Lahntal
Encyclopedia
The community of Lahntal is found in the Marburg-Biedenkopf district in northwest Middle Hesse, Germany
.
about 83 km north of Frankfurt am Main and about 7 km northwest of Marburg
. In the north, it borders on the town of Wetter
, in the east on the community of Cölbe
, in the south on Marburg, and in the west on the community of Dautphetal
.
West of the community rises the 498 m-high Rimberg.
(in argent a cross sable), laid over a fess wavy argent; behind the inescutcheon tilted dexter and turned sinister an abbess's staff Or with velum argent; spangled with seven trefoils, three above the fess and four below.
The coat of arms was adopted as part of the municipal reform in Hesse, and the wavy fess represents the community's namesake river. The clover
s represent the seven constituent communities within Lahntal's bounds; moreover, the abbess's staff stands for Caldern, where there was once a convent
, and the Teutonic Knights' shield stands for Goßfelden, which lies south of the river Lahn.
, Poland
Sussargues
, France
Lahntal has been partnered since 6 April 1986 with the community of Sussargues, which lies in the department of Hérault
in southern France, right near Montpellier
(about 17 km) and the Mediterranean Sea. Lahntal and Sussargues lie about 1 050 km apart.
Between the Polish community of Stara Kiszewa
and Lahntal, a community partnership was ceremoniously sealed in Poland on 10 January 2005. The underwriting of the intercommunal deal in Lahntal took place on 26 May 2006. Stara Kiszewa has about 6,200 inhabitants in some 20 centres, some quite small, and is in the powiat of Kościerzyna, about 80 km south of Gdańsk
and 80 km west of Malbork
in the tourist region of Kashubia
.
and going on towards Cölbe
and farther to Alsfeld
. In Lahntal-Göttingen, the B 252 from Diemelstadt
and Korbach
to the north comes to an end.
The Obere Lahntalbahn, a single-track Deutsche Bahn
unelectrified secondary railway line run by DB's Kurhessenbahn subsidiary, joins Marburg by way of Biedenkopf
and Bad Laasphe
with Erndtebrück
. Stops on the line may be found at Sarnau (full station), Goßfelden, Sterzhausen and Caldern.
and the Lahn-Dill Nature Park; it also lies on the Lahntal bicycle trail.
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...
.
Geography
Lahntal lies on the upper LahnLahn
The Lahn River is a -long, right tributary of the Rhine River in Germany. Its course passes through the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia , Hesse , and Rhineland-Palatinate ....
about 83 km north of Frankfurt am Main and about 7 km northwest of Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
. In the north, it borders on the town of Wetter
Wetter, Hesse
Wetter is a small town in Hesse, Germany. The rather unusual designation Wetter stems from a time when the town belonged to the Prussian province of the same name, and nowadays is only used by the railway – even today, the railway station in town bears this name.-Geography:Wetter lies in the...
, in the east on the community of Cölbe
Cölbe
Cölbe is a community in Marburg-Biedenkopf district in Hesse, Germany.- Location :Cölbe's municipal area lies on the southern edge of the Burgwald, a low mountain range and part of the Hessisches Bergland , and borders directly on the university city of Marburg to the south...
, in the south on Marburg, and in the west on the community of Dautphetal
Dautphetal
Dautphetal is a community in Hesse, Germany, and is among the six larger communities of the 22 in Marburg-Biedenkopf district.-Geography:The community lies in the western part of the district about 37 km east of Siegen and about 15 km west of Marburg in the upper Lahn valley. It is...
.
West of the community rises the 498 m-high Rimberg.
Constituent communities
- Brungershausen
- Caldern
- Göttingen
- Goßfelden
- Kernbach
- Sarnau
- Sterzhausen
Municipal representation
(last municipal election: 26 March 2006)| Parties and voter coalitions | Share in % | Seats | |
| CDU | Christian Democratic Union Christian Democratic Union (Germany) The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum... |
22.2 | 7 |
| SPD | Social Democratic Party of Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
51.4 | 16 |
| Greens | Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir... |
7.6 | 2 |
| Bürgerblock (citizens' coalition) | Bürgerblock Goßfelden-Sarnau-Göttingen | 12.9 | 4 |
| WG (citizens' coalition) | Wählergemeinschaft Lahntal-Sterzhausen | 5.9 | 2 |
| total | 100 | 31 | |
Coat of arms
Lahntal's civic coat of arms might be described thus: In gules an inescutcheon showing the shield of the Teutonic KnightsTeutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
(in argent a cross sable), laid over a fess wavy argent; behind the inescutcheon tilted dexter and turned sinister an abbess's staff Or with velum argent; spangled with seven trefoils, three above the fess and four below.
The coat of arms was adopted as part of the municipal reform in Hesse, and the wavy fess represents the community's namesake river. The clover
Clover
Clover , or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the leguminous pea family Fabaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes...
s represent the seven constituent communities within Lahntal's bounds; moreover, the abbess's staff stands for Caldern, where there was once a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
, and the Teutonic Knights' shield stands for Goßfelden, which lies south of the river Lahn.
