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Famous for its water reservoirs

Magnificent Lakes and Spring of the Region

(From the Ovag-magazine Unser Oberhessen 2/2008) 

In each part of our series "Zuhause in Oberhessen ", we introduce a place in our region. In this part: Inheiden. As the name indicates, Inheiden was a village build in the Heather-herb. At the southern fringe of the County Gießen, the place belongs to the district of Hungen. Well-known even beyond Upper-Hesse for its water, it counts 1220 inhabitants.  In 1912, waterworks were built, which are maintained by OVAG. Today, Inheiden provides the region with qua litativ's high-grade water from basalt-groundwater. Two over 40 kilometers long pipes even lead water to Frankfurt on the Main. "With the profit margins from the water-sales, the electrification of Oberhessen was financed ", regional mayor Heinz Joachim Schäfer reports.

The first documentary mention of Inheidens goes back to the year 1148. In this year Pope Eugen III. informed the Augustinian Monk-Choir about the charitable disposition of the Countess Clementia von Gleiberg. However, the oldest excavation were found on the open fields: a gravel-appliance as well as a fist-wedge from the Palaeolithic. Also findings from the Neolithic from the Rössner-culture, shards from bronze and Iron Age testifies from the settling of the location, finally secured by the Romans with help of a limes. Tracks of the Roman border-fixation attachments are visible at the Feldheimer forest in Inheiden and on the grounds of the waterworks still today and give its name to the Limes cycle path. However not only for drinkable water is famous in Inheiden. At the weekends, many visitors from bigger cities take advantage of their boats or air mattresses. The lake developed from the mines “Zeche Friedrich” in 1875, where brown coal was won. When the production stopped, the pit was filled with water from the Köstgraben. The lake is used since 1965 and was cleaned in 1971.

"Even if there is no high life in Inheiden, it has to offer many historical sites", Regional Mayor Schäfer says. Inheiden has a church, a community and citizen-house, a playing field, a primary school, bakers and further purchase-possibilities for the everyday necessity as well as miscellaneous employers; almost everything you need is present. "The connections to Gießen and Friedberg are very good. And then, we still have an extremely active association-life", shepherd emphasizes. Beside a choral society, the cycling-association and sail-club as well as the voluntary fire brigade and the country-women, the members of a 75 years old association for garden culture and landscape-care take care of an over 1000 fruit trees covered meadow with a luxuriant bloom-carpet in direction Hungen from Inheidenin spring. "To this year's summer-party, we specifically planted additional little trees”, the hobby-gardener, who moved to Inheiden for his love. Shepherd winks conspiratorial: "Dancing in the nearby located Bellersheim still grants some marriage-luck today." (ssp)