The name “Holungen” is said to derive from the German word “Hold” (= a gentle benevolent goddess or woman).

Therefore, is it possible that Holungen's founding could date back as far as the initial colonisation of modern Germany by Germanic peoples.

It could have existed as far back as 531, the Second Settlement Period (all placenames ending in “-ungen”), when the Franks conquered Thuringia.

Holungen is located at the foot of the Ohm Hills at the bottom of the Bode valley, about 35 km from the Harz mountains.

There is also a large spoil heap from potash mining, which is nearly as big as the adjacent mountains.

Although his forces defeated Conrad's at the battle of Nidda, he died shortly afterwards, and after his death fighting broke out over the order of succession for the title Landgrave of Thuringia, during which Holungen was devastated.

The Thirty Years' War arrived and reached Holungen, and in 1626, much devastation was caused by the army of Duke Christian of Brunswick.

Many inhabitants of Holungen were involved in these wars or were enlisted with the “Kurmainzischen Husarencorps” (Hussar Corps of the Electorate of Mainz).

In 1806, Prussia lost the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt, with the result that, in December that year, Napoleon took possession of the two Eichsfeld districts, including Holungen.

In 1841, Holungen received its first Kaplan, literally “Chaplain”, a term used in German to mean a Roman Catholic priest in the first few years after his ordination.

In 1848, the year of many attempted revolutions in large parts of Europe, violence in the district of Worbis was widespread, leading to the formation of Bürgerwehren (vigilante militia groups), under the control of the mayor in each village.

During the wars of independence, the Eichsfeld had suffered much, leading to crop failures and widespread illness.

The Holungers were dissatisfied with this extension, since they had supported a different route, one which would have been more favourable for the area but had been dropped.

The Chaussee led from Worbis over the Sonnenstein to Gerode and was half-an-hour further away than the old road, which almost completely cut Holungen off from long-distance traffic.

The owners gave the land over to the Separationsverfahren (roughly, the process of crop rotation) and “had it given back afterwards” (uncertain literal translation of “und ließen es sich hinterher zurückgeben” from German original), as a result of which the total area of farmland was reduced.

In 1906, it became apparent that roughly 90 acres / 36 hectares (180 Äcker) of Holungen, which were actually registered in the land registry, were missing.

In June 1890, a Church-building Society was founded in Holungen, and one year later the building of the church began.

In 1895, the road to Bischofferode was built, with Holungen receiving support from the Landesbauinspektion (roughly State Construction Inspectorate) at Mühlhausen.

In the Second World War, men from Holungen fought in Poland, France and the Soviet Union, among other places.

In spring 1945, German troops were being pushed back, and on 14 March Holungen found itself billeting many soldiers from both Flak and Infantry units, bringing the parish into the war zone.

Flak cannon fired at enemy aircraft during a three-hour period, although there were fairly long pauses during that time.

On 11 April the American advance reached Holungen, the German troops having fled the previous day.

American troop movements continued through the area until 18 April, with the tank columns taking the first three days to pass through.

Thanks to the strongly held Catholic faith in the Eichsfeld, particularly in Holungen, the SED found it difficult to get a foothold in the area.

The situation was made worse by the proximity of Holungen to the Grenzsperrgebiet, the closed military exclusion zone that ran along the East German side of the border with the West.

Even though the mine was better-known in connection with Bischofferode, a large part of the operation was located in Holungen.

During the Second World War, many evacuees arrived, and so in 1945 the population exceeded a thousand for the first time, reaching 1,092 residents.

Changes in population (31 December): Holungen-born: The largest associations in Holungen are the Male Singers’ Society Einigkeit (Unity), the Church Choir Sankt Cäcilia (St Cecilia) the Local History Society Dr. Hermann Iseke Holungen, the Thomas-Müntzer-Kaliverein Bischofferode e.V.

In 1864 the Holungen Shooting Club was founded, although after the two World Wars a refounding wasn't permitted.

A similar situation holds for the amateur dramatics group, which had been known throughout the region – despite putting on a few performances after Reunification, it eventually folded.