successor institution forms today a satellite campus of the University of Kassel, and includes a greenhouse complex dedicated to tropical crops (the Gewächshaus für tropische Nutzpflanzen). Main sights Buildings Historic town centre with various important timber-frame houses: Grau’sches Haus Rotes Haus Steinernes Haus Sommermann’sches Haus Meinhard-Wedekind’sches Haus Persch’sches Haus Liebfrauenkirche (church) Historic Town Hall Erlöserkirche (church) Diebesturm (“Thief’s Tower”), Eulenturm (“Owls’ Tower”) and parts of the old town wall Former Williamite monastery, part of the Colonial School and today part of the University of Kassel Gelsterhof Estate, the former Colonial School's farm Burg Ludwigstein (castle) Museums Völkerkundliches Museum (ethnology) Greenhouse for domesticated tropical plants Parks Town park with swan pond (former firefighting pond) Politics Town council The municipal election held on 27 March 2011 yielded the following results: At first, the current council was ruled by a CDU-Green-FWG coalition, but this was dissolved in September 2007. Mayors 1945-1948: Eduard Platner (CDU) 1987-2005: Günter Engel (SPD) 2005-2018: Angela Fischer (CDU) 2018- : Daniel Herz (independent) Events Witzenhäuser Woche, partly in conjunction with German Queens’ Day (Deutscher Königinnentag), every 3 years (in 2007 more than 200 guest queens, princesses and kings). Kesperkirmes, the “cherry fair” in the Old Town with election of the Cherry Queen and German cherry pip spitting championship. Cherry Man (Triathlon) Erntedank- und Heimatfest (“Harvest and Homeland Festival “), 20–25 August 2008, this year with Jürgen Drews as the star guest on Sunday in the festival tent at Joseph Pott Platz In 2006 Witzenhausen was the starting point for the third stage of the Deutschland Tour Christmas market Economy and infrastructure Witzenhausen suffers – like the whole Werra-Meißner-Kreis and a great part of North Hesse – from extremely high unemployment and its attendant loss of younger people to migration. In Witzenhausen-Unterrieden, the last producer of chewing tobacco in Germany is still in business. An important employer in Witzenhausen is, with 430 employees all together, the corporation Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (SCA). In Witzenhausen the SCA produces raw paper for corrugated cardboard for manufacturing packagings (SCA Packaging Containerboard) and hygiene products such as toilet paper (SCA Hygiene Products). Another important employer is the district and town hospital in Witzenhausen. Witzenhausen is domicile of Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung alter und gefährdeter Haustierrassen (GEH, the society for the conservation of old and endangered livestock breeds). Media Print Witzenhäuser Allgemeine (Hessische/Niedersächsische Allgemeine) Markt Spiegel Witzenhüsser Extra Tipp Wireless RundFunk Meißner Transport Over Bundesstraßen 27 (Göttingen–Eschwege),