Gelnhausen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).

Coordinates: 50°12′N 9°10′E

Gelnhausen
Coat of arms of Gelnhausen
Country Germany
State Hesse
Administrative region Darmstadt
District Main-Kinzig
Population 21,808 (2004)
Area 45.18 km²
Population density 483 /km²
Elevation 121-180 m
Coordinates 50°12′ N 9°10′ E
Postal code 63571
Area code 06051
Licence plate code MKK
Mayor Jürgen Michaelis (CDU)
Website gelnhausen.de

Gelnhausen is a city in the German state of Hesse.

Contents

[edit] History

It was founded by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1180. This is the reason for its nickname "Barbarossastadt". The place was chosen because it was the crossing of the Via Regia, a major trade road between Frankfurt and Leipzig, and some others. Frederick united three villages to form it.

Trade privileges attracted many merchants. A special privilege was the so called "staple right". It forced passing merchants to offer their load in the town for three days.

Until then Gelnhausen remained a relatively rich trade city. But then continued plundering made it nearly uninhabitable. Till the Napoleonic Wars Gelnhausen in 1702 still was a freie Reichsstadt (free imperial city).

In the middle of the 19th century Gelnhausen had completely recovered. During this time the rubber industry had chosen it as one of its centers in Germany causing an economical boom.

[edit] Transportation

Gelnhausen lies directly at the German autoroute 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. Still it has a medieval town center with its famous cathedral which is both romanesque and gothic.

[edit] Kaiserpfalz

As a direct imperial palatinate Gelnhausen had a castle. It has been erected at the time of Gelnhausen's foundation south-east of the town on an isle in the Kinzig. The groundwork has been stabilized by 12.000 logs of wood.

Today it is the best preserved palatinate castle from this time. It has a remarkable masonry.

[edit] Catholic Church "St. Peter"

The church's origin lies within the early 13st century. Rich citizens of Gelnhausen planned to erect a church within the town. This caused a conflict with the Selbold monastery that owned the clerical patronage for Gelnhausen. This conflict 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 decayed in the following time. 1830 the building was sold 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 restored it roughly within the following 18 years. A complete restoration took place 1982/83.

[edit] Former Synagogue

[edit] Sister cities

[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 Polititian
  • 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 Olimpic Games of 1984)
  • 1964, Wolfram Weimer, Chief editor vof the Cicero Magazin.
  • 1978 American actresses Tia and Tamera Mowry.

[edit] Trivia

  • 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.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../g/e/l/Gelnhausen.html"
In other languages