in 1247, south of the town at the foot of the schmückeberg (mountain) lay the "sondersiechenhaus st. wendelin" ("st. wendelin special sickhouse") with a chapel and a mill. the last time when a leper is known to have been there was 1652. the building later served as a plague house and a homeless shelter. the crumbling building complex was torn down in 1786. this leper colony belonged to a network of all together 68 places and 71 colonies evenly scattered all over what is today hesse.