Edertal

Edertal
Coat of arms of Edertal Coat of arms
Edertal
Location of Edertal within Waldeck-Frankenberg district
Coordinates:
Country	Germany
State	Hesse
Admin. region	Kassel
District	Waldeck-Frankenberg
Government
• Mayor	Wolfgang Gottschalk
Area
• Total	115.72 km2 (44.68 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)
• Total	6,381
• Density	55/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	34549
Dialling codes	05623, 05621
Vehicle registration	KB
Website	www.edertal.de

Edertal is a community in Waldeck-Frankenberg in northern Hesse, Germany.

Geography

Location

Edertal lies roughly 30 km in a straight line southwest of Kassel. It is on the north and northwest edges of the Kellerwald range and stretches to the south shore of the Edersee and south and southwest of its dam. It lies at the eastern edge of the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park, a small part of which is inside municipal limits.

The community of Edertal is crossed by the river Eder, the biggest body of flowing water in the community, from northwest to southeast. Into this empties the Wesebach at the constituent community of Giflitz. The Affolderner See, which is found within municipal limits, is another reservoir used as lower reservoir for the Waldeck Pumped Storage Station (one of Germay's largest hydro power stations) and for recreation.

On the whole, hydroelectric use at the Edersee is also well developed.

Neighbouring communities

Edertal borders in the north on the town of Waldeck, in the east on the towns of Naumburg (Kassel district) and Fritzlar (Schwalm-Eder-Kreis), in the south on the town of Bad Wildungen, and in the west on the town of Frankenau and the community of Vöhl (all three in Waldeck-Frankenberg).

Constituent communities

In Giflitz is the community's administrative seat. With the neighbouring centre of Bergheim to the northeast, it forms the heart of the community and, accordingly, a lower centre in the Regional Plan (in terms of Walter Christaller's Central Place Theory).

The community of Edertal consists of the following centres:

Affoldern Anraff Bergheim Böhne Bringhausen

Buhlen Gellershausen Giflitz Hemfurth-Edersee

Kleinern Königshagen Mehlen Wellen

Bringhausen was one of three villages that originally stood where the Edersee is now. It was relocated to higher ground early in the 20th century.

Geology

The area belongs to the foothills of the Rhenish Slate Mountains. Outcrops here are mainly shale and greywacke.

Politics

Municipal council

Edertal's council is made up of 17 councillors, with seats apportioned thus, in accordance with municipal elections held on 26 March 2006:

SPD	14 seats
CDU	9 seats
FWG	5 seats
FDP	3 seats

Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.

External links

• Edertal at DMOZ