Wartenberg, Hesse
| Wartenberg | ||
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 Wartenberg
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Location of Wartenberg within Vogelsbergkreis district
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| Coordinates: 50°37′0″N 9°26′0″E / 50.61667°N 9.43333°ECoordinates: 50°37′0″N 9°26′0″E / 50.61667°N 9.43333°E | ||
| Country | Germany | |
| State | Hesse | |
| Admin. region | Gießen | |
| District | Vogelsbergkreis | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Manfred Dickel (Ind.) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 39.54 km2 (15.27 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 248-494 m (−1,373 ft) | |
| Population (2015-12-31) | ||
| • Total | 3,947 | |
| • Density | 100/km2 (260/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) | |
| Postal codes | 36367 | |
| Dialling codes | 06641/06648 | |
| Vehicle registration | VB | |
| Website | Gemeinde-Wartenberg.de | |
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Wartenberg is a community in the Vogelsbergkreis in Hesse, Germany.
The community lies in the eastern Vogelsberg Mountains. Through the community flows the river Lauter, which empties into the Altefeld in Bad Salzschlirf, itself a tributary to the Schlitz.
Wartenberg borders in the north on the town of Schlitz, in the east on the communities of Bad Salzschlirf and Großenlüder (both in Fulda district), in the south on the town of Herbstein, and in the west on the town of Lauterbach.
The community consists of the centres of Angersbach (2,738 inhabitants) and Landenhausen (1,406 inhabitants).
Wartenberg came into being as part of municipal reforms in 1972, when the two aforesaid places were merged into a new municipality.
Angersbach had its first documentary mention in 812. On 20 September of that year, a church in Schlitz was consecrated in Angersbach by the Archbishop of Mainz and the Abbot Baugulf from Fulda.
The form of the village's name holds a clue as to the date of its founding, as it was customary in the time from about 700 to about 800 to name a place after its founder. The name means "Lando's houses or settlement". It seems likely, therefore, that the founder's name must have been "Lando", and that Landenhausen was founded about the 8th century.
The first settlers had a chief, whose job it was to defend the settler generation from danger. It therefore stands to reason that a castle or fortified building must have stood near the village. In the meadowlands below the village, called "Im Burggipfel" or "Am Burggipfel", sandstone foundations may be found, still stuck in the ground. Local inhabitants reported having dug these up in the countryside, and gave accounts of having seen foundations. Some digging unearthed sandstone walls, about 40 cm thick, and it was realized that they once had enclosed a yard of about 40 m². Furthermore, some sandstone slabs were identified, which had once marked a forecourt, as was a gateway arch, near which were found horseshoes and horses' bones. The entrance to the castle must have faced towards the village. The Riedesel Archive yields the information that the ruins, still recognizable in the 18th century as a Schultheiß's "dilapidated stately home", were cleared away. It seems likely that it was a castle with a moat, the more so as the surrounding area of meadowland is still crossed by several streams, and as some places are boggy moorland. However, documentary evidence for this castle is very scanty.
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