Witzenhausen
Witzenhausen | |
|---|---|
Witzenhausen Nord railway station | |
Location of Witzenhausen within Werra-Meißner-Kreis district | |
| Coordinates: 51°20′32″N 9°51′28″E / 51.34222°N 9.85778°E | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Hesse |
| Admin. region | Kassel |
| District | Werra-Meißner-Kreis |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2017–23) | Daniel Herz (Ind.) |
| Area | |
• Total | 126.78 km2 (48.95 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 141 m (463 ft) |
| Population (2023-12-31) | |
• Total | 15,219 |
| • Density | 120/km2 (310/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 37213–37218 |
| Dialling codes | 05542 |
| Vehicle registration | ESW, WIZ |
| Website | www.witzenhausen.de |
Witzenhausen (German pronunciation: [vɪtsn̩ˈhaʊzn̩] ⓘ) is a small town in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in northeastern Hesse, Germany.
It was granted town rights in 1225, and until 1974 was a district seat.
The University of Kassel maintains a satellite campus in Witzenhausen, which offers an ecological agricultural sciences programme, putting Witzenhausen among Germany's smallest university towns. There is also a teaching institute (DEULA) for environment and technology, agriculture, horticulture and landscaping. The town is nationally known for the invention of the Biotonne biological refuse container, and is an important cherry-growing area, with a yearly Kesperkirmes or “Cherry Fair” (Kesper is a regional name for the cherry), at which a Cherry Queen (Kirschenkönigin) is chosen.