Witzenhausen | |
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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[1] (Ind.) |
Area | |
• Total | 126.69 km2 (48.92 sq mi) |
Elevation | 141 m (463 ft) |
Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 15,005 |
• 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 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.