Eschenburg

Summary

Eschenburg is a municipality in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. The community inherited its name from nearby Eschenburg mountain.

Eschenburg
Town hall
Town hall
Coat of arms of Eschenburg
Location of Eschenburg within Lahn-Dill-Kreis district
DietzhölztalHaigerEschenburgSiegbachDillenburgBreitscheidDriedorfGreifensteinBischoffenHerbornSinnMittenaarHohenahrEhringshausenAßlarLahnauWetzlarHüttenbergSolmsLeunBraunfelsSchöffengrundWaldsolmsNorth Rhine-WestphaliaRhineland-PalatinateMarburg-BiedenkopfGießen (district)WetteraukreisHochtaunuskreisLimburg-Weilburg
Eschenburg is located in Germany
Eschenburg
Eschenburg
Eschenburg is located in Hesse
Eschenburg
Eschenburg
Coordinates: 50°49′N 08°22′E / 50.817°N 8.367°E / 50.817; 8.367
CountryGermany
StateHesse
Admin. regionGießen
DistrictLahn-Dill-Kreis
Government
 • Mayor (2022–28) Götz Konrad[1] (Ind.)
Area
 • Total45.71 km2 (17.65 sq mi)
Elevation
425 m (1,394 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[2]
 • Total10,079
 • Density220/km2 (570/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
35713
Dialling codes02774, 02770 Hirzenhain
Vehicle registrationLDK, DIL
Websitewww.eschenburg.de

Geography edit

About 20 km², or 43.8%, of the municipal area is wooded, 9.85 km² of this being municipal forest, and the rest state forest.

Location edit

The individual communities within Eschenburg lie on the river Dietzhölze and in its side valleys and high dales in the Rothaargebirge's foothills. Eschenburg lies in the northern Lahn-Dill-Kreis, some 10 km northeast of Dillenburg and 23 km east of Siegen.

Neighbouring communities edit

Eschenburg borders in the north on the communities of Dietzhölztal (Lahn-Dill-Kreis) and Breidenbach, in the east on the communities of Steffenberg and Angelburg (all three in Marburg-Biedenkopf), in the south on the community of Siegbach, in the southwest on the town of Dillenburg, and in the west on the town of Haiger (all in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis).

Constituent communities edit

Eschenburg comprises the centres of Eibelshausen – which is also the administrative seat – Eiershausen, Roth, Simmersbach, Wissenbach, Hirzenhain Ort and Hirzenhain Bahnhof.

Centre Population Area (km²) Area (%) (31 December 2005)
Eibelshausen 4055 6.858 15.0%
Eiershausen 992 5.487 12.0%
Hirzenhain 2264 9.558 20.9%
Roth 592 7.833 17.1%
Simmersbach 1412 7.22 15.8%
Wissenbach 1981 8.754 19.2%
Eschenburg 11,296 45.71 100%

History edit

It is known from archaeological finds that there were settlers in what is today Eschenburg as far back as Celtic times. Eschenburg had its first documentary mention in the 13th century. Quite early on in its history, ores such as silver, nickel, copper and iron were being mined in various places, and slate and diabase were being quarried. This resulted in metalworking and hammering mills being established in the area. Only recently have archaeological digs shown the groundwork of a mediaeval forest smithy in Wissenbach.

The founding of the greater community came on 1 October 1971 through a voluntary merger of Eibelshausen, Eiershausen and Wissenbach. On 1 July 1974, the communities of Hirzenhain, Simmersbach and Roth, all from the former district of Biedenkopf, also joined, bringing today's greater community of Eschenburg into being two years before municipal reform. The 589 m-high mountain Eschenburg, seven kilometres northeast of Dillenburg, is the community's namesake.

Among the six constituent communities, Eibelshausen is the biggest. It serves as a centre point in the middle Dietzhölze Valley, is the administrative seat, and is the centre for secondary education with Haupt- and Realschule, and a gymnasial branch for ten villages in the communities of Eschenburg and Dietzhölztal.

Culture, leisure and sightseeing edit

Museums edit

The Heimatmuseum (Local Museum) in Eibelshausen as well as the Eschenburg-Dietzhölztal Culture Group offer interesting exhibits and a cultural programme featuring great diversity.

Sightseeing edit

Worth seeing is the more than 750-year-old village of Hirzenhain with its gliderport and downhill skiing run. Hirzenhain is the world's second oldest gliderport.

Glider flying is maintained by the Hirzenhain Gliding Club, but even non-members can take part for a small fee.

In the countryside around Simmersbach, the Philippsbuche ("Philip's Beech") recalls Landgrave Philip I's homecoming after a five-year Spanish-Dutch imprisonment on 10 September 1552.

Exercise, sport and leisure places edit

In Eschenburg there are many sport clubs in which one can practise almost any discipline, from football and handball to athletics, gymnastics, tennis, and so on.

  • 3 gymnasia
  • 1 ski run with lift
  • 1 multi-purpose hall
  • 7 sport fields
  • 3 shooting ranges with clubhouse
  • 5 tennis courts
  • sports grounds
  • fitness-studio
  • football fields
  • 2 long-distance cross-country skiing trails
  • gliderport (gliding and hang-gliding)
  • indoor swimming pool with outdoor basin and beach volleyball court

Barbecue areas and leisure facilities are available in the outlying centres. Nature trails through the woods, hiking trails, and protected areas for birds and scenery beckon hikers.

Historic personage edit

From Wissenbach came the violinist, violist, concert director and radical pietist religion founder Johann Daniel Müller, also known as Elias or Elias Artista first predicted by Paracelsus (born 10 February 1716 in Wissenbach, died sometime after 1785, presumably in Riga). His wife was a relative of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Economy and infrastructure edit

Established businesses edit

  • BBT Thermotechnik GmbH Werk Eibelshausen
  • Rittal Großschaltschränke GmbH & Co. KG Werk Wissenbach

Public institutions edit

  • volunteer fire brigades in every centre
  • indoor swimming pool
  • Evangelical or open daycare centres in every centre
  • Catholic daycare centre in Eibelshausen
  • municipal library
  • houses for public events in every centre
  • Diakonie mobile care service

Education edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Ergebnisse der jeweils letzten Direktwahl von Landrätinnen und Landräte sowie (Ober-)Bürgermeisterinnen und (Ober-)Bürgermeister in Hessen, Stand 13.04.2023" (in German). Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt. Archived from the original (XLS) on 2023-07-07. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  2. ^ "Bevölkerung in Hessen am 31.12.2022 nach Gemeinden" (XLS) (in German). Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt. June 2023.

External links edit

  • Eschenburg
  • Eschenburg at Curlie
  • Wissenbach