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87-675: A Hessian is an inhabitant of the German state of Hesse . Hessian may also refer to: Hesse Hesse or Hessia ( German : Hessen [ˈhɛsn̩] ), officially the State of Hesse (German: Land Hessen ), is a state in Germany . Its capital city is Wiesbaden , and the largest urban area is Frankfurt , which is also the country's principal financial centre . Two other major historic cities are Darmstadt and Kassel . With an area of 21,114.73 square kilometers and

174-543: A Hessian-Westphalian stone cist ( hessisch-westfälische Steinkiste ), it is one of the most important megalithic monuments in Central Europe. Dating to c.  3000 BC , it belongs to the Late Neolithic Wartberg culture . An early Celtic presence in what is now Hesse is indicated by a mid-5th-century BC La Tène -style burial uncovered at Glauberg . The region was later settled by

261-476: A considerable degree of home rule . The state is divided into three administrative provinces ( Regierungsbezirke ): Kassel in the north and east, Gießen in the centre, and Darmstadt in the south, the latter being the most populous region with the Frankfurt Rhine-Main agglomeration in its central area. The administrative regions have no legislature of their own, but are executive agencies of

348-475: A contract with his cousin, Christian Louis of the new Wildung line, to transfer the whole Waldeck patrimony to him and for it to be inherited by primogeniture thereafter. This agreement was confirmed by Emperor Leopold in 1697. After George Frederick's death in 1692, Christian Louis became the sole ruler of the entire principality. The County of Cuylenburg and the Lordship of Werth were lost in 1714, owing to

435-582: A million displaced ethnic Germans . Due to its proximity to the Inner German border , Hesse became an important location of NATO installations in the 1950s, especially military bases of the US V Corps and United States Army Europe . The first elected minister president of Hesse was Christian Stock , followed by Georg-August Zinn (both Social Democrats ). The German Social Democrats gained an absolute majority in 1962 and pursued progressive policies with

522-432: A parliamentary republic since 1918, except during Nazi rule (1933–1945). The German federal system has elements of exclusive federal competences, shared competences, and exclusive competences of the states. Hesse is famous for having a rather brisk style in its politics with the ruling parties being either the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) or the center-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Due to

609-680: A part of Gudensberg near Fritzlar and less than ten miles from Geismar, was likely an ancient religious center; the basaltic outcrop of Gudensberg is named after Wodan, and a two-meter tall quartzite megalith called the Wotanstein is at the center of the village. By the mid-7th century, the Franks had established themselves as overlords, which is suggested by archeological evidence of burials, and they built fortifications in various places, including Christenberg . By 690, they took direct control over Hessia, apparently to counteract expansion by

696-723: A population of 59,000. The princely house of Waldeck and Pyrmont is closely related to the royal family of the Netherlands . The last ruling prince, Frederick , was the brother of Queen Consort Emma of the Netherlands. On 13 November 1918, at the end of World War I , during the German Revolution that resulted in the fall of all the German monarchies , a representative of the revolutionary workers' and soldiers' council of Kassel came to Waldeck and declared that

783-462: A population of over six million, it ranks seventh and fifth, respectively, among the sixteen German states. Frankfurt Rhine-Main , Germany's second-largest metropolitan area (after Rhine-Ruhr ), is mainly located in Hesse. As a cultural region , Hesse also includes the area known as Rhenish Hesse (Rheinhessen) in the neighboring state of Rhineland-Palatinate . The German name Hessen , like

870-510: A small lordship in modern day North Hesse . Initially, Waldeck was a fief of the Electorate of Mainz . In 1379, it became the County of Reichslehen. After the death of Count Henry VI in 1397, the family split into two lines: the senior Landau line founded by Adolph III and the junior Waldeck line founded by Henry VII , which sometimes feuded with one another. The two lines came under

957-549: A spur that offered a commanding view over Fritzlar and the densely-populated heart of Hessia". Following Saxon incursions into Chattish territory in the 7th century, two gaue had been established; a Frankish one, comprising an area around Fritzlar and Kassel , and a Saxonian one. In the 9th century, the Saxon Hessengau also came under the rule of the Franconians. From 962 the land which would become Hesse

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1044-606: A substantial built environment such as the country's largest airport, contrasting with the more forested, hillier middle and northern thirds of Hesse. The longest rivers in Hesse are the Eder and moreover its distributary the Fulda draining most of the north, the Lahn in the centre-west and, as to those navigable by large vessels, the Main and very broad Rhine in the south. The countryside

