On this page you can find some sagas and stories about Heiligenstadt and its inhabitants.

You can read the following stories:

How the town Heiligenstadt got its name

One of the kings of France was dagobert, from the house of the Merowingians. Because he had leprosy and all the medecine didn´t help him, he assigned the government to his son. Then he went far away with his wife and some servants and he didn´t want to return until he would be healthy. He traveled around the country, but he didn´t recover. Finally he came to an isolated place named "Old castle". He liked it very much and he wanted to stay there. He had a flat built for himself and a chapel to honour God, the Virgin Mary and the Holy Petrus.

In the surroundings  there were a lot of forests with many games. The ailing king looked for a diversion and he went hunting more often. One day he came to a beautiful place with many flowers and a wonderful smell. Tired of the hunt he laid down in the grass and fell asleep. When he woke up his hand and his forehead that were damp from the dew of the grass, didn´t have leprosy. Full of joy he came back to his wife and he informed her of what had happened. Because she wanted it, he laid down again his whole body in the dewy grass and he became healthy. He called: "Truly, either Saints rest here or the place is holy! I command, that it will be called `Holy place` (=`Heilige Statt`) in the future."

The king and the queen came back to their son again. On the place of the wonderful healing excavations were made and the relics of two martyrs were found, a bishop Aureus and a deacon Justinus. When the king Dagobert heard this, he had them canonized and he ordered to build a church on this place. He send a provost and twelve convent-men there and gave them many estates. The church and the convent were consecrated to the Holy Martin of Tours. From all over the people came near the convent and church and built a town which was called "Heiligenstadt" as the king had commanded.

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How the people of Heiligenstadt got their nickname "carrot-kings"

A saga that is still popular today is the story, how the people of Heiligenstadt got their nickname "carrot-kings".

Trouble and quarrel have always existed all over the world - also in Heiligenstadt, even though the name of the town sounds very pious.

So the citizens of Heiligenstadt had incured the anger of the Eichsfeldian knighthood on them. The citizens had heared the threats of the knights, but they didn´t take notice. They relied on the power of the town wall and their own fighting power. 

But the enemies wanted finally to settle up with the prosperous citizens and they had raised many infantries and a big rider horde. They decided to attack the town. One day, at midday, when the citizens had lunch with their families the enemy arrived on secret paths.

But the guardian of the old town church steeple had a watchful eye. He noticed the enemy and gave an alarm with his horn. Quickly the gate guards closed the gates of the town with the bolts that were heavy and made of oak. But the guard of one gate could not find the big timber bolt in his agitation. He knew to help himself, because his wife had picked up the carrots from the field and brought into the cellar one day before. The biggest of the carrots had the thickness and the length of a man´s arm. This still lay in the guardian house so his wife could brag to her neighbours. The guard took it and he bolted the gate with it. In the next moment the enemy ran against. But the gate withstood the impact, the carrot made its work. The brave citizens could ward off the attack successfully. The enemy had to draw back. This went on for some days and the enemy was thinking about giving up.

Because the carrot had stood up to all the attacks, the guard left in the gate and didn´t look for the lost bolt. But the guard of the gate had a goat. During the siege the goat suffered privation of feed. Therefore it tore itself free and it went into the yard. It found the carrot´s-bolt and it began to nibble on the carrot. It didn´t leave anything of the carrot. When it was finished, the enemies undertook a last attack of this gate. And it was not bolted. They went in and in spite of the heroic counterattack of the surprised citizens the town fell into the hands of the triumphant enemy.

When the story of the carrot´s-bolt became known, the citizens of the neighbouring villages made mocked and made fun of the citizens of Heiligenstadt and gave them the nickname "carrot-kings".

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The "Kaltenebersche Klus" - a blind farmer who became seeing here again

Near the village Kalteneber on a hill stands a chapel, the "Kaltenebersche Klus". Concerning the building of this chapel the following story exists which took place in the 17th century.

A blind farmer made a procession with his family from his village to the famous place of pilgrimage "Hülfensberg". Many a miracle was said to have taken place there, and so the farmer wanted to pray for his convalescence.

The pilgrims came to the hill near Kalteneber and they had a break. They could see the "Hülfensberg" from this place. Under a crucifix the blind farmer prayed for his convalescence and suddenly he could see again. With much joy the pilgrims continued the trip to pray and to thank on the "Hülfensberg".

On the way home the pilgrims came again to the hill near Kalteneber and the farmer promised to build a chapel to the memory of his wonderful convalescence. 

During the war of 1756/63 the chapel was ruined. It was rebuilt in the year 1768. From Kalteneber 14 stations of the cross lead to the chapel. You have a beautiful view of the Southern Eichsfeld.

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The story of the "Vierzehn-Nothelfer-Altar"

In the year 1632 the Swedes were in Heiligenstadt.

Because they didn´t get enough money from the town they wanted to take the mayor Johann von Zwehl as a hostage.

The "Red Zwehl", as he was called, hid himself in the tower of the church St.-Annen-chapel next to the Old-town-church.

Because the Swedes looked for him everywhere he prayed to the holy 14 helpers in the need and beseeched them to save him from the soldiers. To show his gratitude he wanted to give an altar to them once he had escaped.

In fact the Swedes didn´t find him in his hiding-place.

He held his promise and had the "Vierzehn-Nothelfer-Altar" built, still stands in the church "St. Aegidien" today.

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