Lauterbach, Hesse

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Lauterbach


Country	Germany
State	Hesse
Administrative region	Gießen
District	Vogelsbergkreis
Population	14,462 source (2005)
Area	102.0 km²
Population density	142 /km²
Elevation	272-499 m
Coordinates	50°37′ N 9°24′ E
Postal code	36341
Area code	06641, 06638
Licence plate code	VB
Mayor	Rainer-Hans Vollmöller (CDU)
Website	lauterbach-hessen.de

Lauterbach is a town in the Vogelsbergkreis district of the federal state of Hesse in central Germany.

1 History
2 Villages which belong to Lauterbach
3 Features
4 People born in Lauterbach
5 External links

[edit] History

Lauterbach was founded between 400 and 800 AD. In 812 the town was mentioned for the first time in a document of the church in Schlitz. In the Middle Ages, Lauterbach belonged to the cloister in Fulda. Then in the 12th century Lauterbach became a fief of the count Ziegenhein from the cloister in Fulda. In 1266 Lauterbach received municipal rights. In the same year Lauterbach started to build the castle (Burg) and the city wall.

Over the following centuries, ownership rights of Lauterbach changed often and were complicated. Lauterbach became Lutheran following the Reformation. With a pact in 1684, Lauterbach came under the control of the Riedesel zu Eisenbach (Riedesel). Up to 1806, the Riedesels had a small but independent territory. Following the Napoleonic Wars and Congress_of_Vienna, Lauterbach belonged to the grand duchy of Hesse. In 1852 Lauterbach became the seat of the new founded district (Kreis) of Lauterbach. In 1972 local governments were re-organized, and the new, larger district Vogelsberg was founded of which Lauterbach remains the seat of government.

[edit] Villages which belong to Lauterbach

In 1972, several villages incorporated into the town of Lauterbach: Allmenrod, Frischborn, Heblos, Maar, Reuters, Rimlos, Rudlos, Sickendorf, Wallenrod and Wernges.

[edit] Features

The 'Ankerturm', a tower in Lauterbach

Stepping stones

Ankerturm

The 'Ankerturm' is the only remaining tower of the city wall. It used to be an observation tower. Temporarily it was also used as a prison.

Lauterbacher beer

Lauterbacher beer is the oldest beer of Hesse. The brand has existed since 1527.

Schrittsteine (Stepping stones)

The stepping stones were used as a shortcut to get to the local water fountain.

[edit] People born in Lauterbach

Friedrich Adolf von Riedesel (born June 3, 1738, died January 6, 1800 in Braunschweig) -- general who commanded a Brunswick regiment on behalf of the British during the American Revolutionary War
Fritz Selbmann (born September 29, 1899, died January 26, 1975 in Berlin) -- writer, minister and official member of the party in the GDR.