Flecken Adelebsen

Adelebsen

The village of Adelebsen lies on the northern edge of the Münden Nature Park between the Bramwald and Solling. Its charming natural landscape runs through the middle of the Schwülme and Auschnippe valleys and is surrounded by formerly volcanic mountains and forests. For over 150 years, basalt has still been quarried on the Bramburg for road and railway ballast construction.

The main town of Adelebsen is dominated by a massive keep worth seeing and a castle which is still inhabited today. A panoramic hiking trail connects Adelebsen with Hann. Münden via the Niemetal valley. The landscape can be explored on numerous hiking and cycling trails around the villages. Visitors are cordially invited, as Adelebsen's motto is: "Varied is the landscape, versatile in nature. The best conditions for pure relaxation".

Adelebsen Castle

The Lords of Wichbike moved to Adelebsen in 1234 and built the castle, the oldest parts of which are still standing. The 38.75 m high keep, which towers over the main castle from afar and is pentagonal and hexagonal in the upper part, dates from the 13th century and is one of the most powerful residential and defensive towers of this period. In the 16th century, a large Renaissance wing was built, of which only a stair tower remains today. In 1640, a gentleman of Adelebsen, who was chancellor in Kassel, built a pleasure palace on a terrace in front of the castle, which was extended in 1890.

Today, the visitor is presented with an ensemble of different eras, surrounded by garden terraces on former defence installations. In 1947, the last Lord of Adelebsen established a foundation for the preservation of the historic grounds.

Jewish cemetery at Adelebsen

The village of Adelebsen - located on the edge of the Solling in southern Lower Saxony - can look back on a history of Jewish life that spans more than 300 years. In the 19th century, it was even called "Little Jerusalem" because of the high proportion of Jewish inhabitants. Today, only a few traces remain in the village. Only the cemetery has visibly "survived", as have most of the graveyards of the destroyed Jewish communities in Germany (230 in Lower Saxony alone). The aim of this documentation, a piece of unfinished and necessary mourning work, is to make this "house of life", as it is called according to Jewish custom, accessible as a historical source and as a place of remembrance.

The documentation "Im Steilhang. The Jewish Cemetery at Adelebsen. Remembrance of a Destroyed Community" by Berndt Schaller and Eike Dietert, was commissioned by the Flecken Adelebsen on the occasion of the renovation work on the Jewish cemetery, which was completed in autumn 2004.

Adelebsen Stone Workers' Museum

The Adelebsen Stone Workers' Museum was opened in May 1994 in the municipality's own restored old school on Kirchweg. It is run and maintained by the "Museumsverein für Steinarbeit und ländliches Alltagsleben e. V." on a voluntary basis.

The museum focuses on the everyday life of the stone workers in the Adelebsen area, because the basalt quarries on the Bramburg, the Grefenburg and the Backenberg were an important economic factor in this region for decades. At times, more than 1000 workers mined and processed basalt there under the most difficult conditions. Their history is the basis for a museum of social history that is also of supra-regional importance.

On display is the everyday working life of the stone workers, a clipper shack, a village kitchen and the working and living environment of the stone workers' wives.

Contact: Adelebsen Stone Workers' Museum, 1st Chairman Werner Lindemann, Kirchweg 8, 37139 Adelebsen, telephone: 05506 7801.

Studio Wasserscheune in Adelebsen

The Studio Wasserscheune is a cultural centre "in the village" where exhibitions, concerts, seminars and workshops take place regularly. The building is a 200-year-old barn that has always been popularly called the "Wasserscheune". In 1988, the Quentin couple rebuilt the barn in its original form and opened it to the public in 2000 as the "Studio Wasserscheune".

The converted barn received an award above all for its innovative energy system. First of all, this requires optimal thermal insulation of the historic building. The rooms of the Wasserscheune are heated via a ventilation system with heat recovery. The result: a pleasant indoor climate and comfortable warmth. The energy system is supplemented by a solar system on the roof, which mathematically provides the electricity for the building, making it self-sufficient.

Contact: Studio Wasserscheune in Adelebsen, Alte Dorfstraße 4, 37139 Adelebsen, phone: 05506 9555-99, e-mail: wasserscheune@quentin.de, internet: www.wasserscheune.de