Laubach

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 50°32′N 8°58′E

Laubach
Country	Germany
State	Hesse
Administrative region	Gießen
District	Gießen
Population	10,391 (2004)
Area	97.01 km²
Population density	107 /km²
Elevation	230-535 m
Coordinates	50°32′ N 8°58′ E
Postal code	35321
Area code	06405
Licence plate code	GI
Mayor	Claus Spandau (CDU)
Website	www.laubach-online.de

Laubach is a town known as a “Luftkurort,” a climatic health resort. It has a population of approximately 10,000 people, and it is located in the district of Giessen, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated 23 km east of Giessen. Surrounding Laubach are the towns of Hungen, Grünberg, Schotten and Lich.

The dense Laubach woods spreads into the foothills of the Vogelsberg (Bird Mountain). With its many historic and colorful half-timbered (fachwerk) buildings, Laubach is an area of interest to tourists. The main point of attraction is the castle belonging to the Count Solms-Laubach family. The castle was built in the thirteenth century and expanded over the years. The Solms castle has one of the largest private libraries in Europe, with over 120,000 titles. An original Gutenberg Bible, on display in the Johann Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, came from this private collection. The castle grounds include a huge park with a swan lake, open to the public.

Contents 1 Other buildings of interest 2 Laubach people 3 Laubach in the Media 3.1 Literature 3.2 Film

[edit] Other buildings of interest

The Evangelical Lutheran Church, formerly St. Maria, has a baroque organ. The oldest part of the church was built in the twelfth century. It was renovated in the eighteenth century.

The former district courthouse (Amtsgericht), the city hall, and the Heimat Museum are together on the main street of Friedrichstrasse. The courthouse is now a residence for senior citizens.

The Heimat Museum - Fridericianum is the local history museum, originally built near the town of Gonterskirchen in 1750 by Count August Solms-Laubach. The building was moved to its present location in 1832 and served as a school before it became a museum. The museum is currently updating its exhibits, among which will be a permanent exhibit of the Friedrich Kellner diary.

[edit] Laubach people

• Sophie von Solms-Laubach (1594-1651)
  
• Philipp Erasmus Reich (1717-1787), bookseller and publisher
  
• Felix Klipstein (1880-1941), artist
  

Klipstein grew up in Laubach and Belgium, spending his academic years in France and Spain, where he did special studies in Velázquez. In 1909 he settled in Laubach with his wife, the writer Edith Blass.

• Georg Friedrich Solms-Laubach (1899 - 1969)
  
• Friedel Münch, head of Münch Motorcycle Works
  
• Friedrich Kellner, (1885 - 1970)

Kellner was Laubach's chief justice inspector during WWII and wrote a 10-volume diary about the misdeeds of the Nazis. He became deputy mayor, first town councilman, and chairman of the regional branch of the Social Democratics. A Canadian documentary about Kellner was filmed on location in Laubach.

[edit] Laubach in the Media

[edit] Literature

• Helmut Nachtigall: Die Fachwerkhäuser Alt-Laubachs. Laubach 1975

[edit] Film

• My Opposition: the Diaries of Friedrich Kellner, CCI Entertainment, Toronto, Canada