Willingen

Updated on Nov 06, 2023

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Country Germany Admin. region Kassel Elevation 584 m (1,916 ft) Population 6,344 (30 Jun 2009)		State Hesse District Waldeck-Frankenberg Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Local time Monday 6:53 PM

Weather 10°C, Wind N at 11 km/h, 61% Humidity Points of interest Willingen ski resort, Lagunen‑Erlebnisbad, Sommerrodelbahn & Sesselba, Wild‑ und Freizeitpark Willingen, Hochheideturm

Willingen is a community in Waldeck-Frankenberg in northern Hesse, Germany, some 80 km west of Kassel.

Map of 34508 Willingen, Germany

Willingen is regularly advertised as Willingen Hochsauerland and Willingen (Upland).

Location

Willingen is found in Waldeck-Frankenberg district in the Upland (a German name, not the English word). Its main town stretches between two river valleys, the Hoppecke in the west and the Itter in the east. The ski resort Skigebiet Willingen is near. It is located 60 km west of Kassel.

Neighbouring communities

Willingen borders in the north on the community of Diemelsee, in the east on the town of Korbach, in the south on the community of Medebach, and in the west on the towns of Winterberg, Olsberg and Brilon (all three in the Hochsauerlandkreis in North Rhine-Westphalia).

Constituent communities

Willingen consists of the following centres:

Bömighausen, 300 inhabitants (as of 1 September 2003)

Eimelrod, 582 inhabitants (as of 31. December 2006)

Hemmighausen, 100 inhabitants

Neerdar, 100 inhabitants

Rattlar, 400 inhabitants

Schwalefeld, 900 inhabitants

Usseln, 2,100 inhabitants

Welleringhausen, 100 inhabitants

Willingen, 3,500 inhabitants

History

Willingen was founded in 1874 in the second municipal reform by uniting the villages of Bömighausen, Eimelrod, Hemmighausen, Neerdar, Rattlar, Schwalefeld, Welleringhausen and the climatic spas of Usseln and Willingen. Until 1929, Willingen belonged to the Free State of Waldeck, after which it passed to Prussia.

Municipal council

Willingen's council is made up of 31 councillors, with seats apportioned thus, in accordance with municipal elections held on 6 March 2016:

Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.

Coat of arms

The field is parted horizontally, below the middle, by a row of interlocking arrows between the gold above and the green below. It is meant, of course, to look like treetops, and refers to the Upland's extensive woods. There are two charges, one inside the other. The eight-pointed black star is the ubiquitous – in terms of the local civic heraldry – Star of Waldeck, borne centuries ago by the Counts of Waldeck when they held sway over the area. The snowflake is included as a charge within the star and is representative of the community's status as a winter resort.

The community was granted this coat of arms on 12 June 1974.

Culture and sightseeing

Willingen's landmark is the great railway bridge, "Das Viadukt", built about 1918. The community thrives mainly on tourism. There were 1.3 million overnight stays in 2003, and attractions include winter sports and bowling clubs.

Regular events

Among Willingen's greatest events are the International Ski Federation's yearly World Cup Ski-jumping competition at the Mühlenkopfschanze (a ski-jump arena with seats for 100,000) and the yearly "Mountainbike-Event" at the Ettelsberg (mountain) to which 35,000 spectators came in 2005. Nearby lie the trails of Bike Arena Sauerland.