1131-770: A tight federation of German states established by Prussia in 1867, while also remaining part of the Grand Duchy. In 1871, after France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War , the whole of the Grand Duchy joined the German Empire . Around the turn of the 20th century, Darmstadt was one of the centres of the Jugendstil . Until 1907, the Grand Duchy of Hesse used the Hessian red and white lion barry as its coat-of-arms. The revolution of 1918 following

1218-502: Is commonly described as 'mercenaries', but was actually 'auxiliaries' hired out by the rulers of Waldeck for foreign service. Such was the demand that the single battalion became two in 1740 (the 1st Regiment), three battalions in 1744, four in 1767 (forming a 2nd Regiment). Most notably the foreign service was with the Dutch (the 1st and 2nd Regiments) and British (after an agreement was signed with Great Britain in 1776 to supply troops for

1305-934: Is hilly and the topographical map, inset, names 14 short, low to medium-height mountain ranges including the Rhön , the Westerwald , the Taunus , the Vogelsberg , the Knüll and the Spessart . The notable range forming the southern taper of Hesse (shared with a narrowing of the Ried, the Rhine's eastern plain) and briefly spanning the middle Neckar valley which begins directly east of Heidelberg (thus also in Baden-Württemberg )

1392-640: Is the Odenwald . Forming a mid-eastern tiny projection into mostly Thuringia is the uppermost part of the Ulster , commanding the west valley side of which is the Hessian highest point, Wasserkuppe at 950m above sea level – in the Rhön. The Rhine forms the long southwest border of Hesse. Two notables oxbow lakes , the Stockstadt-Erfelder Altrhein and Lampertheimer Altrhein are in

1479-543: The American War of Independence , the 3rd Waldeck Regiment, of a single battalion, was raised). The 3rd Waldeck Regiment thus served in America , where they were known under the 'umbrella term' used during that conflict for all Germans—' Hessians '. The regiment, which was made up of 4 'Battalion companies', a ' Grenadier ' company, staff and a detachment of artillery , was captured by French and Spanish troops supporting

1566-650: The District of the Twiste  [ de ] . On 1 August 1862, Waldeck-Pyrmont concluded a military convention with Prussia . As a result, Waldeck-Pyrmont fought on the Prussian side in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and thus avoided annexation at the war's end - unlike the neighbouring Electorate of Hesse . However, the small, cash-strapped principality could not afford to pay its contributions to

1653-638: The Duchy of Westphalia from Cologne , the parts of Worms on the right-bank of the Rhine, and the former Free City of Friedberg . Nassau-Weilburg gained the right-bank territories of Trier among other territories. Orange-Nassau gained the Prince-Bishopric of Fulda (as the Principality of Nassau-Orange-Fulda ). The Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel was also elevated to the status of Prince-Elector ( Kurfürst ), with his state thereby becoming

1740-462: The Eder river at Waldeck , is first attested in 1120. A branch of the family was named after the castle in 1180, when Volkwin II of Schwalenberg  [ de ] acquired the castle through his marriage with Luitgard, daughter of Count Poppo I  [ de ] of Reichenbach  [ de ] and Hollende  [ de ] , who was heiress of Waldeck. Over time, the family built up

1827-589: The Electorate of Hesse or Electoral Hesse (German: Kurhessen , Kur being the German-language term for the Empire's College of Electors ). In July 1806 Hesse-Darmstadt, Nassau-Weilburg, Nassau-Usingen , and the newly merged Principality of Isenburg became founding members of Napoleon 's Confederation of the Rhine . Hesse-Darmstadt expanded further in the resulting mediatisation, absorbing numerous small states (including Hesse-Homburg and much of

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1914-588: The Federal Convention of the Confederation. This had been the case de facto since Waldeck joined the Confederation of the Rhine in 1807, but the ruling meant that Hesse-Kassel lost the right to claim the territory in escheat . Since 1645, Waldeck had been in a personal union with the County (later Principality) of Pyrmont  [ de ] . Beginning in 1813, the prince strove to unite

2001-680: The French Empire as Pays réservé de Catzenellenbogen  [ de ] . The rest of its territory was annexed to the Kingdom of Westphalia in 1807; Hesse-Hanau (a secundogeniture of Hesse-Kassel) was annexed to the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt in 1810 along with the other territories held by the Prince-primate: Frankfurt, Fulda, Aschaffenburg and Wetzlar . As a result of the German campaign of 1813

