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Eschwege , the district seat of the Werra Meißner Kreis, is a town in northeastern Hesse, Germany. In 1971, the town hosted the eleventh Hessentag state festival.

The town lies on a broad plain tract of the river Werra at the foot of the Leuchtberg (mountain) northwest of the Schlierbachswald (range) and east of the Hoher Meißner. The valley basin where the town is located includes a series of small lakes along the northern side of the river. The nearest city in Hesse is Kassel (roughly 52 km to the northwest), and the nearest in Lower Saxony is Göttingen (roughly 55 km to the north). It lies more or less in the geographical centre of Germany.

Eschwege borders in the north on the town of Bad Sooden Allendorf and the community of Meinhard, in the east on the town of Wanfried (all three in the Werra Meißner Kreis), in the southeast on the town of Treffurt (in Thuringia’s Wartburgkreis), in the south on the communities of Weißenborn and Wehretal, in the west on the community of Meißner, and in the northwest on the community of Berkatal (all four in the Werra Meißner Kreis).

Eschwege’s Stadtteile, besides the main town, also called Eschwege, are Albungen, Eltmannshausen, Niddawitzhausen, Niederdünzebach, Niederhone, Oberdünzebach and Oberhone.

In 974, Eskinivvach had its first documentary mention. This name stems from an old Germanic language and means “Settlement near the ash trees at the water”. This origin is noteworthy for showing that the town arose before Franks overran the area, which was some time between 500 and 700. As far back as Merovingian times, a Frankish royal court arose here, which kept watch as a border defence over the ford (crossing) on the Werra leading into Thuringia, and which still stood in the 10th and 11th centuries. At this time, Saint Denis was still the foremost saint, having been the Merovingians’ main saint, to whom the church in the Old Town is consecrated. The first documentary mention is found in a document from Emperor Otto II, in which he bequeathed the royal court and the settlement to his wife Theophanu. Their daughter Sophia founded on the Cyriakusberg about 1000 a canonical foundation for women (in which women did not take vows, but nonetheless lived in a conventlike environment) consecrated to Saint Cyriacus, which existed until the introduction of the Reformation into Hesse in 1527. All that is left of it now, though, is the Karlsturm (tower). Market rights were granted about 1188, and town rights followed by 1249. It was in this time that the groundwork was laid for the cloth and leathermaking that flourished on into modern times. Beginning in 1264, as a result of the Thuringian Hessian War of Succession, Eschwege belonged, under Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse, to Hesse. On 12 May 1292, he offered King Adolf of Germany the town of Eschwege as an Imperial fief and was given it straight back along with the Imperial castle Boyneburg as an hereditary Imperial fief, thereby raising Henry to Imperial Prince, greatly strengthening his power in Hesse. In 1385, Landgrave Balthasar of Thuringia moved to town and in 1386 he built a castle. In 1433, the town passed back to the Landgraviate of Hesse. Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, William IV, Landgrave of Hesse Kassel and Maurice, Landgrave of Hesse Kassel expanded the castle into a palatial residence. From 1627 to 1632, this was Maurice's “old man’s seat” after he had abdicated, and from 1632 to 1655, Landgrave Frederick of Hesse Eschwege, a sideline in the so called Rotenburger Quart of the house of Hesse Kassel, was resident here, although he did not actually live in the town until some time after 1646. In the Thirty Years' War, Eschwege was sacked and widely laid waste by fire in 1637 by Imperial Croats under General Johann von Götzen. After Frederick's death in 1655, his (part )landgraviate passed to his brother Ernst of Hesse Rheinfels. After 1731, his grandson, Christian of Hesse Wanfried transferred the residence of the Landgraviate of Hesse Wanfried to Eschwege. After the Hesse Wanfried male line died out in 1755, the landgraviate passed to the Hesse Rotenburg line. Once their male line also died out in 1834, the whole Quart passed back to the main house of Hesse Kassel. The town acquired in 1875 a railway link when the line from Bebra to Eschwege was built. Niederhone station (as of 1938, Eschwege West) was the junction of two lines, the Cannons railway and the Bebra–Göttingen line. After the Second World War ended in 1945, Eschwege belonged to the United States Zone of Occupation. The US military administration set up a displaced persons camp to lodge Jewish citizens. This camp, in which up to 3,300 people lived at times, was dissolved in 1949.

