| Type: | Stadt |
| Hessisch Lichtenau | |
| Image Coa: | Wappen Hessisch-Lichtenau.png |
| Coordinates: | 51.2°N 52°W |
| Image Plan: | Hessisch Lichtenau ESW.svg |
| State: | Hesse |
| Region: | Kassel |
| District: | Werra-Meißner-Kreis |
| Elevation: | 387 |
| Area: | 105.87 |
| Postal Code: | 37230–37235 |
| Area Code: | 05602 |
| Licence: | ESW |
| Gemeindeschlüssel: | 06 6 36 006 |
| Divisions: | 12 districts |
| Mayor: | Dirk Oetzel[1] |
| Leader Term: | 2022 - 28 |
| Party: | SPD |
Hessisch Lichtenau (pronounced as /de/ is a small town in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in eastern Hesse, Germany. In 2006, the town hosted the 46th Hessentag state festival.
Hessisch Lichtenau lies in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis 20 km southeast of Kassel between the Kaufunger Wald in the north, the Hoher Meißner (753.6 m above sea level) in the east, the Stölzinger Hills with the Eisberg (583 m) in the southeast and the Söhre in the south. The main town lies on the river Losse.
Hessisch Lichtenau borders in the northeast on Berkatal and Großalmerode, in the east on Meißner and Waldkappel, in the south on Spangenberg, in the west on Söhrewald and in the northwest on Helsa.
Hessisch Lichtenau’s Stadtteile are Friedrichsbrück, Fürstenhagen, Hausen, Hirschhagen, Hollstein, Hopfelde, Küchen, Quentel, Reichenbach, Retterode, Velmeden, Walburg and Wickersrode
The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:
| Parties and voter communities | % 2006 | Seats 2006 | % 2001 | Seats 2001 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPD | Social Democratic Party of Germany | 53.7 | 20 | 51.6 | 19 |
| CDU | Christian Democratic Union of Germany | 31.6 | 12 | 29.3 | 11 |
| FDP | Free Democratic Party | 2.0 | 1 | 3.2 | 1 |
| FWG | Freie Wählergemeinschaft Hessisch Lichtenau | 8.3 | 3 | 9.8 | 4 |
| ALH | Alternative Liste Heli | 4.4 | 1 | 6.2 | 2 |
| Total | 100.0 | 37 | 100.0 | 37 | |
| Voter turnout in % | 47.4 | 53.8 | |||
Heading the town council is Franz-Josef Lewe.
In the constituent community of Fürstenhagen: Building complex of the Jérôme Henri Lenoir Foundation (former orphanages), Pestalozzi memorial, Mausoleum of the family Lenoir, lying on a hill at a pond (architect: Julius Eubell; built 1903), endowed in 1893 by George André Lenoir (1825–1909), J. H. Lenoir’s son and honorary citizen of Kassel. Also, the neighbouring agricultural operation originally belonged to the Lenoir Foundation.
In the constituent community of Reichenbach: Kirche der Deutschordensballei Hessen (“Church of the Teutonic Knights’ Bailiwick of Hesse”), formerly the Reichenbach Monastery Church, the Teutonic Knights’ oldest establishment in Germany. West of Reichenbach are found the ruins of Reichenbach Castle on the 522 m-high Schlossberg.
Tram line 4 (towards Mattenberg) runs directly into downtown Kassel every 30 minutes on weekdays and every 15 minutes at peak times. On Sundays, service is hourly.
Near the constituent community of Reichenbach is found the aviation beacon LAU on an international air corridor.
Schooling is to be had at Freiherr-vom-Stein-Schule, a comprehensive school with a Gymnasium upper level.