2088-702: The Germanic Chatti tribe around the 1st century BC, and the name Hesse is a continuation of that tribal name. The ancient Romans had a military camp in Dorlar, and in Waldgirmes directly on the eastern outskirts of Wetzlar was a civil settlement under construction. Presumably, the provincial government for the occupied territories of the right bank of Germania was planned at this location. The governor of Germania, at least temporarily, likely had resided here. The settlement appears to have been abandoned by

2175-865: The Irish Rebellion of 1798 . For further revenue, the soldiers were loaned to other places as well. Most were conscripted, with their pay going to the Landgrave. In 1789 the French Revolution began and in 1794, during the War of the First Coalition , the French Republic occupied the Left Bank of the Rhine , including part of Lower Katzenelnbogen ( Niedergrafschaft Katzenelnbogen  [ de ] , Hesse-Kassel's part of

2262-711: The Peninsular War against the Duke of Wellington . In 1812, the 6th Confederation Regiment was re-formed, with three companies from Waldeck and one from Reuß again forming the II Battalion. By the time of the downfall of the French Empire in 1814 the battalions in Dutch service had disappeared, but Waldeck now supplied three Infantry and one Jäger Companies to the newly formed German Confederation . By 1866,

2349-567: The north and Limburg an der Lahn in the west. All of the "on the river" suffixes are locally and, informally far beyond, omitted of these cities. The plain between the rivers Main, Rhine, and lower Neckar, and the Odenwald ridge of low mountains or very high hills is called the Ried which continues to north, across the Main, as the Wetterau. Both plains which are quite densely populated also have

2436-609: The 1866 Austro-Prussian War the states of the region allied with Austria were defeated during the Campaign of the Main . Following Prussia's victory and dissolution of the German Confederation, Prussia annexed Electoral Hesse, Frankfurt, Hesse-Homburg, Nassau and small parts of Bavaria and the Grand Duchy of Hesse, which were then combined into the Province of Hesse-Nassau . The name Kurhessen survived, denoting

2523-540: The 1960s to 1990s developed into one of the major cities of West Germany. As of 2016, 12% of the total population of Hesse lived in the city of Frankfurt. The only state to straddle west and central portions of Germany where the eight ordinal directions (compass points) and the centre is considered, Hesse borders six other states. These are, from north, clockwise: Lower Saxony , Thuringia , Bavaria , Baden-Württemberg , Rhineland-Palatinate , and North Rhine-Westphalia . The most populous towns and cities of Hesse are in

2610-415: The 1st and 2nd Infantry Regiments of the Kingdom of Holland . The 5th Battalion was disbanded, and Waldeck was now also obliged to provide two companies to the II Battalion, 6th German Confederation (i.e., Confederation of the Rhine ) Regiment (along with two companies from Reuß ) in the service of the French Empire . As with all French infantry, they were referred to as ' Fusiliers '. They served mainly in

2697-639: The 1st century on. Geismar was a particular focus of such activity; it was continuously occupied from the Roman period on, with a settlement from the Roman period, which itself had a predecessor from the 5th century BC. Excavations have produced a horse burial and bronze artifacts. A possible religious cult may have centered on a natural spring in Geismar, called Heilgenbron ; the name "Geismar" (possibly "energetic pool") itself may be derived from that spring. The village of Maden, Gudensberg  [ de ] , now

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2784-583: The Americans and only a small number returned to Germany, where some formed part of a newly raised 5th Battalion (1784). By the time of Napoleon 's conquest of Germany, the Waldeck regiments in Dutch service had been dissolved when, as the Batavian Republic , the country was made into a kingdom ruled by Napoleon's brother Louis. Reduced to battalion strength, they now formed the 3rd battalions of

2871-667: The German defeat in WWI transformed Hesse-Darmstadt from a monarchy to a republic, which officially renamed itself the People's State of Hesse ( Volksstaat Hessen ). The state parliament, or Landtag consisted of 70 deputies elected on the basis of proportional representation . There were six Landtag elections between 1919 and 1932. Following the Nazi seizure of power in Berlin, the Landtag

2958-477: The Grand Duchy's Upper Hesse, was transferred to Hesse-Nassau. The former Hessian exclave of Rinteln ( Kreis Rinteln  [ de ] , the Hessian part of the former County of Schaumburg ) was also detached and transferred to the Province of Hanover . On 1 July 1944 the Prussian Province of Hesse-Nassau was formally divided into the provinces of Kurhessen and Nassau . At the same time

