TheEichsfeld (German:[ˈaɪçsfɛlt]or[ˈaɪksfɛlt]ⓘ; 'Oak-field') is a historical region in the southeast of the state ofLower Saxony (which is calledUntereichsfeld, 'lower Eichsfeld') and northwest of the state ofThuringia (Obereichsfeld, 'upper Eichsfeld') in the south of theHarz mountains inGermany. Until 1803 the Eichsfeld was for centuries part of theArchbishopric of Mainz, which is the cause of its current position as aCatholic enclave in the predominantlyProtestant north of Germany. Following German partition in 1945, theWest German portion becameLandkreisDuderstadt. A few small transfers of territory between the American and Soviet zones of occupation took place in accordance with theWanfried Agreement.
Today the greatest part of the Obereichsfeld makes up theLandkreis (district) Eichsfeld. Other parts belong to the districtUnstrut-Hainich-Kreis. The Untereichsfeld, later Landkreis Duderstadt, was merged mostly with the Landkreis ofGöttingen, while Lindau became part ofKatlenburg-Lindau which is now part of the Landkreis ofNortheim.
Cities in the Eichsfeld areDuderstadt,Heiligenstadt,Leinefelde-Worbis andDingelstädt.
The Eichsfeld was first mentioned in 897, and in 1022 theArchbishopric of Mainz listed its possessions in the region, which were increased up until 1573. TheOttonian Untereichsfeld became part of Eichsfeld after being part ofBrunswick-Lüneburg andGrubenhagen between 1342 and 1434.
During theGerman Peasants' War within theReichsstadt ofMühlhausen most of the monasteries, churches and castles were plundered and most of the Eichsfeld became Protestant.
In 1575 theSociety of Jesus successfully established theCounter-Reformation in Eichsfeld. TheThirty Years' War reached Eichsfeld in 1622 and during the years following several armies (Swedish, Danish, Thuringian) plundered the region. According to thePeace of Westphalia theArchbishopric of Mainz reestablishedCatholicism in the area which was two thirds devastated and had lost 75% of its population.
During the Napoleonic time Eichsfeld was part of theKingdom of Westphalia, which was dissolved after the victory overNapoleon at theBattle of Leipzig.
From 1949 to 1990 the Obereichsfeld belonged to theGDR. In this atheistic state the people preserved their Catholic roots, and church life stayed relatively intact.
After thefall of the Berlin Wall and the end of theGDR, theBorderland Museum Eichsfeld was opened in the buildings of the former border crossing pointDuderstadt-Worbis in the centre of the Eichsfeld region. It addresses the history of the GDR and the German division with focus on its meaning for the Eichsfeld region.
In consequence of the traditionalism in Eichsfeld, the percentage of voters for theCDU is significantly higher than in the surrounding area.[1]
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51°19′48″N10°15′00″E / 51.33000°N 10.25000°E /51.33000; 10.25000