Eschwege is also home to old barracks, formerly used by the German Army during World War II. It was occupied by US Army troops for a short time after the war and is now a training center for the German Federal Police.

At the time of founding, Eschwege was known as Eskiniwach, meaning “Settlement near the ash trees at the water”. Older people living in town and nearby also say Eschewei or Ischewei. These names may stem from High German and come from Eschwege's original Germanic name.

In 1936, Niederhone was amalgamated, and in 1973 in the course of municipal reform, the other six communities named above were also amalgamated.

In Eschwege, there are four Protestant parishes in the main town and one each in the outlying centres of Albungen, Eltmannshausen, Niddawitzhausen, Niederdünzebach, Oberdünzebach, Niederhone and Oberhone. Furthermore, there are two Catholic parishes in the main town (St. Elisabeth and Apostelkirche), a state church community (Bismarkstraße 7), a Protestant Free Church parish (Baptists) and a New Apostolic parish, whose members attend services at the former synagogue (Vor dem Berge 4). On 31 December 2006, 13,967 of the town's 22,574 inhabitants (61.87 %) belonged to the Protestant Church and 3,403 (15.07 %) belonged to the Catholic Church. The town's oldest church was built in the 10th century on the spot where now the Marktkirche (“Market Church”) is situated.

Already by the Middle Ages, there were Jews living in Eschwege (first reference in 1301). In the persecution arising in the time of the Black Death, the Jewish community was wiped out. In 1457, a Judengasse (“Jews’ Lane”) was mentioned, and from 1507 comes mention of the vicus iudaicus. The Judengasse lay in the town centre between Kohlenmarkt and Neuer Steinweg. In 1580, 30 Jewish inhabitants were counted in town. By the mid 18th century, this had risen to 171 (4.9% of the whole population). The families earned their livelihood at first almost exclusively from livestock trading and goods trading (textiles). In the 19th century, however, many Jewish trading, business and industrial operations arose, which earned great importance to the town's economic life. Even in public life, the Jewish inhabitants readily took part. The community belonged to the Lower Hesse (Kassel) Rabbinate Region, although it had its own district rabbinate. The Jewish population peaked in 1885, when there were 549. As early as 1838, a synagogue had been dedicated. Its interior was utterly destroyed on 8 November 1938, one day before the nationwide Kristallnacht. Since 1954, the former synagogue has served as Eschwege's New Apostolic church. After 1933, some of the Jewish community's members left Eschwege or emigrated as Jews were being stripped of their rights and subjected to reprisals. Four hundred and twenty one left in 1933 alone, many of them for the United States (80). In 1941 and 1942, the last hundred or so Jewish residents were deported to the death camps. After 1945, a displaced persons camp to lodge Jewish death camp survivors was set up under the supervision of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and lasted a few years. Almost all the camp dwellers emigrated to Israel once that state had been founded. The Jews left in Eschwege were in the long run too few in number to be able to form a community.

The town's executive (Magistrat) is made up of two full time members (Mayor Alexander Heppe [CDU] and treasurer Reiner Brill) and seven other councillors, of whom 3 are from the SPD, 2 from the CDU and one each from the FDP and the FWG.

The current mayor is Alexander Heppe (CDU), who was elected mayor after winning 65.63% of the votes on 14 March 2021, increasing his majority over the candidate from the SPD.

The town's arms might be described thus: Gules a castle embattled with two towers with peaked roofs argent, between the towers an ash twig with three pinnate leaves vert. The town of Eschwege has passed a bylaw governing the use of the coat of arms.

