Willingen is found in Waldeck-Frankenberg district in the Upland. Its main town stretches between two river valleys, the Hoppecke in the west and the Itter in the east. The ski resort Skigebiet Willingen is near. It is located 60km west of Kassel. Mühlenkopfschanze ski jump is also located here.
Bömighausen, 300 inhabitants (as of 1 September 2003)
Eimelrod, 582 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2006)
Hemmighausen, 100 inhabitants
Neerdar, 100 inhabitants
Rattlar, 400 inhabitants
Schwalefeld, 900 inhabitants
Usseln, 2,100 inhabitants
Welleringhausen, 100 inhabitants
Willingen, 3,500 inhabitants
History
Willingen was founded in 1874 in the second municipal reform by uniting the villages of Bömighausen, Eimelrod, Hemmighausen, Neerdar, Rattlar, Schwalefeld, Welleringhausen and the climatic spas of Usseln and Willingen. Until 1929, Willingen belonged to the Free State of Waldeck, after which it passed to Prussia.
Politics
Municipal council
Willingen's council is made up of 31 councillors, with seats apportioned thus, in accordance with municipal elections held on 6 March 2016:
The field is parted horizontally, below the middle, by a row of interlocking arrows between the gold above and the green below. It is meant, of course, to look like treetops, and refers to the Upland's extensive woods. There are two charges, one inside the other. The eight-pointed black star is the ubiquitous – in terms of the local civic heraldry – Star of Waldeck, borne centuries ago by the Counts of Waldeck when they held sway over the area. The snowflake is included as a charge within the star and is representative of the municipality's status as a winter resort.
The municipality was granted this coat of arms on 12 June 1974.[4]
Willingen's landmark is the great railway bridge, "Das Viadukt", built about 1918. The municipality thrives mainly on tourism. There were 1.3 million overnight stays in 2003, and attractions include winter sports and bowling clubs.
Willingen, bar/restaurant in former church building
Willingen, viaduct
Usseln, church
Between Usseln and Düdinghausen, panorama
Notable people
Heinrich Vogeler (born 1872), architect of Stryckhaus in Willingen
Karl Schüßler (1924–2023), former cross-country skier, born in Willingen
Wolfgang Paul (born 1940), former football trainer at SC Willingen
Jochen Behle (born 1960), former cross-country skier and trainer in the cross-country skiing, lives in the district Schwalefeld and started for the SC Willingen
