The 650th Year Celebration of Olberode, where many of our Goetz and Webert ancestors came from!

The following is from the official website - check for updates at http://www.650-jahre-olberode.de/

Welcome to the online presence of the 650-year celebration of Olberode.

 The site is still under construction, but we are all striving hard to provide relevant information on a timely manner.




Brief History

 of Olberode

Olberode, on the southeast slope of the Goat Mountain, is 420-450 meters high, which makes it the highest village in the municipality of Upper Hall.

The village lies on the main road and Highway 454 on the former railway line, now Red Riding Hood Bike Path, going from the towns of Treysa to Bad Hersfeld.

Naming of Olberode:

People already lived here 3500 years ago, which is proven by the flint dagger found here, called the "Olberöder splendor Dagger." It was only in 1364 that our village was first mentioned. The legend tells of the four brothers Adolf, Christian, Friedrich, and Eckhart who cleared the forest and founded the villages of Olberode, Christerode, Friedigerode and Eckenrode. The name Olberode changed from Adolfsrode, Udolfsrode, Olffenrode (1574), Olbenrode (1595), Olbenroth (1700), T PISTON Roth (1715), Olfenrode (1746), Olberode (1800), Top Roth, Olberoth (1865) and finally Olberode .




The Village Church:

In the center of the village is the church. The independent parish, with headquarters in Olberode was assigned in 2010 to be the center for the villages of Christerode, Hauptschwenda and Weissenborn. Since the January 1, 2011 restructuring of the Evangelical Church of Hesse Electorate-Waldeck, the parish consists of the villages Olberode, Weissenborn, and Schorbach Asterode. The headquarters of the rectory is in Olberode, and was inaugurated on November 28, 1953 and extensively renovated in 1998.

 



Schools:

Since July 2, 1700 there was a school in Olberode. In 1857 an old school, which previously served as a home, was purchased for 1355 coins. It is House 21. Previously, the teacher taught in "Lisses old house" (house number 42), and later in number 38, a farmhouse (which is today the Bernard barn) In number 38 the teacher taught in a room that served as living, sleeping, and working space at the same time for him.

Mills:

According to old records, there were in and around Olberode also several mills: Fickel was a mill, the house with the number 1, and two other mills were at the nearby village of Schorbach - on today's Black Börner Road, and at the auditorium - heading towards Hollenbach.

 



Roads:

In 1957, the military training area, Schwarzenborn, was put into operation. All the troops' travel, some with heavy equipment, was from the top station to Schwarzenborn auditorium, by Olberode. The heavy burden of the travel and severe damage to the main road led to the decision to construct a bypass road (road armor). In 1967 the course of the 3161 national road was changed and passed by the junction of highway 454 through the field at the local district location of Olberode.

 

On November 18, 1956 it was dedicated to be a war memorial at a cemetery.



Volunteer Fire Department and Water Supply:

A volunteer fire department was founded in 1934, and in 1954 a fire station was built in the "Firehouse on Winning." A dam was built on Schorbach Creek with pipes supplying enough non-potable water for fire extinguishing.

New water mains were laid in 1962. After 1963 a new, elevated water tank was built. In 1965-1966 a new water reservoir was created by means of a deep hole approximately 100 meters deep. 

In 1970 there was a consolidation process between the village of Olberode and the larger town of Oberaula. The land consolidation area covered 1660 acres and involved 154 property owners. 

 

In 1972 a new portable vehicle pump (model TSF) was given to the local fire department. Because of extensive corrosion damage over the years it was replaced in 1972 by a new portable fire pump containing a 137 gallon water tank, model TSF-W. A new fire station was built in 1985 at Goat Mountain right next to the teacher's home of the "new school", but which was used as a community center since 1970.



Street Names:

On January 1, 1974 Olberode lost its independence and became incorporated into the Upper Town Hall. Since the merger of several places for the community of Oberaula some street names were changed, and many streets were not named. In 1977 the local streets were given new names. Up to this time there was only the old house counting method for the old village. Some new homes were built. So you can still detect how old a house is, but not at which location it was in the village.

 

In1982 Olberode became an "accredited resort".

Olberode Today:

Olberode today has about 400 inhabitants who are active in numerous clubs. They work together to ensure an exciting and hospitable village for both its residents and also vacationers.

650th Anniversary Program:

The dates of the celebration are September 5-7, 2014. The program is not completely finalized yet, but will include:

Friday, September 5: a celebration in the marquee.

Saturday, September 6: a daytime reunion followed by a program starting at 8 PM.

Sunday, September 7: pageant.

The web site, http://www.650-jahre-olberode.de/ will be updated as we have more details about the program.

Festival Committee:

The festival committee consists of 14 members. Each local association is represented by a member of the Committee.