Herborn

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Coordinates: 50°41′N 8°19′E

Herborn
Country	Germany
State	Hesse
Administrative region	Gießen
District	Lahn-Dill-Kreis
Population	21,158 (31/12/2004)
Area	63.82 km²
Population density	332 /km²
Elevation	287 m
Coordinates	50°41′ N 8°19′ E
Postal code	35745
Area code	02772, 02777
Licence plate code	LDK
Mayor	Jörg Michael Müller (CDU)
Website	Stadt Herborn

Herborn is a historic town on the Dill in the Lahn-Dill district of Hesse in Germany. Before World War I, it was granted its own title as Nassauisches Rothenburg. Scenic attractions include its half-timbered houses. The symbol or mascot of this town is a bear.

Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Neighbouring communities 1.2 Constituent communities 1.3 Population 2 History 3 Politics 3.1 Town council 3.2 Town partnerships 4 Culture and sightseeing 4.1 Museums 4.2 Buildings 4.2.1 Town hall 4.2.2 Other buildings 4.3 Parks 4.4 Natural monuments 4.5 Regular events 4.6 Holiday roads 5 External links

[edit] Geography

The town can be located at these coordinates: 50°41′4″N, 8°18′15″E. It has an area of 63.82 km² (24.339 mi²), of which 28.0122 km² (10.816 mi²) is forest. It is connected by the A45 motorway (E40/E41) with Siegen, Wetzlar, and Gießen.

[edit] Neighbouring communities

Herborn is bordered on the north by the town of Dillenburg, on the northeast by the town of Siegbach, on the east by the town of Mittenaar, on the southeast by the town of Sinn, on the south by the town of Greifenstein, and on the west by the towns of Driedorf and Breitscheid (all in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis).

[edit] Constituent communities

Herborn is divided into the communities of Amdorf, Burg, Guntersdorf, Hirschberg, Hörbach, Merkenbach, Schönbach, Seelbach and Uckersdorf as well as the main town of Herborn.

[edit] Population

(in each case on 31 December)

• 1998 - 21,334
• 1999 - 21,415
• 2000 - 21,380
• 2001 - 21,254
• 2002 - 21,304
• 2003 - 21,214
• 2004 - 21,158
• 2005 - 21,260

[edit] History

Herborn had its first documentary mention in 1048 and was granted town rights in 1251 by the Counts of Nassau.

In 1584, Herborn received a "High School", founded by John VI of Nassau-Dillenburg, William the Silent's younger brother, and namesake of today's Gymnasium Johanneum.

In Herborn, as of 1602, the Reformed Church's first translation of the Bible was done by Johannes Piscator. This work has had a decisive effect in shaping church life among followers of the Reformed movement in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United States. It was printed in the akademische Druckerei von Corvinus, known today as the Corvinsche Druckerei or Paul's Hof, after the family Paul who own it.

In 1626, the town lost 214 houses in a fire started by accident in soldiers' quarters. Not long after this, Herborn and the surrounding area were the scene of a wave of witch trials.

Towards the end of the Thirty Years' War, the townsfolk were looking after 50 Swedish soldiers, which brought them protection by the Swedish Army, and thereby also a reputation as a "field hospital town" ("Lazarettstadt") that lasted until the end of the Second World War.

After the Congress of Vienna, Herborn ended up in a border area next to Prussia and its economy suffered as a result of import tariffs. Only in 1836 did Hesse-Nassau join the Zollverein (Customs Union), and in 1866 it was wholly annexed by Prussia.

In the Second World War, Herborn was mostly spared by the bombers, but its Jewish community was obliterated in 1942, and many of the patients at the psychiatric clinic were deported and murdered.

The town became nationally known for a truck disaster that happened on 7 July 1987. After losing control because of faulty brakes, a tanker truck carrying about 34 000 L of fuel ran into a house containing an ice cream parlour and a pizzeria. The escaping fuel flowed into the sewers and exploded, setting several houses on fire. All together, six people lost their lives, and 40 were injured.

[edit] Politics

[edit] Town council

The municipal elections on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:

CDU	14 seats
SPD	14 seats
FWG	3 seats
FDP	2 seats
Greens	3 seats
WASG	1 seat

Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.

[edit] Town partnerships

Herborn maintains partnerships with the following towns:

• Pertuis, France, since 1965
• Guntersdorf, Lower Austria, since 1970
• Schönbach, Lower Austria, since 1996
• Iława, Poland, since 1998

[edit] Culture and sightseeing

[edit] Museums

• Museum Herborn in der Hohen Schule (Herborn Museum in the "High School")
• Heimatmuseum Herborn-Seelbach (local history)
• Heimat- und Industriemuseum Burg (local history and industry)
• Heimatstube Hörbach (local history)
• Infozentrum der EAM (information centre)

[edit] Buildings

[edit] Town hall

This was built in the 16th century and built anew after a fire in the 17th century. Particularly worthy of note is the frieze around the building showing local family coats of arms.

[edit] Other buildings

• Evangelical town church from the years 1598-1609
• Many half-timbered houses from the 17th and 18th century.
• Market fountain from 1730
• Paulshof from 1606
• The "High School" (with the local history museum) from the years 1591-1599, remodelled in 1645
• Town wall with some preserved towers
• The stately home (Schloss)

[edit] Parks

The constituent community of Uckersdorf has a widely known attraction with its bird park.

[edit] Natural monuments

The Old Town is not the only attraction in Herborn. The surrounding countryside features the low mountains of the Westerwald range.

[edit] Regular events

• Sommerfest (summer festival), July
• Bärenkirmes ("bear fair"), August
• Martinimarkt (market), November
• Ponyfest in Herborn/Schönbach (May/June)

[edit] Holiday roads

Herborn lies on the Deutsche Fachwerkstraße, featuring many places with many half-timbered houses, and on the Solmser Straße, a scenic road leading through many historic and artistically important places in Hesse.

[edit] External links

• Website of the city
• Herborn 1987 – a memorial page to the victims
• Herborn at the Open Directory Project