Alsfeld cheers?800 years of the town of Alsfeld

In historical science, the age of a city or village is determined by the date of its earliest verified written mention. For Alsfeld, this is the year 1069, when “adelesfelt” was first mentioned in the so-called “Fulda Imperial Charter.” However, this document only confirms the existence of a place with that name at the time; it reveals nothing about how long the settlement had already existed or whether “adelesfelt” was a castle, a village, or a town.

A charter dated March 13, 1222, is considered the “birth certificate” of the city of Alsfeld. In this deed of gift, Wezzilo of Nidda and his wife Sophia donated their estate in Hergeren to the Arnsburg Abbey. Among the witnesses mentioned for the first time were three “scabini” (jurors/aldermen) from Alsfeld. These jurors were men endowed with citizenship, recruited from long-established, highly respected patrician families, and represented the administrative leadership of the town; they were thus city dwellers, not villagers.

Important clues, such as Thuringian city foundations in Upper Hesse from 1138 onwards, as well as the rights to hold markets, build walls, and mint coins (from 1170), suggest even older city rights, though written evidence for this does not exist. (MNic)