Municipal partnerships
Stara KiszewaStara Kiszewa
Stara Kiszewa is a village in Kościerzyna County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Stara Kiszewa...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Sussargues
Sussargues
Sussargues is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.-See also:*Communes of the Hérault department...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Lahntal has been partnered since 6 April 1986 with the community of Sussargues, which lies in the department of Hérault
Hérault
Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
in southern France, right near Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
(about 17 km) and the Mediterranean Sea. Lahntal and Sussargues lie about 1 050 km apart.
Between the Polish community of Stara Kiszewa
Stara Kiszewa
Stara Kiszewa is a village in Kościerzyna County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Stara Kiszewa...
and Lahntal, a community partnership was ceremoniously sealed in Poland on 10 January 2005. The underwriting of the intercommunal deal in Lahntal took place on 26 May 2006. Stara Kiszewa has about 6,200 inhabitants in some 20 centres, some quite small, and is in the powiat of Kościerzyna, about 80 km south of Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
and 80 km west of Malbork
Malbork
Malbork is a town in northern Poland in the Żuławy region , with 38,478 inhabitants . Situated in the Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, it was previously assigned to Elbląg Voivodeship...
in the tourist region of Kashubia
Kashubia
Kashubia or Cassubia - is a language area in the historic Eastern Pomerania region of northwestern Poland. Located west of Gdańsk and the mouth of the Vistula river, it is inhabited by members of the Kashubian ethnic group....
.
Buildings
- Rimberg Tower near Caldern
- Defensive church tower in Sterzhausen from the 12th or 13th century.
- Old Lahn Bridge in Goßfelden
- Otto-UbbelohdeOtto UbbelohdeOtto Ubbelohde was a German painter, etcher and illustrator.- Life :Ubbelohde was born and grew up in Marburg, his father August Ubbelohde was a professor at University of Marburg. Since 1900 he lived in Goßfelden, nowadays a part of the community Lahntal.- Work :Ubbelohde got famous international...
-Haus in Goßfelden
Transport
Running west-east through the municipal area is the Federal Highway (Bundesstraße) B 62 coming from BiedenkopfBiedenkopf
Biedenkopf is a spa town in western Hessen, Germany with a population of 13,271.- Location :The town of Biedenkopf lies in the west of Marburg-Biedenkopf district. Ringed by mountains reaching up to 674 m above sea level – the Sackpfeife in the Rothaargebirge reaches this height – the town...
and going on towards Cölbe
Cölbe
Cölbe is a community in Marburg-Biedenkopf district in Hesse, Germany.- Location :Cölbe's municipal area lies on the southern edge of the Burgwald, a low mountain range and part of the Hessisches Bergland , and borders directly on the university city of Marburg to the south...
and farther to Alsfeld
Alsfeld
Alsfeld is a town in the center of Hesse, somewhere in Germany. Large towns nearby are Bad Hersfeld about 33 km to the east, Fulda 36 km to the southeast, Gießen 47 km to the west and Marburg an der Lahn about 36 km to the northwest...
. In Lahntal-Göttingen, the B 252 from Diemelstadt
Diemelstadt
-Location:Diemelstadt lies in a small "bay" of Hesse that thrusts into, and is surrounded on three sides by, North Rhine-Westphalia. The River Diemel, the town's namesake, does not cross through the municipal area, forming only parts of the town limits, and at the same time parts of the boundary...
and Korbach
Korbach
Korbach is the district seat of Waldeck-Frankenberg in northern Hesse, Germany. It is over a thousand years old and a former Hanseatic town. It is located on the German Framework Road.- Geography and geology :...
to the north comes to an end.
The Obere Lahntalbahn, a single-track Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
unelectrified secondary railway line run by DB's Kurhessenbahn subsidiary, joins Marburg by way of Biedenkopf
Biedenkopf
Biedenkopf is a spa town in western Hessen, Germany with a population of 13,271.- Location :The town of Biedenkopf lies in the west of Marburg-Biedenkopf district. Ringed by mountains reaching up to 674 m above sea level – the Sackpfeife in the Rothaargebirge reaches this height – the town...
and Bad Laasphe
Bad Laasphe
Bad Laasphe is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district.-Location:The town of Bad Laasphe lies in the upper Lahn Valley, near the stately home of Wittgenstein Castle in the former Wittgenstein district...
with Erndtebrück
Erndtebrück
Erndtebrück is a municipality in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Location:Erndtebrück situated on the river Eder in the Rothaargebirge, approx...
. Stops on the line may be found at Sarnau (full station), Goßfelden, Sterzhausen and Caldern.
Tourism
The community of Lahntal belongs, along with parts of its environs to the Burgwald region, the Lahn tourism regionTourism region
A tourism region is a geographical region that has been designated by a governmental organization or tourism bureau as having common cultural or environmental characteristics. These regions are often named after historical or current administrative and geographical regions. Others have names...
and the Lahn-Dill Nature Park; it also lies on the Lahntal bicycle trail.
Sons and daughters of the town
- Otto UbbelohdeOtto UbbelohdeOtto Ubbelohde was a German painter, etcher and illustrator.- Life :Ubbelohde was born and grew up in Marburg, his father August Ubbelohde was a professor at University of Marburg. Since 1900 he lived in Goßfelden, nowadays a part of the community Lahntal.- Work :Ubbelohde got famous international...
, drawerDrawingDrawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
and painterPaintingPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is... - Christean Wagner, Hessian politician
- Dr. Richard Munz, awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz on ribbonBundesverdienstkreuzThe Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
on 17 January 2003