3045-546: The Hessian electoral laws, the biggest party normally needs a smaller coalition partner. Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont The noble family of the Counts of Waldeck  [ de ] and the later Princes of Waldeck and Pyrmont were male line descendants of the Counts of Schwalenberg  [ de ] (based at Schwalenberg Castle), ultimately descendent from Widekind I of Schwalenberg  [ de ] (reigned 1127-1136/7). Waldeck Castle , overlooking

3132-648: The Kingdom of Westphalia and the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt were dissolved and Hesse-Kassel and Hesse-Hanau were restored; Orange-Nassau was also restored in its territories previously lost to Berg. As a result of the 1815 Congress of Vienna Hesse-Kassel gained Fulda (roughly the western third of the former Prince-Bishopric, the rest of which went to Bavaria and Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach ) from Frankfurt and part of Isenburg, while several of its small northern exclaves were absorbed into Hanover , some small eastern areas were ceded to Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Lower Katzenelnbogen

3219-543: The People's State of Hesse and most of what had been the Prussian Provinces of Kurhessen and Nassau. The French incorporated their parts of Hesse (Rhenish Hesse) and Nassau (as Regierungsbezirk Montabaur ) into the newly founded state of Rhineland-Palatinate ( Rheinland-Pfalz ) on 30 August 1946. On 4 December 1946, Greater Hesse was officially renamed Hessen . Hesse in the 1940s received more than

3306-538: The Prussian Infantry Regiment von Wittich (3rd Electoral Hessian) No. 83, and as such it remained until 1918. The position of regimental 'Chef' (an honorary title) was held by the Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Unlike Hesse-Darmstadt , Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) retained no distinctions to differentiate them from the Prussian. The Waldeckers however, were permitted the distinction of carrying

3393-404: The Romans after the devastating Battle of the Teutoburg Forest failed in the year AD 9. The Chatti were also involved in the Revolt of the Batavi in AD 69. Hessia, from the early 7th century on, served as a buffer between areas dominated by the Saxons (to the north) and the Franks , who brought the area to the south under their control in the early sixth century and occupied Thuringia (to

3480-517: The Saxons, who built fortifications in Gaulskopf and Eresburg across the river Diemel, the northern boundary of Hessia. The Büraburg (which already had a Frankish settlement in the sixth century ) was one of the places the Franks fortified to resist the Saxon pressure, and according to John-Henry Clay, the Büraburg was "probably the largest man-made construction seen in Hessia for at least seven hundred years". Walls and trenches totaling one kilometer in length were made, and they enclosed "8 hectares of

3567-444: The State of Hesse since 1946 due to divisions in the aftermath of World War II. This province is now part of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate . It is a hilly countryside largely devoted to vineyards; therefore, it is also called the "land of the thousand hills". Its larger towns include Mainz , Worms , Bingen , Alzey , Nieder-Olm , and Ingelheim . Many inhabitants commute to work in Mainz, Wiesbaden, or Frankfurt. Hesse has been

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3654-409: The Waldeck contingent was styled Fürstlisches Waldecksches Füselier-Bataillon , and in the Austro-Prussian War of that year Waldeck (already in a military convention with Prussia from 1862) allied with the Prussians; however the battalion saw no action. Joining the North German Confederation after 1867, under Prussian leadership, the Waldeck Fusilier Battalion became the III (Fusilier) Battalion of

3741-501: The also previously existing Hesse-Marburg . As the latter two lines died out quite quickly (1583 and 1605, respectively), Hesse-Kassel and Hesse-Darmstadt were the two core states within the Hessian lands. Several collateral lines split off during the centuries, such as in 1622, when Hesse-Homburg split off from Hesse-Darmstadt, and in 1760 when Hesse-Hanau split off from Hesse-Kassel. In the late 16th century, Kassel adopted Calvinism , while Darmstadt remained Lutheran and consequently

3828-463: The areas which were part of the People's State of Hesse). After World War II , the Hessian territory west of the Rhine was again occupied by France , while the rest of the region was part of the US occupation zone . On 17 September 1945 the Wanfried agreement adjusted the border between American-occupied Kurhessen and Soviet-occupied Thuringia. The United States proclaimed the state of Greater Hesse ( Groß-Hessen ) on 19 September 1945, out of

