Espenau is a municipality in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany. It is composed of two districts the Espenau-Hohenkirchen, and the Espenau-Mönchehof both are situated 9 kilometers north of Kassel. As of December 2019, Espenau has 5,158 inhabitants. It covers a total area of 13.59 km2.

Espenau
Coat of arms of Espenau
Location of Espenau within Kassel district
Bad KarlshafenGutsbezirk ReinhardswaldTrendelburgTrendelburgHofgeismarHofgeismarWesertalReinhardshagenLiebenauGrebensteinImmenhausenFuldatalEspenauVellmarCaldenBreunaZierenbergZierenbergAhnatalHabichtswaldWolfhagenNaumburgBad EmstalSchauenburgBaunatalFuldabrückLohfeldenSöhrewaldHelsaKaufungenNiesteNiestetalKassel
Espenau is located in Germany
Espenau
Espenau
Espenau is located in Hesse
Espenau
Espenau
Coordinates: 51°23′35″N 9°27′32″E / 51.3930°N 9.4588°E / 51.3930; 9.4588
CountryGermany
StateHesse
Admin. regionKassel
DistrictKassel
Government
 • Mayor (2020–26) Carsten Strzoda[1]
Area
 • Total13.59 km2 (5.25 sq mi)
Elevation
266 m (873 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[2]
 • Total5,266
 • Density390/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
34314
Dialling codes05673
Vehicle registrationKS
Websitewww.espenau.de

Geography

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Espenau is bordered by the municipalities of Immenhausen to the north, Fuldatal to the east, Vellmar to the south, and Calden and Grebenstein to the west.

A pond at the northern edge of Hohenkirchen is the source of the Esse river. The Espe river, a tributary of the Fulda, starts in the western portion of Espenau and flows through the town, and gives the town its name.[3]

Espenau is about 6 kilometers from the rococo style Wilhelmsthal Castle.

History

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Hohenkirchen's earliest mention is in a certificate dating back to 1285. In 1216, the Hardehausen Monastery built a farm in the area of Mönchehof, likely given its name in 1500 because of the two monks that operated the farm. As part of a larger series of local government reorganization in Hesse, the villages of Hohenkirchen and Mönchehof were combined into the same municipality of Espenau in October 1970.[4]

Coat of Arms

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The coat of arms depicts four aspen tree leaves against red and white quandrants, a reference to the town's name of Espenau (German: Espe).[3]

Transportation

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Espenau-Mönchehof has a stop on the Kassel–Warburg railway. It is connected by the Kassel RegioTram Line 1 to Kassel Hauptbahnhof.[5] It is also connected via bus to Immenhausen Vellmar, Calden, and the nearby Kassel Airport.[6]

Notable people

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Bernd Herrmann (*1951)- West German athlete who primarily competed in the 400 metres.

References

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  1. ^ "Ergebnisse der letzten Direktwahl aller hessischen Landkreise und Gemeinden" (XLS) (in German). Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt. 5 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Bevölkerung in Hessen am 31.12.2022 nach Gemeinden" (XLS) (in German). Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt. June 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Gemeinde Espenau - Espenau Damals". www.gemeinde-espenau.de. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  4. ^ Zusammenschluss der Gemeinden Hohenkirchen im Landkreis Hofgeismar und Mönchehof im Landkreis Kassel zu der neuen Gemeinde „Espenau“ im Landkreis Kassel vom 12. November 1970. In: Der Hessische Minister des Inneren (Hrsg.):  1970 Nr. 48, S. 2253, Punkt 2246 (Online through Hessian state parliament, German [PDF; 5,6 MB]).
  5. ^ "Karten und Pläne - KVG Kassel". www.kvg.de. Archived from the original on 2021-01-08. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  6. ^ "Gemeinde Espenau - Infos, Pläne, Termine, ÖPNV". www.gemeinde-espenau.de. Retrieved 2021-01-07.