form in which it is still found today, although a number of smaller additions and alterations have been made throughout the centuries since then. During the same period, from 1184 to 1196, the town was fortified by the construction of the first wall around its periphery.

The next devastating blow was the sack of the town byThuringianlandgraveConrad in 1232, when much of the population was killed and the town plundered. Mainz responded by immediately rebuilding and further fortifying the town, adding numerous towers to the walls and building seven watch towers and fortified refuges on strategic hills in the surrounding countryside.

In the early 13th century, theFranciscans(Friars Minor) established a monastery in the town. They obtained permission to build their church and quarters directly up against the town wall, thereby obliterating the watch walk on the inside of the wall that was crucial for quickly moving defenders from one part of the wall to another. In exchange they had to agree to defend their part of the town's fortification in the event of a siege. The Franciscans were forced to leave when theLutheranReformationwas introduced in 1522. Following theCounterreformation,Jesuitsmoved in during 1615, followed by the return of the Franciscans in 1619. The monastery was dissolved in 1811. Its splendidGothicchurch, completed in 1244, today serves as the parish church for the town'sProtestantChristians who purchased it in 1817/1824.

TheThirty Year War(1618–1648) inflicted serious damage on Fritzlar and the neighboring villages, culminating with an outbreak of the black plague. The town's population dropped from about 2000 to merely 600, and it took 200 years before the inhabitants again numbered 2000. During theSeven Years' War(1756–1763) the town was occupied by French troops and parts of its fortifications were destroyed, along with the vineyards on the steep slope above the Eder river.

In the early 18th century, the order ofUrsulinenuns established a nunnery and school for girls.

Modern age

View of Fritzlar from the Grey Tower

In 1803, when allecclesiastic statesin Germany wereabolished,Fritzlar was incorporated, together with Naumburg, as the nominal Principality of Fritzlar into theElectorate(principality) ofHesse-Kassel(Kurhessenor Hesse-Cassel). In 1821 it became the administrative center of the district (Kreis) Fritzlar. Hesse-Kassel in turn was annexed byPrussiain 1866, following theAustro-Prussian Warin which theElectorhad sided with Austria. In 1932 the district was merged with the neighboring district ofHombergto form the district ofFritzlar-Homberg.

Between 1933 and 1945, the systematic marginilzation, segretation, expulsion, and murder of the Jewish community of Fritzlar is documented in "Der antijüdische Rassenwahn Hitlers, Juden in Fritzlar und seinen Ortsteilen und ihre wenigen Freunde: Erweiterte Auflage Aug 15, 2014" by Paulgerhard Lohmann

In 1974, the three districts of Fritzlar-Homberg,MelsungenandZiegenhainwere combined into the new districtSchwalm-Eder,with its administrative seat inHomberg (Efze).

Today, Fritzlar is a service and market center for the surrounding area, with schools, hospital, and a sizeablemilitary garrison with airfieldwhich is the homebase of the Luftbewegliche Brigade 1 (1st Air Mobile Brigade) and the Kampfhubschrauberregiment 36Kurhessen(Attack Helicopter Regiment 36) of theGerman Army.

The market square in 1954

The market square in 2015

Politics

Town council consists of 37 councillors. As of the last municipal election held on 31 March 2021, the seats are apportioned thus:

CDU	:16 seats
SPD	:10 seats
FWG (citizens' coalition)	:5 seats
Greens	:5 seats
FDP	:1 seat

The town executive (Magistrat) consists of 10 members and the mayor. The current makeup of the Magistrat appears to be unavailable online.

Mayor Hartmut Spogat (CDU) was reelected on 28 January 2018 with a 78.48% share of the vote. The FWG candidate Gert Rohde got 21.52% of the vote.

Coat of arms

The civiccoat of armsshows two red wheels joined by a cross of the same colour and the whole set from upper left to lower right (or upper right to lower left, heraldically speaking) on a silver background. As such, it bears a keen likeness toMainz's civic coat of arms, simply having the colours reversed but showing the same "DoubleWheel of Mainz",and this recalls the centuries-long allegiance that Fritzlar owed the Archbishopric of Mainz.

Town partnerships

• Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge(civil parish),Somerset,United Kingdom
• Casina,Emilia-Romagna,Italy
• Middleton,Wisconsin,United States

Notable residents

Ignazio of Fiorillo

• Hermann of Fritzlar(died after 1349), medieval German mystic
• Saint Wigbert(born in Wessex 670, buried 747 in Fritzlar), disciple ofSaint Boniface
• Herbort of Fritzlar(flourished around 1190), cleric and writer, German-speaking poet of the Middle Ages
• Witta of Büraburg(born around 700, died after 760), bishop ofBüraburgfrom 741 to 747
• Ignazio Fiorillo(born 1715 in Naples, died 1787 in Fritzlar),composer
• Bettina von Arnim(1785–1859), writer, studied at Fritzlar'sUrsulineSchool from 1794 to 1797
• Reiner Schöne(born 1942), actor, singer, songwriter and author
• Kazimiera Kulej Śliwa(born 1946), director of WPBP N1 ofWrocław

External links

• "Fritzlar".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 11 (11th ed.). 1911.
• Official website(in German)