Weinbach

Weinbach

Coat of arms
Weinbach

Coordinates: 50°26′N 08°18′E / 50.433°N 8.300°E / 50.433; 8.300Coordinates: 50°26′N 08°18′E / 50.433°N 8.300°E / 50.433; 8.300
Country Germany
State Hesse
Admin. region Gießen
District Limburg-Weilburg
Government
 • Mayor Thorsten Sprenger
Area
 • Total 37.65 km2 (14.54 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)[1]
 • Total 4,419
 • Density 120/km2 (300/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 35796
Dialling codes 06471, 06474
Vehicle registration LM
Website www.gemeinde-weinbach.de

Weinbach is a community in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany.

Geography

Location

Weinbach lies on the Lahn and the Weil between Wetzlar and Limburg an der Lahn.

Neighbouring communities

Weinbach borders in the north on the town of Weilburg, in the east on the community of Weilmünster, and in the west on the community of Villmar and the town of Runkel (all in Limburg-Weilburg).

Constituent communities

Weinbach is made up of eight Ortsteile. The main centre is also called Weinbach, and the outlying centres are Blessenbach, Edelsberg, Elkerhausen, Freienfels, Fürfurt, Gräveneck and Kleinweinbach.

History

Fürfurt was mentioned in a document from sometime between 1148 and 1154, thus making it the first part of the community to have its first documentary mention. Elkerhausen’s first documentary mention came in 1191. The knightly family who lived there was heavily involved in a feud in the 14th century with the landlord, the Archbishop of Trier. The Elkerhauser Wasserburg (a moated castle) was destroyed in 1352. About 1500, there arose a stronghouse out of which a new castle grew.

Edelsberg had its first documentary mention in 1246, Blessenbach in 1267 and Weinbach in 1344. Freienfels Castle was built about 1300, presumably by the Diez family’s Weilnau branch. In 1327 it had its first documentary mention. Gräveneck Castle was built in 1395 by a knightly order under Nassau’s leadership to guard against the Knights of Elkerhausen.

Weinbach - Evangelical church

Today’s Evangelical church in Weinbach arose in 1728; the forerunner church’s Early Gothic quire was incorporated into this newer church.

The history of the greater community of Weinbach began in 1970 when the formerly self-administering communities of Weinbach, Blessenbach, Freienfels and Gräveneck amalgamated in the course of municipal restructuring in Hesse. In 1974, the communities of Elkerhausen, Fürfurt and Edelsberg were also merged into the greater community.

Politics

The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:

Parties and voter communities %
2006		 Seats
2006		 %
2001		 Seats
2001
CDU Christian Democratic Union of Germany 29.5 4 27.5 6
SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany 43.7 7 48.8 11
GREENS Bündnis 90/Die Grünen 5.5 1 3.6 1
FWG Freie Wählergemeinschaft Weinbach 21.3 3 20.1 5
Total 100.0 15 100.0 23
Voter turnout in % 52.4 60.3

Town partnerships

Weinbach has maintained a partnership arrangement with the Polish community of Debrzno, roughly 150 km southwest of Gdańsk in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, since 1992.

Since 2005, another partnership has existed with the Czech community of Blatno, which lies roughly 50 km south of Chemnitz, right at the Reitzenhain border crossing above the town of Chomutov.

Culture and sightseeing

Buildings

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

Weinbach is linked to the long-distance road network by Bundesstraße 456. On the Lahntalbahn (railway) are stations in the centres of Gräveneck and Fürfurt.

Until 1969, the centre of Freienfels was also linked to the rail network by the now abandoned Weiltalbahn.

Education

Weinbach has one primary school (Karl-Schapper-Schule).

Public institutions

Famous people

Sons and daughters of the town

References

  1. ↑ "Bevölkerung der hessischen Gemeinden". Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt (in German). August 2016.
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