Gelnhausen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gelnhausen | |
| Coat of arms | Location |
 |
  |
| Administration | |
| Country |  Germany |
|---|---|
| State | Hesse |
| Admin. region | Darmstadt |
| District | Main-Kinzig-Kreis |
| Town subdivisions | 6 districts |
| Mayor | Thorsten Stolz (SPD) |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 45.18 km² (17.4 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 180 - 312 m |
| Population | 21,741 (31/12/2006) |
| - Density | 481 /km² (1,246 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | MKK |
| Postal code | 63571 |
| Area code | 06051 |
| Website | www.gelnhausen.de |
Gelnhausen is a town and the capital of the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located approx. 40 kilometers east of Frankfurt am Main.
Contents |
[edit] History
It was founded by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1180. This is the reason for the nickname "Barbarossastadt". The place was chosen because it was at the intersection of the Via Regia, a major trade route between Frankfurt and Leipzig, and some others. Frederick united three villages to form it.
Trade privileges brought many merchants to the town. A special privilege was the so called "staple right". It forced passing merchants to offer their wares in the town for three days.
Initially, Gelnhausen was a relatively rich trade city. But then continued plundering, particularly in the Thirty Years War made it nearly uninhabitable. Until the Napoleonic Wars Gelnhausen remained a freie Reichsstadt (free imperial city).
By the middle of the 19th Century, Gelnhausen had completely recovered, becoming a center of the rubber industry in Germany, causing an economic boom.
For sixty-odd years in the 20th Century, Gelnhausen was a garrison town of the German Wehrmacht, and later, the United States Army.
[edit] Transportation
Gelnhausen lies directly along the German autobahn A66. There is also a major railroad line between Frankfurt and Fulda. The local traffic from Frankfurt to Fulda or Wächtersbach stops in Gelnhausen.
[edit] Culture
[edit] Sites of interest
Barbarossa erected one castle here. There is still a medieval town center with its famous cathedral that exhibits both romanesque and gothic architecture.
[edit] Kaiserpfalz
As a direct imperial palatinate town, Gelnhausen had a castle. It was erected at the time of Gelnhausen's foundation south-east of the town on an isle in the Kinzig River. The groundwork is stabilized by 12,000 logs of wood.
Today it is the best preserved palatinate castle from this era, with remarkable masonry.
[edit] Catholic Church "Saint Peter"
The church's origin lies in the early 13th Century. Rich citizens of Gelnhausen planned to erect a church within the town, causing a conflict with the Selbold monastery that owned the clerical patronage for Gelnhausen. This conflict was escalated up to Pope Gregory IX who decided in favour of the monastery.
From the 13th to the 15th Century the church was used for weddings, baptisms, and funerals.
After the Reformation the building became property of the town. It subsequently decayed and was sold in 1830 to a local merchant. After the demolition of the second tower, a cigar factory was built in it.
In the year 1920, the Catholic community of Gelnhausen bought the church and partially restored it over an 18-year period. A complete restoration took place during 1982-83.
[edit] Twin towns
[edit] People born in Gelnhausen
- ~1500, Jost Hoen, † 6th of June 1569 in Dillenburg, German teacher, pedagogue and statesman
- ~1622, Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen, † 17th of August 1676 in Renchen, Writer. In his famous work Simplicissimus, the sacking of Gelnhausen during the Thirty Years' War is graphically described.
- 1784, Johann Heinrich Cassebeer, † 21st of April 1850 in Biebergemünd, Naturalist and mayor of Gelnhausen.
- 1834, 7th of January, Johann Philipp Reis, † 14th of January 1874, the inventor of one of the first telephones.
- 1864, 1st of August, August Brey, † 28th of July 1937 in Ronnenberg, German Politician
- 1900, 22nd of June, Oskar Fischinger, † 31st of January 1967 in Los Angeles, German director
- 1909, 15th of September, Hans Fischinger, lost 1944 in Serbia, German director
- 1923, 16th of December (in Meerholz), Hans Joachim Fröhlich, "Forstwissenschaftler".
- 1956, 31st of January, Klaus Ploghaus, athlete (hammer throw) (3rd place in the Olympic Games of 1984)
- 1964, Wolfram Weimer, Chief editor of the Cicero Magazin.
- 1967, 11th of October in Gelnhausen, Mike Grass, Author of "Ungebremst und ohne Airbag" (No Breaks, no Airbag) a satiric view of modern Germany.
- 1978 American actresses Tia and Tamera Mowry.
- 1981 TV's Jeremy Jones.
[edit] Trivia
- Many American soldiers, including Colin Powell served at Coleman Kaserne.
- Colin Powell has a street named after him. During the Second Gulf War there was some discussion about renaming the street because of German's stance on the war. The mayor of Gelnhausen strongly objected.
- Since 1 January 2007 Gelnhausen is exactly located at the geographic middle of the European Union and will probably retain its status until a possible next expansion of the EU.
[edit] External links
- Official site
- 3rd Armoured Division: photos of Gelnhausen
- 1st Battalion 33rd Armor - Gelnhausen Germany Coleman Kaserne
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