Waldeck, Hesse

Waldeck lies on the Edersee, a man-made lake. Waldeck's constituent communities stretch from the shore of the Edersee into the Kellerwald.

Waldeck borders in the north on the community of Twistetal, in the northeast on the town of Bad Arolsen (both in Waldeck-Frankenberg), in the east on the towns of Wolfhagen and Naumburg (both in the district of Kassel), in the south on the community of Edertal, and in the west on the community of Vöhl and the town of Korbach (all three in Waldeck-Frankenberg).

The town of Waldeck consists of the centres of Alraft, Dehringhausen, Freienhagen, Höringhausen, Netze, Nieder-Werbe, Ober-Werbe, Sachsenhausen, Selbach and Waldeck.

Until municipal reforms in 1974, Freienhagen was a town in its own right. It already had town rights when history first mentioned the town in 1253; it is believed that they were granted in 1231. On the Hünenburg, a 472 m-high mountain in the Freienhagen Municipal Forest, traces of a prehistoric settlement have been found.

In the Middle Ages, Freienhagen had a complete ring of walls with two town gates through which led the old trade road from Cologne to Leipzig. Likewise historically interesting is the Freienhagen Free Court (Freienhagener Freigericht), which sat at first at the Schiebenscheid and later under the linden tree at the Steinborn. Under the Free Counts (Freigrafen – chairmen of the court) Sigmund Manegold (1435–1455) and Johann Manhoff (1438–1458), the court reached its greatest importance: the Teutonic Knights, and the cities of Frankfurt and Cologne, were referred to Freienhagen.

As part of municipal reforms, the greater town of Waldeck was formed out of the formerly independent communities of Alraft, Höringhausen, Netze, Nieder-Werbe, Selbach, Sachsenhausen and Waldeck. In 1974, Dehringhausen, Freienhagen and Ober-Werbe also joined the town.

The town council's 31 seats are apportioned thus, in accordance with municipal elections held on 6 March 2016:

Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.

The town's executive consists of 7 councillors. Three of these seats are held by the SPD, 2 by the CDU, and one seat each by the FWG and the FDP.

Mayoral elections are held every six years. The most recent mayors were:[1]

• 2018–incumbent: Jürgen Vollbracht (CDU)
• 2006–2018: Jörg Feldmann (independent)
• 1994–2006: Peter Brandenburg (SPD)

The official blazon roughly translates thus: In Or a six-pointed star sable.

This simply describes a black six-pointed star on a gold background, with no mention at all of the fleur-de-lys. Furthermore, Waldeck's official Internet presence does not contain any text about the civic coat of arms, although it does display the version with the lily. At least one source, however, shows arms for Waldeck matching the blazon.

According to this same source, the star was originally eight-pointed, as commonly appears in many civic arms in the Waldeck region. It is an heraldic charge once borne by the Counts of Waldeck in the Middle Ages. The number of points was changed in the 19th century to distinguish the town's arms from the district's.

• Blankenhain, Thuringia, since 1990

• Heimatmuseum Höringhausen (local history)
• Dorfstube Nieder-Werbe

Edersee Dam (Edertalsperre)

• Schloss Waldeck, stately home, and the town's landmark
• Netze monastery church with an altar from the 14th century
• Sachsenhäuser Warte (watchtower in Sachsenhausen)
• Edertalsperre (dam)
• Romanesque "fortress church" with onion domes in Freienhagen
• half-timbered houses in Freienhagen
• Old mills near Freienhagen

• Uferpromenade Waldeck (shoreline promenade)

• Golf courses north of town: 18-hole championship course and 9-hole short course

Through the town run the Federal Highways (Bundesstraßen) B 251 and B 485.

Operations on the stretch of the Ederseebahn railway line between Bad Wildungen and Korbach, on which lies Waldeck, ceased on 27 May 1995.

There is a cableway to the Edersee and well built hiking trails in the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park.