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Birstein is a municipality on the northeastern edge of the Main-Kinzig-Kreis in Hesse, Germany with approximately 6,600 inhabitants. It was the home of the former principality of Isenburg-Birstein.
Birstein proper has two sections. The northern part, uphill from the palace, is known as the "Oberberg", while the southern part, where most of the shops and commercial establishments are located, is called the "Unterberg".
The separation of Bösgesäß I (Prussian Bösgesäß) and Bösgesäß II (Hessian Bösgesäß) took place as a result of the Congress of Vienna. The brook which flows through this area, called the Bracht, was designated as the border between the two localities. They lie approximately 100 meters apart.
In 1815, the principality was divided between Hesse-Darmstadt and Hesse-Kassel, and Birstein fell to Kassel. With the Prussian victory against Austria in 1866, Birstein became part of the Prussian empire until German unification in 1875.
Birstein, like other German regions, was greatly affected by the Thirty Years War, most markedly in 1634-36. It was occupied by Swedish soldiers in 1643. On September 7, 1763, the French army under Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, which had been defeated at Würzburg four days before, marched through the town on their retreat.
Other events also left their mark. On July 21, 1684, fire destroyed 17 homes, 18 barns, 9 cattle stalls, and a bakehouse in the Oberberg, but spared the nearby church and rectory. Another fire in the Oberberg on July 14, 1744 destroyed 23 homes. On June 27, 1767, a terrible hailstorm gave rise to a yearly day of prayer against severe weather.
In 1590 a Latin school was founded in Birstein. It remained in various forms and locations for over three hundred years. By the early 20th century, girls were also admitted. The school closed in 1939.
Birstein escaped damage in World War II, although many of its young men were killed as soldiers. It was occupied by the Americans after the war, and eventually became part of the Main-Kinzig-Kreis in the state of Hesse in the new Federal Republic of Germany. It was declared an official fresh-air spa resort in 1963, increasing its attractiveness for tourists. The unification of its various district subdivisions (see above) took place from 1971–74, bringing the municipality to its present form.
Originally Roman Catholic, Birstein began to move toward Protestantism in 1530, when the minister Johannes Henkel began to preach in favor of Martin Luther in Unterreichenbach. In 1544, Count Reinhard of Isenburg, the ruler of the region, converted to Protestantism. On August 7, 1597 Count Wolfgang Ernst I of Isenburg announced the conversion of the region itself. The 200-year-old Protestant church in Birstein burned to its foundations on January 7, 1913; the current church was built on the same site and consecrated on April 19, 1914.
In 1840, a small Catholic house of worship was built. A larger Catholic church, Mariä Heimsuchung (Church of the Visitation) was built in 1912-14. The current Count of Isenburg, Alexander, is also Catholic. This came about as follows: Alexander's ancestor Karl Viktor of Isenburg was raised a Protestant in the family tradition after his father's early death, but converted to Catholicism, the religion of his mother Princess Maria Crescentia zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, on May 2, 1861. Four years later, he married the Catholic princess Marie Luise of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, and since then all the ducal family have remained members of this faith. The church has been the site of many Isenburg weddings, most recently that of Princess Katharina of Isenburg to Archduke Martin of Austria-Este in 2004.
A Jewish community existed in Birstein from the 17th century on, with the first mention of a Jewish inhabitant in 1549. A Jewish cemetery was founded in 1679, while a synagogue built in 1749 was rebuilt and expanded in 1866. A Jewish school was built in 1849 and operated until 1936.
In 1925, Jews composed 10.4% of Birstein's population. A majority of these were forced to emigrate in the first years of the National Socialist regime, and the Jewish community was officially dissolved in 1937. Although Birstein did not take part in the violence of Kristallnacht, the cemetery was vandalized. At least 26 Jews who were born and/or lived in Birstein died in concentration camps.
| Parties and voter coalitions | % 2011 | Seats 2011 | % 2006 | Seats 2006 | |
| SPD | Social Democratic Party of Germany | 33.5 | 9 | 36.9 | 9 |
| CDU | Christian Democratic Union | 28.7 | 7 | 34.3 | 9 |
| FBG | Free Voters | 27.5 | 7 | 28.8 | 7 |
| ABB | Active citizens for Birstein | 5.5 | 1 | – | – |
| FDP | Free Democratic Party | 4.8 | 1 | – | – |
| total | 100.0 | 25 | 100.0 | 25 | |
| Voter turnout in % | 55.5 | 49.6 | |||
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