Trendelburg (2001: c 1200 inhabitants)

before 1303

construction of castle, town wall and houses

1303

first mentioned in a document ("Trindirberg")

after 1429

the castle is owned by the Hessian Landgraves

1443

a big fire destroys part of the town and the castle

1443-1462

reconstruction following the still existing layout. A second fire in 1456 destroys many buildings again and delays completion.

1462

first constitution with mayor and town council

1472

6th January Landgraf Ludwig II. certifies the town charter

1544

the oldest complete list of house owners gives 86 names for 87 houses (1568=95, 1585=100, 1600=105)

1604?1650?

construction of a wooden bridge across the river Diemel (before people had to use the ford)

1618-1648

Thirty Years’ War

1621 (?)

the regiments of General Tilly move into the Diemel valley

1625

at the beginning of the year 100 soldiers are in quarters in the town
outbreak of the plague

1626

318 people die, that is more than half of the population

1631

end of September General Tillys regiments move back from Westfalia to the river Main, Trendelburg is conquered and burned down in parts

1634

Görge Grossberndt has to be baptised in Hümme instead of his birth village Sielen because of "enemy danger", as the church register says.

1636

32 people die of the plague

1639

there are only 50 families left in town

1637

on May 10th, Trendelburg is raided and plundered by the enemy

1644

there are only 61 of 112 houses left

1647

again besieged by Bavarian troops

1676

reconstruction of castle as a hunting lodge for Landgrave Carl of Hesse

1744/47

substitution of the old delapidated wooden bridge over the river Diemel by a stone bridge - financed by the town (1/3) and bridge toll (2/3)

1750

there are 485 inhabitants in 120 houses

1754

rebuilding and strengthening of the "road to Bremen" direction Deisel

1756-1763

Seven-Years’ War

1757

July 9th: French troops invade and take quarters in Trendelburg, take advantage of the stored goods and leave next day. After Kassel has been conquered, a lot of fodder has to be delivered to Kassel, Paderborn, Hameln and to other places. In November, a disease kills almost all cattle, "the poverty was dreadful".

1758

In March, the allied troops under Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick drive the French back to the Rhine. In August, Trendelburg is taken again by the French. Hessian soldiers besiege Trendelburg and take the French occupiers prisoners on September 11th. In October, the French are again - now third time - masters of the town, but they are continuously harrassed by the allied troops. During the following winter, lower Hesse is free of friend and foe.

1760

In summer, the Duke of Brunswick's army (110.000 men) builds entrenchments in the wide bend of the river Diemel between Warburg and Trendelburg. In that time, the entrenchments on the hillslopes north of the Diemel are built. The Gleudenberg above Sielen is especially strongly fortified with several entrenchments following each other.
Extended positional warfare follows in the Diemel valley, which takes huge sufferings from the people (fields and gardens are destroyed, enormous rise of prices).

1761

In March 1761, the heavy artillery of the allied forces, which had been used for the siege of the castle of Ziegenhain (Ohm), is sent to Trendelburg. On March 24th, "around the town many batterys and entrenchments were made, where the best gardens were ruined and more than 2000 fruit trees were cut, because the allies thought of defending themselves here".
In the town there were sometimes more than 20 soldiers quartered in one house. The poverty was so enormous, that even the soldiers collected 76 Talers among themselves for the poor people of the town.
The allies retract from the Diemel, afterwards again occupation by the French (300 men), who build entrenchments and battery positions direction of Deiselberg (a hill). After a short time of bombing, the French occupiers are forced to surrender. But a French relief troop of some thousand men who appear shortly after drive away the allies who are forced to leave their prisoners behind. On August 25th the allies try again to occupy the castle. They surround the town and from 4 o'clock in the morning on they shoot the castle with canons, fireballs and bombs. The house of the administrator burns down and many houses are damaged. After four hours, the occupiers surrender with 86 men.
Prices and poverty rise even higher, and the harvest cannot be taken in from the fields as there is no more cattle to draw carts. The allied English take away the remaining hay, barley and oats out of the houses. The poor have to bake their bread from the acorns collected from oak trees in the forest and leftovers from the fruit they can find. In this year, 62 people die in the town.

1762

On June 24th the army of Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick (57.000 men) crosses the Diemel in a wide front between Warburg and Liebenau and attacks the enemy who is encamped between Carlsdorf and Meimbressen with 72.000 men.
The Battle of Wilhelmsthal ends with the the French retreating to Kassel and from there to Upper Hesse. So the troops also leave the Diemel valley, but hunger and need rise to the utmost. There is no more cattle for tilling the fields.

1763

When on February 9th peace is celebrated, the biggest concern is on feeding the poor. The castle is reconstructed.

1764

The troops who guarded the castle are sent to Karlshafen, administration of justice and collection of taxes remain in Trendelburg.

1776

Trendelburg is still suffering from the consequences of the war. The citizens are not able to farm all the land in their district. So land belonging to the Landgrave and bought from the town is used to found the "Colony Friedrichsfeld" by order of the Landgrave Friedrich II.

1845

February 15th: Start of construction of the "Carlsbahn" railway line (sideline of the Friedrich Wilhelm Nordbahn)

1847

In December, the first locomotive runs from Hümme to Karlshafen on the Carlsbahn

um 1850

General wave of emigration, mostly to North America

1868

January 31st: big fire which takes 42 houses with additional buildings, that is nearly 1/3 of the town

1901

castle becomes private property, change to a residential building

1914-1918

1. World War – 35 soldiers killed in action

1939-1945

2. World War – 33 soldiers killed in action, 5 people missed

1949

a hotel is opened in the castle

1965

a flood destroys the stone Diemel bridge

1970

December 31st: union of the town of Trendelburg and the municipalities Deisel, Eberschütz, Friedrichsfeld, Gottsbüren, Langenthal, Sielen and Stammen to a new municipality " Stadt Trendelburg"

1973

official opening of the new Diemel bridge