3915-420: The brothers Frederick and George, but the territories were reunited after Frederick's death. The independence of the principality was confirmed in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna , and Waldeck and Pyrmont became a member of the German Confederation . In 1832 it joined the Zollverein . In 1847, on Prussian initiative, the sovereignty of Hesse-Kassel over Waldeck (and Schaumburg-Lippe ) was finally revoked by

4002-422: The creation of further lines, but these were reunited by the new Wildung line in 1692. In 1626, the family also inherited the County of Pyrmont  [ de ] and thereafter called themselves "Counts of Waldeck and Pyrmont." The two counties of Waldeck and Pyrmont were physically separated and were not united into a single legal entity until the 19th century. In 1639, Count Philip Dietrich of Waldeck from

4089-430: The death of Henry VIII in 1486, the Waldeck line split once more, into the Waldeck-Wildungen and Waldeck-Eisenberg lines. The senior Landau line ended with the death of Otto IV in 1495 and its possessions passed to the Wildungen and Eisenberg lines. In 1526 and 1529, Philip IV of Waldeck-Wildungen and Philip III of Waldeck-Eisenberg converted their respective principalities to Lutheranism . Several partitions led to

4176-544: The east) in 531. Hessia occupies the northwestern part of the modern German state of Hesse; its borders were not clearly delineated. Its geographic center is Fritzlar ; it extends in the southeast to Hersfeld on the river Fulda, in the north to past Kassel and up to the rivers Diemel and Weser. To the west, it occupies the valleys of the rivers Eder and Lahn (the latter until it turns south). It measured roughly 90 kilometers north–south, and 80 north-west. The area around Fritzlar shows evidence of significant pagan belief from

4263-412: The economy, and a militaristic approach toward diplomacy. He funded the depleted treasury of the poor government by loaning 19,000 soldiers in complete military formations to Great Britain to fight in North America during the American Revolutionary War , 1776–1783. These soldiers, commonly known as Hessians , fought under the British flag. The British used the Hessians in several conflicts, including in

4350-439: The federal government merged Eder and Eisenberg districts. The district of the Twiste was to be merged with the neighbouring district of Wolfhagen on 1 April 1934, but this was delayed after the Nazi seizure of power in 1933. A law of 28 February 1934 reversed the merger of Eder and Eisenberg and definitively cancelled the planned merger of Twiste and Wolfhagen. On 1 February 1942, the three districts of Waldeck were merged into

4437-471: The former County of Katzenelnbogen which was held by the appanage Hesse-Rotenburg ). Emperor Francis II formally recognised the annexation of the Left Bank in the 1801 Treaty of Lunéville . This led in 1803 to the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss , a substantial reorganisation ( mediatisation ) of the states and territories of the Empire. Several exclaves of Mainz were mediatised to Hesse-Kassel and Hesse-Darmstadt , and Hesse-Darmstadt also gained

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4524-442: The former Hessian Schmalkalden exclaves ( Landkreis Herrschaft Schmalkalden  [ de ] ), together with the Regierungsbezirk Erfurt  [ de ] of the Province of Saxony , were transferred to Thuringia . The territories of the new provinces did not directly correspond with their pre-1866 namesakes but rather with the associated NSDAP Gaue : Gau Electoral Hesse and Gau Hesse-Nassau (excluding

4611-427: The government of Great Britain to fight in the American Revolutionary War . The English form Hesse was in common use by the 18th century, first in the hyphenated names of the states of Hesse-Cassel and Hesse-Darmstadt , but the latinate form Hessia remained in common English usage well into the 19th century. The European Commission uses the German form Hessen , even in English-language contexts, due to

4698-470: The main residence of the county until 1655, when the residence was shifted from Waldeck to Arolsen . Philip Dietrich was succeeded in 1664 by his brother Count George Frederick , whose full title was "Count and Lord of Waldeck, Pyrmont, and Cuylenburg, Lord of Tonna, Paland, Wittem, Werth." In 1682, he was promoted by Emperor Leopold I to the status of "Prince of Waldeck", with Imperial immediacy . His four sons all predeceased him, so on 12 June 1685, he made

4785-513: The marriage of George Frederick's second daughter, Sophia Henriette (1662-1702) to Ernest of Saxe-Hildeburghausen . On 6 January 1712, Frederick Anthony Ulrich of Waldeck and Pyrmont was elevated to prince by Emperor Charles VI . During the American War of Independence from 1775 to 1783, Prince Frederick Carl Augustus provided a single battalion sized regiment to the British for the war in America in exchange for payment. A total of 1,225 Waldeck soldiers fought in America. The principality

