Lingelbach Heritage

Introducing Lingelbach
Ancestral Home of the Dippel and Gemmer Families

The earliest authenticated mention of the village of Lingelbach dates from the 9th
century, although it may have existed for some time before then. Its name, which
means "linden stream" in English, derives from the linden trees that surrounded the
pond (long since gone) which once lay near the centre of the settlement. Linden
trees still abound throughout the village.

Today, this picturesque village is home to 712 inhabitants, nestled amidst the fields
and forests of the rolling Hessian countryside. Lingelbach is one of 16 communities
that constitute Stadt Alsfeld, which boasts a combined population of 17,310 and a
territory of 130 square kilometres in the Vogelsberg district of Hesse.

Lingelbach is located at 50° 45' north latitude and 9° 24' east longitude, just off the
autobahn route A5. (It is perched at about the same latitude as Arnes, Manitoba,
which is "a quarter of a world" west.) The village is 110 kilometres northeast of
Frankfurt am Main (or 121 kilometres from the airport), 60 kilometres east of Gießen,
56 kilometres east of Marburg, and 76 kilometres south of Kassel (if you bypass the
autobahn and take the back roads). And for listeners to the CBC Radio show "As It
Happens," Lingelbach is 549 kilometres east of Reading - through the Channel Tunnel!

LingeLinks
Web Sites for People Interested in the Lingelbach Region

Lingelbach Online (Deutsche) - Lingelbach Online in the local website for the village
of Lingelbach. It features many interesting links to businesses and tourist sites in the
vicinity, along with a short history of the village. The webmaster is Björn Siewert, who
is the fourth great-grandson of Johann Henrich Gemmer and Elisabetha Margaretha
Bambey, the common ancestors of the Gemmer family in Hessen and North America.

Google Map of Lingelbach - From here at the heart of Lingelbach, you can discover
the lay of the land surrounding Lingelbach and navigate your way to nearby places in
Hessen. Gasthof Gemmer, the ancestral home of the Gemmers, is located on the
northeast corner of Breitenbacher Straße and Heiligengraben, right in the centre of
town. Dippelshof, the ancestral home of the Dippels, is slightly northeast of Gasthof
Gemmer on Hohentorstraße, while Unterkonrode, the first Dippel farm (and mill) in the
area is four kilometres west, along the road to Berfa.

Alsfeld (Deutsche) - Official website of the municipality of Alsfeld in Hessen. A
picturesque and charming town with a medieval flavour, Alsfeld is the home of story
"Red Cap," better known to the world as Little Red Riding Hood. (Pop. 10,681)

Alsfeld in the Wikipedia - A brief but valuable introduction to the municipality of
Alsfeld which, in addition to the medieval city of Alsfeld, includes Lingelbach, Berfa,
Eifa, Leusel, Schwabenrod and other villages historically associated with the Dippel
and Gemmer families.

Alsfelder Brewery (Deutsche) - What would a German town be without a beer of its
own? The Alsfelder Brewery was established in 1858, the year after Nicolaus Dippel
left for Upper Canada, but that doesn't mean we can't still enjoy the brew!

Berfa (Deutsche) - Berfa is a village near Lingelbach, close to Unterkonrode, the old
mill farm associated with the Dippel family. (Pop. 703)

Eifa (Deutsche) - Eifa is a village halfway between Alsfeld and Lingelbach. It is the
home to Pension Lippert, another family-owned inn, and a state-of-the-art bake
house, which was given to the community by Herb and Betty Schneider of Waterloo,
Ontario -- members of the famous sausage-making family. (Pop. 837)

Burg Herzberg (Deutsche) - Burg Herzberg (or Schloss Herzberg) is the castle atop
Herzberg ("Heart Mountain"), a few kilometres east of Lingelbach. Heinrich of Romrod
commissioned construction of the oldest parts of the castle in the 13th century when
he was granted a fiefdom of five villages in the vicinity. In 1463, Burg Herzberg
became the seat of the Barons von Dörnberg and the castle has remained in the von
Dörnberg family since then. The Bergenwelt website includes an historical timeline,
photographs and the groundplan of the castle, while the Wikipedia includes a short
article about it.

Lingelbacher Countryfest (Deutsche) - Each June, Lingelbach becomes "Lingelcreek"
when it hosts the annual Lingelbacher Countryfest, a country music and square dance
festival. This year's festival is June 13-15, 2008.

Burg Herzberg Festival (Deutsche/English) - Since 1968, the Burg Herzberg Festival
has been the world's premiere "tranditional hippie convention," attracting leading acts
such as Uriah Heep, Purple Rain. Manfred Mann's Earth Band, Pavlov's Dog and Steve
Harley & Cockney Rebel. So, if you're stuck in a time warp, feeling nostalgic or retro,
the the Burg Herzberg Festival may be the place to be from July 17-20, 2008.

Steinmühle Schorbach (Deutsche) - Built in 1592, Steinmühle Schorbach is a
working "stone mill" museum located nine kilometres north of Lingelbach.