Willingshausen
Willingshausen is a municipality in the Schwalm-Eder district in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location The community of Willingshausen lies in the Schwalm area. Neighbouring communities Willingshausen borders in the north on the town of Schwalmstadt, in the northeast on the community of Frielendorf, in the east on the town of Neukirchen and the community of Schrecksbach (all in Schwalm-Eder), in the south on the town of Alsfeld and the community of Antrifttal (both in the Vogelsbergkreis), and in the west on the town of Neustadt (Marburg-Biedenkopf). Constituent communities Willingshausen consists of the ten centres of Gungelshausen, Leimbach, Loshausen, Merzhausen, Ransbach, Steina, Steinatal, Wasenberg (administrative seat), Willingshausen and Zella. Politics Municipal council Willingshausen's municipal council is made up of 31 councillors. As of the last municipal elections held on 26 March 2006, the council seats are apportioned thus: Culture and sightseeing Willingshäuser Malerkolonie The Willingshausen Painters' Colony is Germany's oldest artists' association. It was founded by a man from Livonia named Gerhardt Wilhelm von Reutern after he had been badly wounded in the Battle of the Nations at Leipzig in 1814 while serving as an officer in the Russian army; as a result, he had to have his right arm amputated. He