4872-421: The monarchy was abolished. The principality became the Free State of Waldeck-Pyrmont within the Weimar Republic . However, no new constitution was produced, so the monarchical constitution of 1849/1852 remained in force de jure until 1929. The terms of the treaty with Prussia also remained in force. Following a referendum, Pyrmont was separated from Waldeck on 30 November 1921 and joined Prussia, becoming part of

4959-667: The name is recorded as Hessun (dative plural of Hessi ); in Middle Latin it appears as Hassonia , Hassia , Hessia . The name of the Hessians ultimately continues the tribal name of the Chatti . The ancient name Chatti by the 7th century is recorded as Chassi , and from the 8th century as Hassi or Hessi . An inhabitant of Hesse is called a "Hessian" (German: Hesse (masculine), plural Hessen , or Hessin (feminine), plural Hessinnen ). The American English term "Hessian" for 18th-century British auxiliary troops originates with Landgrave Frederick II of Hesse-Kassel hiring out regular army units to

5046-420: The names of other German regions ( Schwaben "Swabia", Franken "Franconia", Bayern "Bavaria", Sachsen "Saxony"), derives from the dative plural form of the name of the inhabitants or eponymous tribe , the Hessians ( Hessen , singular Hesse ). The geographical name represents a short equivalent of the older compound name Hessenland ("land of the Hessians"). The Old High German form of

5133-415: The new Hameln-Pyrmont district of the Province of Hanover . After this, the territory was simply the Free State of Waldeck. The remaining territory continued to be governed according to the 1867 treaty with Prussia until it was cancelled in 1926. On 9 April 1927, the federal Financial Equalisation act ( Finanzausgleichsgesetz ) was amended. For Waldeck, this meant that its allocation of federal tax income

5220-504: The new Landgraviate of Hesse , which remained with the Ludovingians . From that point on the Ludovingian coat of arms came to represent both Thuringia and Hesse. It rose to prominence under Landgrave Philip the Magnanimous , who was one of the leaders of German Protestantism . After Philip's death in 1567, the territory was divided among his four sons from his first marriage (Philip was a bigamist ) into four lines: Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel), Hesse-Darmstadt , Hesse-Rheinfels , and

5307-510: The new North German Confederation , so the principality's Landtag unanimously voted to reject the North German Constitution in order to pressure the prince into signing an accession treaty Prussia. Bismarck had previously ruled out unification with Prussia on grounds of prestige. Therefore, under the treaty that Waldeck-Pyrmont and Prussia signed in October 1867, the principality remained nominally independent and retained its legislative sovereignty, but from 1 January 1868 Prussian took control of

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5394-407: The new Waldeck district  [ de ] , which had its capital at Korbach . This new district had roughly the same borders as the old Free State. It was made part of Greater Hesse in 1945, which became the state of Hesse in the modern Federal Republic of Germany in 1946. On 1 August 1972, the city of Volkmarsen was separated from the district of Wolfhagen and reassigned to Waldeck. During

5481-412: The new Eisenberg line, inherited the County of Culemborg in Gelderland along with the counties of Werth (Isselburg)  [ de ] in Münsterland , Pallandt  [ de ] , and Wittem . The Lordship of Tonna in Thüringen , a fief of the Dukes of Saxe-Altenburg was inherited by Waldeck-Pyrmont in 1640, but sold to Duke Frederick I of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg in 1677. Waldeck remained

5568-426: The policy of leaving regional names untranslated. The synthetic element hassium , number 108 on the periodic table , was named after the state of Hesse in 1997, following a proposal of 1992. The territory of Hesse was delineated only in 1945, as Greater Hesse , under American occupation . It corresponds loosely to the medieval Landgraviate of Hesse . In the 19th century, prior to the unification of Germany ,

5655-416: The presence of Pleistocene hunters about 13,000 years ago. A fossil hominid skull that was found in northern Hesse, just outside the village of Rhünda, has been dated at 12,000 years ago. The Züschen tomb (German: Steinkammergrab von Züschen, sometimes also Lohne-Züschen) is a prehistoric burial monument, located between Lohne and Züschen , near Fritzlar , Hesse, Germany. Classified as a gallery grave or

