Waldkappel
title: "Waldkappel" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["werra-meißner-kreis"] topic_path: "general/werra-meissner-kreis" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldkappel" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox German location"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| type | Stadt |
| name | Waldkappel |
| image_coa | Wappen Waldkappel.png |
| coordinates | |
| image_plan | Waldkappel ESW.svg |
| state | Hesse |
| region | Kassel |
| district | Werra-Meißner-Kreis |
| elevation | 257 |
| area | 96.53 |
| postal_code | 37284 |
| area_code | 05656 |
| licence | ESW |
| Gemeindeschlüssel | 06 6 36 012 |
| website | www.waldkappel.de |
| mayor | Frank Koch |
| leader_term | 2020–26 |
| party | SPD |
| :: |
|type = Stadt |name = Waldkappel |image_coa = Wappen Waldkappel.png |coordinates = |image_plan = Waldkappel ESW.svg |state = Hesse |region = Kassel |district = Werra-Meißner-Kreis |elevation = 257 |area = 96.53 |postal_code = 37284 |area_code = 05656 |licence = ESW |Gemeindeschlüssel = 06 6 36 012 |website = www.waldkappel.de |mayor = Frank Koch |leader_term = 2020–26 |party = SPD Waldkappel () is a small town in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis district in northern Hesse, Germany.
Geography
Location
Waldkappel is located between Hessisch Lichtenau in the west and Eschwege in the east in the North Hesse Upland between the Meißner-Kaufunger Wald Nature Park neighbouring it to the north and the Stölzinger Gebirge (range) in the south, in the Wehre valley.
Neighbouring communities
Waldkappel borders in the north on the community of Meißner, in the east on the community of Wehretal, in the south on the town of Sontra (all three in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis), in the southwest on the community of Cornberg and the town of Rotenburg an der Fulda (both in Hersfeld-Rotenburg) and in the west on the towns of Spangenberg (in the Schwalm-Eder-Kreis) and Hessisch Lichtenau (in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis).
Constituent communities
Waldkappel consists of 15 districts (Ger.: Stadtteile), namely its administrative centre Waldkappel as well as Bischhausen, Burghofen, Eltmannsee, Friemen, Gehau, Harmuthsachsen, Hasselbach, Hetzerode, Kirchhosbach, Mäckelsdorf, Rechtebach, Rodebach, Schemmern and Stolzhausen.
History
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Waldkappeln_De_Merian_Hassiae.jpg" caption="Waldkappel – extract from the ''Topographia Hassiae'' by Matthäus Merian 1655"] ::
Waldkappel was first officially mentioned in 1226 and was granted town rights in 1414.
The town experienced its economic heyday in the Late Middle Ages from lying on the old trade road durch die langen Hessen, which ran from the Wetterau to Thuringia and on to Leipzig. Bearing witness to the town’s earlier, wealthier times is a Late Gothic church standing in the middle of the community.
The Thirty Years' War put an abrupt end to Waldkappel’s prosperity; the town could never again reach its former importance.
In the course of municipal reform, the communities of Waldkappel, Bischhausen, Burghofen, Friemen, Gehau, Kirchhosbach, Mäckelsdorf, Rechtebach, Rodebach and Schemmern from the former Eschwege district merged. They were joined by Harmuthsachsen and Hasselbach from the former Witzenhausen district, as well as by Stolzhausen from the Melsungen district. In 1974, the greater community reached its full extent with the amalgamation of Eltmannsee and Hetzerode.
Politics
Town council
The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results: ::data[format=table]
| Voter turnout in % | 58.1 | 63.4 |
|---|---|---|
| :: |
Town partnerships
- FRA Carhaix, Finistère, France
- NED Rijnwoude, South Holland, Netherlands
Economy and infrastructure
Transport
Through Waldkappel runs Bundesstraße 7. The Autobahn A 44 (Kassel–Eisenach) is under construction.
Famous people
- Peter Griess (1829–1888), industrial chemist, born in Kirchhosbach
- Christian Schütz (1526–1592), Evangelical theologian
References
References
- (5 September 2022). "Ergebnisse der letzten Direktwahl aller hessischen Landkreise und Gemeinden". [[Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt]].
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