Alsfelder fights!Franco-Prussian War

By the time the war against France broke out, Alsfeld was already connected to the telegraph network, and with the rail connection, it now also had access to modern communications and transportation networks. At the same time, warfare had changed: Following the Prussian model, the troops consisted, in addition to the traditional formations, of the Landwehr, which served as a reserve army in peacetime and is considered a predecessor of general conscription. With new weapons technology and the use of railroads for troop transport, lengthy troop marches, which had been a heavy burden on Alsfeld at the beginning of the 19th century, were now a thing of the past.

The use of telegraphy made it possible to send messages between troop units just as quickly as messages to the families of army members.

The war of 1870/71 was a new media event in Alsfeld: notices at the telegraph station and town hall provided daily information about the news. The news sheets, edited and constantly updated by Lina Berck, were so appreciated by the people of Alsfeld that, following the initiative of 45 Alsfeld citizens, a gift in the form of twelve decorated silver spoons was presented to her after the end of the war. SR