5742-428: The principality's state deficit, internal administration, judiciary, and schools. Thereafter, Prussia appointed a State Director formally with the agreement of the prince. Appellate jurisdiction for Waldeck was exercised by the Prussian state court ( Landgericht ) in Kassel and for Pyrmont by the state court in Hannover . The prince retained control over the administration of the church, the prerogative of mercy , and

5829-408: The reform of the districts of Hesse in 1974, Waldeck was merged with the neighbouring district of Frankeberg to from the new district of Waldeck-Frankenberg , while the city of Züschen became a suburb of Fritzlar in Schwalm-Eder-Kreis . Waldeck had raised a battalion of infantry in 1681 but for much of the subsequent history leading up to the Napoleonic Wars , Waldeckers generally served as what

5916-445: The region around Kassel. The Grand Duchy of Hesse retained its autonomy in defeat because a greater part of the country was situated south of the river Main and it was feared that Prussian expansion beyond the Main might provoke France. However, Upper Hesse (German: Oberhessen : the parts of Hesse-Darmstadt north of the Main around the town of Gießen ) was incorporated into the North German Confederation ( Norddeutscher Bund ),

6003-412: The remainder of its territory was merged with that of Nassau-Usingen and Nassau-Weilburg in August 1806 to form the Duchy of Nassau . Waldeck also joined the Confederation in 1807. The Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in August 1806 , rendering Hesse-Kassel's electoral privilege meaningless. Hesse-Kassel was occupied by the French in October 1806 and the remainder of Lower Katzenelnbogen was annexed to

6090-445: The right of veto over new laws. He also continued to receive the income from his domains. Prussian administration served to reduce administrative costs for the small state and was based on a ten-year contract that was repeatedly renewed for the duration of its existence. The situation continued in 1871, when the principality became a constituent state of the new German Empire . In 1905, Waldeck and Pyrmont had an area of 1121 km and

6177-465: The so-called Großer Hessenplan . The CDU gained a relative majority in the 1974 elections, but the Social Democrats continued to govern in a coalition with the FDP . Hesse was first governed by the CDU under Walter Wallmann during 1987–1991, replaced by a SPD-Greens coalition under Hans Eichel during 1991–1999. From 1999, Hesse was governed by the CDU under Roland Koch (retired 2010) and Volker Bouffier (incumbent as of 2020). Frankfurt during

6264-522: The south-west fringe. Hesse, 42% forest, is by that measure the greenest state in Germany. Hesse is a unitary state governed directly by the Hessian government in the capital city Wiesbaden, partially through regional vicarious authorities called Regierungspräsidien . Municipal parliaments are, however, elected independently from the state government by the Hessian people. Local municipalities enjoy

6351-504: The southwest, the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region namely Frankfurt am Main , Wiesbaden , Darmstadt , Offenbach , Hanau , Giessen , Wetzlar , and Rüsselsheim am Main . Outside, but very near the south-west corner of Hesse are four populous, highly technologised, places: Worms , Ludwigshafen , Mannheim , and Heidelberg . Other large Hessian towns are Fulda in the east , Kassel and Marburg an der Lahn in

6438-582: The sovereignty of the Landgraviate of Hesse in 1431 and 1438 respectively, due to financial difficulties and the final victory of the Landgraviate over Mainz in 1427, which led to the transfer of the County of Ziegenhain  [ de ] to Hesse. The Landgraves levied tribute on the Counts of Waldeck in exchange for forgiving their debts to them and taking on all their debts to others. After

6525-470: The state government. [REDACTED] Hesse is divided into 21 districts (Kreise) and five independent cities, each with their own local governments. They are, shown with abbreviations as used on vehicle number plates: Independent cities: The term "Rhenish Hesse" ( German : Rheinhessen ) refers to the part of the former Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt located west of the Rhine . It has not been part of

6612-623: The terms of the Versailles peace treaty that officially ended World War I in 1919. The Kingdom of Prussia became the Free State of Prussia , of which Hesse-Nassau remained a province. In 1929 the Free State of Waldeck was dissolved and incorporated into Hesse-Nassau. In 1932 Wetzlar ( Landkreis Wetzlar  [ de ] ), formerly an exclave of the Prussian Rhine Province situated between Hesse-Nassau and

