Willingen
Willingen is a community in Waldeck-Frankenberg in northern Hesse, Germany, some 80 km west of Kassel. Willingen is regularly advertised as Willingen Hochsauerland and Willingen (Upland). Geography. Location. Willingen is found in Waldeck-Frankenberg district in the Upland. Its main town stretches between two river valleys, the Hoppecke in the west and the Itter in the east. The ski resort Skigebiet Willingen is near. It is located 60 km west of Kassel. Mühlenkopfschanze ski jump is also located here. Neighbouring communities. Willingen borders in the north on the community of Diemelsee, in the east on the town of  Korbach, in the south on the community of Medebach, and in the west on the towns of Winterberg, Olsberg and Brilon (all three in the Hochsauerlandkreis in North Rhine-Westphalia). Constituent communities. Willingen consists of the following centres: History. Willingen was founded in 1874 in the second municipal reform by uniting the villages of Bömighausen, Eimelrod, Hemmighausen, Neerdar, Rattlar, Schwalefeld, Welleringhausen and the climatic spas of Usseln and Willingen. Until 1929, Willingen belonged to the Free State of Waldeck, after which it passed to Prussia. Politics. Municipal council. Willingen's council is made up of 31 councillors, with seats apportioned  thus, in accordance with municipal elections held on 6 March 2016: Coat of arms. The field is parted horizontally, below the middle, by a row of interlocking arrows between the gold above and the green below. It is meant, of course, to look like treetops, and refers to the Upland's extensive woods. There are two charges, one inside the other. The eight-pointed black star is the ubiquitous – in terms of the local civic heraldry – Star of Waldeck, borne centuries ago by the Counts of Waldeck when they held sway over the area. The snowflake is included as a  charge within the star and is representative of the community's status as a winter resort. The community was granted this coat of arms on 12 June 1974. Culture and sightseeing. Willingen's landmark is the great railway bridge, ""Das Viadukt"", built about 1918. The community thrives mainly on tourism. There were 1.3 million overnight stays in 2003, and attractions include winter sports and bowling clubs. Regular events. Among Willingen's sports events are the International Ski Federation's annual FIS Ski Jumping World Cup competition at the Mühlenkopfschanze, and the annual "Mountainbike-Event" at the Ettelsberg. Nearby lie the  trails of "Bike Arena Sauerland". Transport. Willingen lies on the "Uplandbahn" railway line between Korbach and Brilon-Wald.