On the Werratalsee lies a rowing regatta course, unique in Hesse, with six lanes and a length of 1 500 m. It was expanded in 2008 to 2 000 m, giving it international dimensions, allowing the Eschwege rowing club to soon stage international competitions. Already for some years, the Hesse rowing championships have been being held here. There is also sailing on the Werratalsee. The Werrertalsee und Segelclub WSSC 1969 Eschwege e. V. yearly organizes spring and autumn regattas. During the season, guests are welcome at the marina. A further sporting event is the “WerraMan” Triathlon, staged by the town since 2004. The contest is held each year on the first weekend in September. The “WerraMan” and all other watersport events are supported by the local DLRG group Eschwege Wanfried e. V.

The riding facility right near the Werratalsee is year after year the showplace for North Hesse Championships in show jumping and dressage. Football is played in Eschwege in the clubs SV 07 Eschwege (Landesliga), FC Eschwege 1988 e. V (Kreisliga B2) and FFV Palm Strikers Eschwege (Kreisliga C2). The Eschwege Gymnastic and Sport Club unites nine departments under one roof. It offers, among others, team handball, table tennis, gymnastics, swimming and athletics. Since 2005 there has also been a cycling sport department, making it the district's biggest sport club. The town's biggest tennis club is TC Eschwege e. V. Its men's 50 and women's 50 teams play in the Gruppenliga (fifth highest class in Germany). The web page is www. tceschwege. de.

Through the town run Bundesstraßen 27, 249 and 452. Furthermore, Eschwege lies on the Regionalbahn line R7 (Göttingen–Eschwege–Bebra–Bad Hersfeld–Fulda) and belongs to the Nordhessischer Verkehrsverbund (“North Hesse Transport Association”, NVV). The nearby Autobahn A 44 (Kassel–Eisenach) is currently under construction. At the timetable change on 13 December 2009, the Nordhessischer Verkehrsverbund (North Hesse Transport Association) added a service between Eschwege West and Eschwege town on its own infrastructure, which it had brought back into service and modernised. The old line, part of a closed section of the Kanonenbahn, was joined to the Göttingen–Bebra line north and south of Eschwege West station. This meant that Eschwege West station was bypassed and it was closed for scheduled passenger services. A new station was opened at Eschwege Niederhone. A two storey car park and a central bus station was opened at Eschwege town station. Eschwege town station received in 2013 the European Rail Award as Small station of the Year.

In the field of machine building, the firms Präwema Antriebstechnik GmbH (machine tools), Pacoma GmbH (hydraulic cylinders), Baumer Thalheim GmbH & Co. KG (rotary encoders) and Georg Sahm GmbH & Co. KG (dishwashers and high performance winders for the textile industry) are active. Working in the field of household and system technology is the firm Stiebel Eltron GmbH & Co. KG (Eschwege works), and Friedola Gebr. Holzapfel GmbH manufactures leisure articles and table and floor coverings. The Eschweger Klosterbrauerei GmbH (Eschwege monastery brewery) is a long established firm, having been brewing in town since the early 19th century. It regularly earns medals from the German Agricultural Society for its beers.

In Eschwege appear the Werra Rundschau and the Marktspiegel. The local radio Rundfunk Meißner has been broadcasting from here since 1997.

Besides the customary institutions in a district seat, and those mentioned under “Culture and sightseeing”, there are a town library and the “espada” leisure pool.

In Eschwege there are two comprehensive schools, Anne Frank Schule and Brüder Grimm Schule, as well as two grammar schools, the Gymnasium Friedrich Wilhelm Schule (lower school) and the Oberstufengymnasium (upper school with Sixth Form). The town council operates three primary schools, the Alexander von Humboldt Schule, the Geschwister Scholl Schule and the Struthschule. The school for pupils with learning difficulties is called the Pestalozzischule. Moreover, there are the Berufliche Schulen des Werra Meißner Kreises (district vocational schools) and the private school Freie Waldorfschule Werra Meißner. Further training and continuing education institutions are the Bundespolizei (German Federal Police) basic and advanced training centre Mitte, the community college and the family training centre.