Geisa

Geisa
Town
Coat of arms
Location of Geisa within Wartburgkreis district <imagemap>File: Geisa in WAK.png | 240x240px poly 162 26 148 32 151 37 149 45 135 59 143 71 166 69 167 64 175 58 182 57 187 49 191 43 198 45 205 35 201 33 196 25 192 26 192 33 185 36 181 30 174 35 170 40 163 40 162 33 Amt Creuzburg poly 184 201 188 206 200 203 200 193 209 182 209 169 203 159 196 159 184 156 178 164 177 173 183 176 176 183 182 185 187 195 Bad Liebenstein poly 98 138 94 152 90 154 91 154 92 161 100 167 102 161 114 161 118 168 110 176 117 173 116 180 115 187 126 193 129 189 126 185 132 180 146 184 136 194 125 200 130 219 136 216 141 226 145 222 137 214 141 205 155 211 160 190 166 186 173 186 170 180 178 184 180 176 176 176 179 163 181 153 182 142 180 138 178 131 174 138 167 141 163 141 153 147 140 148 141 160 129 153 120 151 109 153 100 145 Bad Salzungen poly 184 199 175 208 166 207 161 214 154 213 163 191 168 186 179 185 187 195 Barchfeld-Immelborn poly 197 72 197 67 200 64 195 61 201 54 207 53 213 50 220 59 218 67 215 70 209 66 Berka vor dem Hainich poly 196 62 186 64 184 58 196 48 212 46 212 52 202 52 Bischofroda poly 73 227 67 224 57 221 50 225 49 214 41 215 45 203 51 206 57 206 70 211 78 212 Buttlar poly 113 275 104 265 96 267 89 258 91 254 93 248 95 238 103 229 113 223 117 228 122 225 127 226 127 219 138 219 145 230 133 238 130 235 125 236 115 252 118 262 125 264 120 270 Dermbach poly 104 226 89 217 99 205 95 196 96 191 108 190 109 195 121 194 125 205 104 218 Dermbach poly 132 72 138 83 131 89 134 94 131 100 138 105 141 100 146 100 156 105 154 108 156 112 165 110 179 121 184 109 188 111 203 106 198 97 205 93 203 85 199 85 197 79 205 75 195 72 201 66 194 62 192 64 180 55 176 57 179 68 170 71 166 73 168 84 163 89 152 79 141 79 Eisenach poly 95 278 90 270 98 260 102 260 110 268 103 274 Empfertshausen poly 162 36 160 30 165 25 177 20 181 24 181 24 181 24 Frankenroda poly 54 286 38 283 35 279 26 279 29 273 28 263 38 254 42 252 39 247 47 235 49 224 55 222 74 228 80 215 84 218 82 230 89 237 94 241 94 244 86 243 79 247 61 246 50 244 49 250 44 262 56 277 Geisa poly 90 256 80 253 79 245 90 241 93 241 Gerstengrund poly 84 77 76 96 85 103 83 106 88 115 105 106 114 112 123 114 129 125 125 134 127 139 123 141 119 146 109 147 110 150 119 150 129 152 129 158 141 161 141 150 152 148 157 142 163 142 171 140 175 134 178 138 184 142 184 124 167 117 153 110 149 103 139 106 128 102 130 97 130 91 115 86 112 78 106 84 Gerstungen poly 179 13 173 1 177 1 182 1 186 12 Hallungen poly 236 140 232 131 225 130 222 114 222 104 212 104 205 103 200 94 203 85 202 72 201 71 207 66 212 68 220 70 220 52 222 51 223 40 236 40 244 42 250 52 271 52 277 53 281 62 268 72 241 83 234 86 234 96 245 102 Hörselberg-Hainich poly 159 87 149 76 140 79 136 76 144 70 163 68 173 56 180 66 166 66 163 74 166 84 Krauthausen poly 183 62 179 57 188 42 201 43 213 47 194 46 Lauterbach poly 124 202 124 190 127 187 130 179 143 184 141 192 Leimbach poly 115 161 103 164 90 167 88 181 97 189 106 189 107 196 124 195 113 188 117 187 118 178 110 178 120 170 Krayenberggemeinde poly 183 33 182 26 175 19 170 8 177 13 187 11 189 14 198 18 190 25 192 33 Nazza poly 93 241 86 240 85 233 84 230 83 218 92 216 105 227 96 237 Oechsen poly 210 161 193 159 184 154 186 142 182 124 198 129 200 122 211 126 209 132 218 135 209 148 Ruhla poly 87 265 81 260 72 262 67 260 49 267 46 268 49 252 46 251 53 243 72 245 82 247 81 253 93 259 Schleid poly 223 135 221 125 212 127 207 129 211 135 Seebach poly 110 9 125 5 131 10 136 25 143 7 162 4 161 14 168 13 169 6 177 10 172 17 175 24 147 28 146 41 135 59 117 53 125 48 121 43 121 33 129 29 126 20 119 21 Treffurt poly 76 213 65 211 54 204 51 199 55 181 62 177 69 182 78 188 Unterbreizbach poly 87 150 76 159 76 167 80 168 79 179 67 175 66 183 78 188 80 195 75 199 75 207 80 210 78 218 84 219 91 218 97 204 95 191 88 181 90 171 95 166 92 158 Vacha poly 103 224 106 218 120 206 131 214 121 226 111 224 Weilar poly 51 115 51 127 62 123 60 134 73 130 83 139 89 142 88 151 93 152 95 139 102 149 113 146 119 140 125 139 123 133 133 125 124 116 117 108 103 105 94 110 89 119 74 121 Werra-Suhl-Tal poly 131 265 121 260 116 253 118 248 123 234 131 234 134 251 Wiesenthal poly 193 130 183 124 181 121 187 111 203 102 219 103 225 121 227 133 222 127 206 125 200 119 Wutha-Farnroda poly 189 297 188 209 296 210 296 296 Thuringia desc bottom-right </imagemap>
Geisa Geisa
Coordinates: 50°43′N 09°58′E
Country	Germany
State	Thuringia
District	Wartburgkreis
Government
• Mayor (2020–26)	Manuela Henkel
Area
• Total	71.75 km2 (27.70 sq mi)
Elevation	318 m (1,043 ft)
Population  (2022-12-31)
• Total	4,823
• Density	67/km2 (170/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	36419
Dialling codes	036967
Vehicle registration	WAK
Website	www.geisa.de

