![[Witzenhausen city banner]](../images/d/de-ew-wh_.gif)
Last modified: 2017-11-11 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: witzenhausen | wall | towers(3) | portcullis | initial |
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image by Jörg Majewski, 10 Oct 2006
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Banner:
I saw the municipal banner of Witzenhausen in September 2004, hoisted vertically from a crossbar. The flag can also be seen on the website of the Cherry Festival, hoisted in the French partner-city of Fougerolles. The banner is vertically divided blue-white with the municipal coat of arms shifted to the top, which makes it similar to the municipal flag of Kassel.
The municipality of Witzenhausen is located on the river Werra, in the Land of Hesse, between Kassel (40km) and Göttingen (25 km). The municipality is made of the historical city of Witzenhausen and neighbouring villages such as Blickershausen, Dohrenbach, Ellingerode, Ermschwerd, Gertenbach, Hubenrode, Hundelshausen, Rossbach, Unterrieden, Wendershausen and Ziegenhagen. Witzenhausen was located very close to the border with the German Democratic Republic and was one the main entrance points to Western Germany in 1989.
Ivan Sache, 11 Dec 2004
inhabitants: 16,069
Werra-Meißner County
Kassel District , state Hesse
banner approval unknown
details based on the presentations of Klaus Günther with kind permission
The municipality flags are shown mostly in banner form in Hesse.
Jörg Majewski, 10 Oct 2006
The coat of arms shows on a blue field a fortification with one central tower and two lateral, smaller towers; the towers are white, with black masonry and openings. The two lateral towers are topped with an acorn-like red roof, itself topped with a yellow sphere. The entrance of the main tower is opened on the field with a yellow portcullis and a yellow letter "W".
Meaning:
The municipal coat of arms can be seen on several buildings in the city, including the city hall. Witzenhausen was a possession of the Counts of Thuringia, who granted the city rights in 1225. The oldest seal is known since 1247 and already displayed a city wall and three towers. In the early 16th century on the 3rd secret seal gate and initial were added. The same pattern without initials had been displayed in armourials since 1605, the initial was mentioned not before the late 19th century. Together with the approval in 1966 the details of the current pattern were fixed.
The coat of arms was approved in 1966.
Source: Stadler 1967, p.94
Ivan Sache, 11 Dec 2004 and Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 June 2017
In 1974 Witzenhausen was incorporated into the Werra-Meißner-Kreis (Meißner being the name of the forested heights on the southwestern slopes of the Werra).
Stefan Schwoon, 12 Dec 2004
"Westlich der Werra" (west of the Werra) was a GDR term for the Federal Republic of Germany aka West Germany, a place held in abhorrence of course.
My first taste of the GDR border was very peaceful. A pillar painted in the national colours bearing a metal plaque with the state emblem was situated way in front of the Iron Curtain (this was in the Rhön region, not far from the GDR village of Frankenheim). You could walk around this pillar, be in the GDR illegaly, and live to tell the tale.
Interestingly, a local picture post card had this plaque coloured in (caption: "Over there, too, is Germany!") whereas the real article was rather dull and lustreless.
Jan Mertens, 11 Dec 2004
back to Werra-Meißner Cities and Municipalities Page click here
