Willershausen (Herleshausen)

Willershausen is a village and castle in the Gemeinde of Herleshausen in Werra-Meißner-Kreis, Hesse.

Willershausen
Ortsteil of Herleshausen
Location of Willershausen
Willershausen Willershausen
Coordinates: 51°02′10.36″N 10°10′50.92″E
Country	Germany
State	Hesse
Admin. region	Kassel
District	Werra-Meißner-Kreis
Municipality	Herleshausen
Highest elevation	387 m (1,270 ft)
Lowest elevation	320 m (1,050 ft)
Population
• Total	219
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	37293
Dialling codes	05654

In 1383, the Treusch von Buttlar were lords of Willershausen and adjacent areas. Already at the end of the 13th Century, the residential tower and the defensive tower of the present castle were built. The Treusch von Buttlar were the owners until the 1757. The castle came to the von Kutzleben family and the Schwebheim branch of the von Bibra family in 1757. The estate was divided between the two families on 27 September 1817. Ernst von Bibra sold their portion in 1850 to Landgrave Carl August of Hesse. From 1889 to 1992 the Landgraves of Hesse were owner of the property. Today, a golf course is maintained. The church in Willershausen is worth seeing.

The Robbers inspiration

The relationship to Friedrich Schiller and the history of his play The Robbers is especially interesting: family ambiguities in the family of Treusch von Buttlar at Willershausen, around 1730/40, served as an inspiration and background to his drama.

Photo gallery

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  Coat of Arms of the Treusch von Buttlar family (left)

Websites

http://www.gut-willershausen.de

References

• WILHELM FRHR. VON BIBRA, Beiträge zur Familien Geschichte der Reichsfreiherrn von Bibra, Dritter Band (vol. 3), 1888;
• MARTIN STINGL, REICHFREIHEIT UND FÜRSTENDIENST DIE DIENSTBEZIEHUNGEN DER BIBRA 1500 BIS 1806, Verlag Degener & Co, 1994, 341 pages, ISBN 3-7686-9131-4;