Hof, Rhineland-Palatinate
Encyclopedia
Hof is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
– in the Westerwaldkreis
in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
.
between Limburg
and Siegen
on the boundary with North Rhine-Westphalia
. The Schwarze Nister, which belongs to the Sieg
drainage basin
, flows through the municipal area. Hof belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Bad Marienberg
, a kind of collective municipality. Its seat is in the like-named town
.
Hof lies in a hollow at the foot of the Westerwald’s third highest elevation (Salzburger Kopf, 653 m) with a mean elevation of 550 m on the old Cologne
-Leipzig
trade road.
based place to a flourishing commercial centre.
From the 14th to the 19th century there was already an important chapel
in Hof.
In 1589, there were 18 families in Hof, who had fallen in number by 1648 – after the Thirty Years' War
– to only 3 families.
When Johann Baptista von Langenbach, called Sassenroth, donated a parcel of land to the village in the 16th century, the community’s first school
was built there.
By 1607, the number of families had risen once again to 15, and the 27 horse
s counted there in 1610 might point to a great number of coachmen in the village.
In 1825, the population figure was 537. Marienberg
counted, on the other hand, only 388 inhabitants that same year.
At the turn of the 20th century, Hof counted 702 inhabitants, and in 1960, the one thousandth inhabitant was welcomed.
Today, Hof is a village with more than 1,400 people and more than 600 jobs.
in a municipal election on 13 June 2004.
414, leading from Hohenroth
to Hachenburg
. The nearest Autobahn interchange
is Haiger-Burbach
on the A 45
(Dortmund
–Gießen
), some 17 km away. The nearest InterCityExpress
stop is the railway station at Montabaur on the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line.
Verbandsgemeinde
A Verbandsgemeinde is an administrative unit in the German Bundesländer of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt.-Rhineland-Palatinate:...
– in the Westerwaldkreis
Westerwaldkreis
The Westerwaldkreis is a district in the east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
in Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Location
The community lies in the WesterwaldWesterwald
The Westerwald is a low mountain range on the right bank of the River Rhine in the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia. It is a part of the Rhine Massif...
between Limburg
Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn is the district seat of Limburg-Weilburg in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Limburg lies in western Hesse between the Taunus and the Westerwald on the river Lahn....
and Siegen
Siegen
Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region...
on the boundary with North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
. The Schwarze Nister, which belongs to the Sieg
Sieg
The Sieg is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany named after the Sigambrer. It is a right tributary of the Rhine and 153 kilometres in length....
drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
, flows through the municipal area. Hof belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Bad Marienberg
Bad Marienberg (Verbandsgemeinde)
Bad Marienberg is a Verbandsgemeinde in the district Westerwaldkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Bad Marienberg....
, a kind of collective municipality. Its seat is in the like-named town
Bad Marienberg
Bad Marienberg is a town in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and also the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality.- Geography :...
.
Hof lies in a hollow at the foot of the Westerwald’s third highest elevation (Salzburger Kopf, 653 m) with a mean elevation of 550 m on the old Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
-Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
trade road.
History
The community that exists today, which had its first documentary mention in 1048, has grown over the last 50 years from a former agriculturallyAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
based place to a flourishing commercial centre.
From the 14th to the 19th century there was already an important chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
in Hof.
In 1589, there were 18 families in Hof, who had fallen in number by 1648 – after the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
– to only 3 families.
When Johann Baptista von Langenbach, called Sassenroth, donated a parcel of land to the village in the 16th century, the community’s first school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
was built there.
By 1607, the number of families had risen once again to 15, and the 27 horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s counted there in 1610 might point to a great number of coachmen in the village.
In 1825, the population figure was 537. Marienberg
Bad Marienberg
Bad Marienberg is a town in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and also the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality.- Geography :...
counted, on the other hand, only 388 inhabitants that same year.
At the turn of the 20th century, Hof counted 702 inhabitants, and in 1960, the one thousandth inhabitant was welcomed.
Today, Hof is a village with more than 1,400 people and more than 600 jobs.
Community council
The council is made up of 16 council members who were elected in a majority votePlurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
in a municipal election on 13 June 2004.
Transport
Right through the community runs BundesstraßeBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
414, leading from Hohenroth
Hohenroth
Hohenroth is a municipality in the district of Rhön-Grabfeld in Bavaria in Germany....
to Hachenburg
Hachenburg
-Geography:The town lies in the Westerwald between Koblenz and Siegen, roughly 10 km west of Bad Marienberg on the river Nister. Hachenburg is the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Hachenburg, a kind of collective municipality .-The castle and the town:The castle , former seat of...
. The nearest Autobahn interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
is Haiger-Burbach
Burbach, North Rhine-Westphalia
Burbach is a municipality in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Burbach is located in Siegen-Wittgenstein district on the river Heller, about 15 km south of Siegen.-Constituent divisions:...
on the A 45
Bundesautobahn 45
is an autobahn in Germany, connecting Dortmund in the west with Aschaffenburg in the southwest. It is colloquially known by its byname Sauerlandlinie, which derives from the Sauerland, the landscape which said autobahn is running through between the cities of Hagen and Siegen. Many people think of...
(Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
–Gießen
Gießen
Gießen, also spelt Giessen is a town in the German federal state of Hesse, capital of both the district of Gießen and the administrative region of Gießen...
), some 17 km away. The nearest InterCityExpress
InterCityExpress
The Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
stop is the railway station at Montabaur on the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line.