6699-570: The territory of the Houses of Solms  [ de ] , Erbach  [ de ] and Sayn-Wittgenstein ). It was also elevated by Napoleon to the status of Grand Duchy , becoming the Grand Duchy of Hesse . Orange-Nassau, which refused to join the Confederation, lost Siegen , Dillenburg , Hadamar and Beilstein to Berg and Fulda to the Prince-Primate of the Confederation (and former Elector of Mainz) Karl Theodor von Dalberg ;

6786-554: The territory of what is now Hesse comprised the territories of Grand Duchy of Hesse (also known as Hesse-Darmstadt), the Duchy of Nassau , the free city of Frankfurt , the Electorate of Hesse (also known as Hesse-Kassel), the Principality of Waldeck and the Landgraviate of Hesse-Homburg . The Central Hessian region was inhabited in the Upper Paleolithic . Finds of tools in southern Hesse in Rüsselsheim suggest

6873-565: The two lines often found themselves on opposing sides of conflicts, most notably in the disputes over Hesse-Marburg and in the Thirty Years' War , when Darmstadt fought on the side of the Emperor, while Kassel sided with Sweden and France . The Landgrave Frederick II (1720–1785) ruled Hesse-Kassel as a benevolent despot, from 1760 to 1785. He combined Enlightenment ideas with Christian values, cameralist plans for central control of

6960-567: The two territories legally into the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont. However, political opposition meant that this did not take place until 1849. Even after the unification, Pyrmont retained its own tiny Landtag for budgetary matters until 1863/64. In 1849-1850, Waldeck was divided into three districts: the District of the Eder  [ de ] , the of Eisenberg  [ de ] and

7047-600: Was caught up in the Napoleonic Wars and in 1807 it joined the Confederation of the Rhine , but not the Napoleonic Kingdom of Westphalia . Waldeck was required to guarantee equal rights of worship to its Catholic citizens and supply 400 soldiers in case of a campaign. For a brief period, from 1806 until 1812, Pyrmont was a separate principality as a result of the partition of the territory between

7134-598: Was ceded to Nassau. Hesse-Darmstadt lost the Duchy of Westphalia and the Sayn-Wittgensteiner lands to the Prussian Province of Westphalia but gained territory on the left bank of the Rhine centred on Mainz, which became known as Rhenish Hesse ( Rheinhessen ), and the remainder of Isenburg. Orange-Nassau, whose ruler was now also King William I of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg,

7221-586: Was ceded to Prussia but most of its territory aside from Siegen was then ceded on to Nassau. Hesse-Homburg and the Free City of Frankfurt were also restored. While the other former Electors had gained other titles, becoming either Kings or Grand Dukes , the Elector of Hesse-Kassel alone retained the anachronistic title of Prince-Elector; a request to be recognised as "King of the Chatti " ( König der Katten )

7308-537: Was formally abolished as a result of the " Law on the Reconstruction of the Reich " of 30 January 1934, which replaced the German federal system with a unitary state . The parts of Hesse-Darmstadt on the left bank of the Rhine (Rhenish Hesse), as well as those right-bank areas of Hesse-Darmstadt and Hesse-Nassau within 30 km (19 mi) of Koblenz or Mainz were occupied by French troops until 1930 under

7395-696: Was part of the Holy Roman Empire . In the 10th and 11th centuries it was mostly encompassed by the Western or Rhenish part of the stem duchy of Franconia . In the 12th century, Hessengau passed to the Landgraviate of Thuringia . As a result of the War of the Thuringian Succession (1247–1264) the former Thuringian lands were partitioned between the Wettin Margraviate of Meissen , which gained Thuringia proper, and

7482-690: Was reduced by almost 600,000 Reichsmarks . Without a massive rise in local taxes, the Free State was no longer financially viable. Therefore on 1 April 1929, the state was abolished and became part of the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau . This marked the end of Waldeck's existence as a sovereign state. When Waldeck joined Prussia in 1929, the three districts into which Waldeck had been divided in 1849-1850 (Eder, Eisenberg, and Twiste) were initially retained. Additionally, Höringhausen and Eimelrod , which had been exclaves of Prussia surrounded by Waldeck since 1866, were joined to Eisenberg district. In 1932,

7569-553: Was rejected by the Congress. Following mediation, the Congress of Vienna had significantly fewer states remained in the region that is now Hesse: the Hessian states, Nassau, Waldeck and Frankfurt. The Kingdoms of Prussia and Bavaria also held some territory in the region. The Congress established the German Confederation , of which they all became members. Hesse-Hanau was (re-)absorbed into Hesse-Kassel in 1821. In

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