Niedenstein

Niedenstein
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Coat of arms of Niedenstein Coat of arms
Niedenstein
Location of Niedenstein within Schwalm-Eder-Kreis district
Coordinates:
Country	Germany
State	Hesse
Admin. region	Kassel
District	Schwalm-Eder-Kreis
Government
• Mayor	Werner Lange (SPD)
Area
• Total	30.61 km2 (11.82 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)
• Total	5,179
• Density	170/km2 (440/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	34305
Dialling codes	05624 / 05603
Vehicle registration	HR
Website	www.niedenstein.de

Niedenstein is a small town and an officially recognized climatic spa in the Schwalm-Eder district in northern Hesse, Germany.

Geography

Location

Niedenstein's main settlement lies to the southeast of the Habichtswald Nature Park, right on the western slope of the Langenberge, a low mountain range reaching 557 m. The nearest city is Kassel, about 15 km to the northeast.

Neighbouring communities

In the north, Niedenstein abuts Schauenburg, in the east beyond the Langenberge it adjoins Baunatal and Edermünde, and in the southeast its constituent community of Metze on Gudensberg. In the south, the constituent community of Kirchberg, through which flows the river Ems, borders on Fritzlar, whose main town lies about 11 km away from Niedenstein. In the west, Niedenstein borders on Bad Emstal.

Constituent communities

The town has five centres. Besides the main town, also called Niedenstein, there are Ermetheis, Metze (about 1000 inhabitants), Kirchberg (about 900 inhabitants) and Wichdorf.

History

Niedenstein Castle had its first documentary mention in 1254.

Politics

Town council

Niedenstein's town council is made up of 23 members.

• SPD 11 seats
• CDU 5 seats
• FWG (citizens' coalition) 5 seats
• Greens 2 seats

(as of municipal elections held on 26 March 2006)

Town partnership

Niedenstein maintains a partnership with one place:

• Saint-Germer-de-Fly, France

It lies about 80 km northwest of Paris in Picardy.

Culture and sightseeing

Museums

Niedenstein is home to the Heimatmuseum Kirchberg ("Kirchberg Homeland Museum")

Buildings

• Evangelical Village Church
• Altenburg; a settlement built up on a basalt crag, once a pre-Germanic castle village that was forsaken even before the Christian Era, making its earlier identification with the Chatti's capital Mattium unfounded. There are many archaeological finds on show from the Altenburg at the Hessian State Museum in Kassel.

Natural monuments

• Niedensteiner Kopf (475 m above sea level)
• Tanz- und Gerichtslinde ("Dance and Court Linden", on the way out of town to the west)

Personalities

• Jürgen Schweinebraden, Freiherr von Wichmann-Eichhorn, gallery owner and publisher

External links

• Kirchberg's homepage
• Heimatmuseum Kirchberg