DEUTSCHLAND	GERMANY
Bundesland: Hessen	Hesse
Regierungsbezirk: Kassel
Kreis: Eder-Schwalm-Kreis

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• el: Σπάνγκεμπεργκ
• bg, mk, ru, sr, uk: Шпангенберг

Spangenberg is situated at an elevation of 259 m in the Eder-Schwalm district, about 35 km southeast of Kassel. The municipality has a population of about 5,800 (2025).

Spangenberg castle was founded in 1235. The village below the castle was chartered as a town in 1309. During the 18th century Spangenberg became a centre of clothmaking. The invention of mechanical looms in the 19th century forced most weavers to change their trade. In 1879 Spangenberg was connected to the railroad system as a station on the line from Leinefelde to Treysa, which was part of the railroad from Berlin to Koblenz and Metz.

Spangenberg castle [top picture: background left, and bottom left picture] was founded in 1235–1237. After 1350 it was converted to a hunting seat by the landgraves of Hesse. From the 16th century onward, the castle was then enlarged and reinforced several times. In 1907/1908 the castle became home of the Prussian school of forestry. In 1939 the school was closed and the complex was used as a prisoner of war camp for British and French air force officers. In 1945 the castle was hit by Allied fire bombs and burnt to the ground. The restoration of the castle was only completed in the late 1950s.

The Liebenbach fountain [bottom right picture] in the market square remembers a popular tale. According to the story, the lovers Kuno and Else would only get the permission from Else's father for their marriage when Kuno would succeed to build a water supply for the town. Else helped her lover, but they both had finished their hard work, they died of exhaustion. The tale Der Liebenbach was recorded by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm in their collection of folk tales. The bronze monument was created by the sculptor Erich Hösel in 1902. the monument stands on a stone fountain basin dates back to 1527. On 12 January 2000 the state of Hessen officially granted Spangenberg the title Liebenbachstadt.

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spangenberg; https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_Spangenberg; https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebenbachdenkmal, https://de.wikisource.org/wiki/Seite:Deutsche_Sagen_(Grimm)_V1_199.jpg]