Ringgau

Ringgau
Coat of arms
Ringgau
Location of Ringgau within Werra-Meißner-Kreis district
Coordinates: 51°05′N 10°04′E / 51.083°N 10.067°E / 51.083; 10.067Coordinates: 51°05′N 10°04′E / 51.083°N 10.067°E / 51.083; 10.067
Country	Germany
State	Hesse
Admin. region	Kassel
District	Werra-Meißner-Kreis
Government
• Mayor	Klaus Fissmann
Area
• Total	66.81 km2 (25.80 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	2,974
• Density	45/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	37296
Dialling codes	05658, 05659
Vehicle registration	ESW
Website	www.ringgau.de

Ringgau is a community in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.

The community of Ringgau lies in the like-named low mountain range some 11 km (as the crow flies) south of Eschwege between the Hoher Meißner and the Thuringian Forest.

Ringgau borders in the north on the communities of Wehretal und Weißenborn (both in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis), in the east on the Thuringian community of Ifta (Wartburgkreis), in the south on the community of Herleshausen and in the west on the town of Sontra (both in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis).

The community’s Ortsteile are Datterode, Grandenborn, Lüderbach, Netra (administrative seat), Renda, Rittmannshausen and Röhrda.

Until the 13th century the area was Thuringian, but then changed hands several times in the Thuringian-Hessian War of Succession between Hesse and Thuringia before it ended up in Hesse’s hands permanently in 1436. The Boyneburg right nearby drew both emperors and kings as an Imperial castle, along with whom came many a knight and trooper over these fields. Not least of all, the road through the Netra valley afforded an important connection from Leipzig to Frankfurt, and was well known by the name of die langen Hessen.

On 31 December 1971, the communities of Netra, Grandenborn, Lüderbach, Renda and Rittmannshausen merged into the greater community of Ringgau. Datterode and Röhrda, which had merged to form the greater community of Netratal in 1972, were integrated into Ringgau at the beginning of 1974.

The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:

The community’s arms might be described thus: A bend wavy argent, above gules an oak twig with three acorns and two leaves Or, below azure three ears of grain on one stem of the last.