Freigericht
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| Freigericht | |
| Coat of arms | Location |
 |
  |
| Administration | |
| Country |  Germany |
|---|---|
| State | Hesse |
| Admin. region | Darmstadt |
| District | Main-Kinzig-Kreis |
| Municipal subdivisions | 5 villages |
| Mayor | Joachim Lucas (UWG) |
| Governing parties | CDU / FDP |
| Basic statistics | |
| Area | 33.42 km² (12.9 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 200 m (656 ft) |
| Population | 15,017 (30/06/2006)[1] |
| - Density | 449 /km² (1,164 /sq mi) |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Licence plate | MKK |
| Postal code | 63579 |
| Area code | 06055 |
| Website | www.freigericht.de |
Freigericht is a town in the Main-Kinzig district, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated 15 km east of Hanau, close to the Frankfurt Rhein-Main region at the foothills of the Spessart, directly at the Hesse-Bavaria border. More than 40% of the area is forested.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
[edit] Geographic position
Freigericht has an elevation of 140 to 371 m in a side valley of the Kinzig river.
[edit] Geology
In the southern parts of the town several pre-historical cairns have been found. On 19 June 1930 a tooth of a 40,000 year-old mammoth was discovered during building works in Somborn. It was transferred to the county seat Gelnhausen. Since the opening of Freigericht's local museum several attempts have been made to get the tooth back, none of which was successful.
[edit] Neighbouring towns
Freigericht borders the municipalities of Hasselroth to the north, Linsengericht to the east and Rodenbach to the west. South of Freigericht (already belonging to the Bavarian district of Aschaffenburg are the town of Alzenau, the municipalities of Mömbris and Geiselbach, as well as the unincorporated area of Geiselbach Forest.
[edit] Town divisions
Freigericht is divided into five villages, which have been independent villages until 1970.
- Altenmittlau
- Bernbach
- Horbach (since 1968 styled a climatic spa)
- Neuses
- Somborn
On 1 January 1970 the five villages voluntarily incorporated into a new municipality named Freigericht. The name Freigericht (lit. Free Court) had been unofficially used for the villages for several centuries. According to legend, it states that farmers from the areas between the rivers Main and Kinzig stood and defended their Emperor Frederick I (Barbarossa), during a surprise ambush. As a reward, the Kaiser granted them with "free jurisdiction", hence the name "Freigericht".
[edit] References
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