Geisa (German pronunciation: [ˈɡaɪ̯za] ) is a town in the Wartburgkreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the Rhön Mountains, 26 km northeast of Fulda. The near border with Hesse was the border between West Germany and the GDR during the Cold War. Thus, Geisa was in the East German border restriction area of the former inner German border, which meant that until reunification access to the town was limited. The town is the westernmost municipality in what was formerly East Germany.

Geography

Geisa is a town in the north of the Rhön Mountains in Thuringia. It is located on the Ulster River. The region is also referred to by the old name of Buchonia. The closest city is Fulda.

Subdivisions

The town is subdivided into the town Geisa proper and five official Ortsteile:

• Borsch
• Bremen
• Geismar/Spahl/Ketten/Apfelbach/Reinhards/Walkes
• Otzbach/Geblar
• Wiesenfeld

The Ortsteil Geismar/Spahl/Ketten/Apfelbach/Reinhards/Walkes corresponds with the territory of the former municipality Rockenstuhl.

History

Geisa is mentioned first in a written document in 817 AD as a property of the Benedictine abbey of Fulda. Its oldest area of settlement is located on Gangolfiberg, which is the highest point of the town proper (at 322 m NN). This is also the location of the only surviving medieval place of jurisdiction in Thuringia, the so-called Zentgericht - dating from around the 11th century. A town wall, still largely extant today, was built around the year 1265. The deed of town ordinances and privileges was lost, the first notation as civitas is from 1302.

As an administration centre of the Abbey of Fulda, Geisa was a Catholic-dominated region. Athanasius Kircher was born on 2 May in either 1601 or 1602 in Geisa.

In 1802/03, in the German mediatisation, the ecclesial states including the Bishopric of Fulda were abolished. After the Congress of Vienna, Geisa was a part of the Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach until 1918.

Until 1990, the inner German border passed between Geisa and Rasdorf (Hesse). Geisa thus was in a restriction zone the East German authorities maintained on their side of the border and which limited access to the area after 1952. East Germans from outside the restriction zone had to apply for passes to enter it. West Germans were barred from visiting. Farmwork close to the border was allowed only once an official permit had been issued. Inhabitants of the restriction zone had to carry identification at all times. In the so-called Aktion Ungeziefer in the summer of 1952, the East German authorities selected 39 families from Geisa for forced resettlement. They were given one day's notice to have all their belongings ready for transport. 25 of the 39 families fled to West Germany in response.

There is now a memorial site (Haus auf der Grenze) with an exhibition on the history of the border. Just across the border, in what was previously West Germany, lies a former US observation camp - in military notation Point Alpha - that had sometimes been referred to as one of the "hottest spots of the Cold War". It was located in a very exposed position in the so-called Fulda gap, right in the path of a possible attack by the forces of the Warsaw Pact. Today the camp offers an exhibit on the presence of US armed forces and a memorial.

Since 2008, the headquarters of the Point Alpha Foundation have been located in the castle in Geisa, in addition to the municipal museum.

Sights

Because of wars and fires (1858 in the upper town, 1883 in the lower town) in the past, only a modicum of historic buildings is present today.

• Schlossplatz - the square in front of the castle is formed by a number of commercial buildings, the Protestant church (1860) and what is today known as Schloss Geisa. The castle consists of two structures. The older is the Fürstliches Schloss, formerly the local courthouse and prison (built in 1540), which was turned into the seat of the local Amt (representative of the liege lord) by Placidus von Droste, Lord Abbot of Fulda, between 1678 and 1700. The younger is the Barockschloss (1712–1714) - a building by Johann Dientzenhofer - originally a hunting lodge for the Abbot (later Bishop) of Fulda.
• Stadtpfarrkirche - the Catholic Parish Church of St Philippus und Jakobus (St Philip and St James), which was built between 1489 and 1504. It is the only surviving Gothic church in the Geisa region. A rarity is the carillon, a special kind of 49 bronze bells on the church tower.
• Town hall - built in 1861 by Carl Heinrich Ferdinand Streichhan
• "Point Alpha" - a memorial located at the former inner German border.
• Gangolfikappelle - documented since at least 1461. It features a rare exterior pulpit from around 1600 as well as a number of Renaissance grave slabs.
• A well-preserved Jewish cemetery is on the outskirts of Geisa.

Notable people

Peter Philipp von Dernbach around 1680

Athanasius Kircher

• Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680), German Jesuit scholar
• Peter Philipp von Dernbach (1619–1683), Prince-Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bamberg and Roman Catholic Diocese of Würzburg
• Caesar Rüstow (1826-1866), Prussian officer and military writer, was killed in the war in 1866 at Geisa and buried in the city
• Adalbert Geheeb (1842–1909), pharmacist and moss explorer
• Moritz Goldschmidt (1863–1916), botanist
• Paul Geheeb (1870–1961), progressive educationalist
• Eugene Buechel (1874–1954), missionary, linguist and ethnologist

External links

• www.pointalpha.com - Official website of the memorial
• www.geisa.de - Official website of the city