Dahn
| Dahn | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
  Dahn | ||
Location of Dahn within Südwestpfalz district  | ||
| Coordinates: 49°9′N 7°47′E / 49.150°N 7.783°ECoordinates: 49°9′N 7°47′E / 49.150°N 7.783°E | ||
| Country | Germany | |
| State | Rhineland-Palatinate | |
| District | Südwestpfalz | |
| Municipal assoc. | Dahner Felsenland | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Alexander Fuhr (SPD) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 40.75 km2 (15.73 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 210 m (690 ft) | |
| Population (2012-12-31)[1] | ||
| • Total | 4,427 | |
| • Density | 110/km2 (280/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) | |
| Postal codes | 66994 | |
| Dialling codes | 06391 | |
| Vehicle registration | PS | |
| Website | www.dahn.de | |
Dahn is a municipality in the Südwestpfalz district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated in the Palatinate Forest, approximately 15 km southeast of Pirmasens, and 25 km west of Landau. It is part of the Verbandsgemeinde ("collective municipality") of Dahner Felsenland.
Geography
Dahn is located 210 m above sea level in a valley of the Dahner Felsenland, a part of the Wasgau, which is itself a part of the Palatinate Forest. A small creek, the Lauter, flows through Dahn, and here, in the area of its headwaters, is called the Wieslauter. The border with Alsace (France) is located 10 km south of Dahn.
History
Coat of arms
In 1952 the coat of arms was recreated as a result of historical research. The new shield, parted per chevron has on its dexter chief: azure (blue), a cross argent (silver); on its sinister chief: gules (red), an eagle argent (silver) and on its base: or (gold), a fir tree vert (green).
The fir tree (German: Tanne, [assumed to be linked to the name of the town]) was originally the only symbol of Dahn, however, the new coat of arms also commemorates the following historical points: The knights of Than, feudatories of the bishop of Speyer, were the lords of Dahn for over four hundred years and may have called themselves after the town. This was the reason for inferring the white eagle with red background from the knight's coat of arms which showed three white eagles (maybe the symbol for the three castles of Altdahn, Grafdahn and Tannstein). After the extinction of the House of Than in 1603, Dahn was the head office of a department of the diocese of Speyer. This situation lasted until the beginning of the French revolutionary wars in 1797/98. That is why the white cross was adopted from that diocese. The fir remains as a memorial to the name of the town, the old seal of the Court and the scenic location of the city in the Palatinate Forest.
Municipal law
Dahn received its municipal law on 27 October 1963 after the Land Rhineland-Palatinate acceeded to its application which had been filed on 24 January 1963.
Policy
Aldermen:
(Elections on 7 June 2009, number of mandates: 20)
| SPD | CDU | FDP | FWG | Summation | |
| 2009 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 20 Seats |
| 2004 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 20 Seats |
Culture and sightseeing
In the neighborhood of Dahn there is the ruin of a triple castle, the Altdahn-Grafendahn-Tannstein castle, as well as the castle of Neudahn, which is also a ruin, although a less spectacular one.
A 70 m tall rock juts above the city and is a famous destination for rock climbers during the summer. Its name Jungfernsprung ("Virgin's Leap"), is derived from an old legend.
Even nowadays the forests and sandstone rocks surrounding Dahn give fantastic Lebensraum to the fabulous Elwetritsche. To honour the excellent relation between inhabitants of Dahn and Elwetritsche there is an Elwetritsche lecture trail, an Elwetritsche hiking trail as well as Elwetritsche fountains and further memorials.
Economy and infrastructures
Economy
Dahn, unfortunately, has had to get along without much industry due to the Südwestpfalz district's structural weakness. Because of this the population has declined. Only tourism shows an upwards trend because nature in the surrounding area is largely intact and frequently quite spectacular.
Traffic
The Bundesstraße 427 (Hinterweidenthal-Bad Bergzabern) passes through Dahn. The initially proposed plug-in connection of Bundesautobahn 8 (Pirmasens-Karlsruhe) which was planned to pass Dahn has never been realised.
Since 1997 the Wieslauterbahn calls at Dahn on Sundays and statutory holidays. It connects Hinterweidenthal and Bundenthal. Regular public train service stopped in 1966.
Healthcare
The public hospital St.-Josef-Krankenhaus closed at the end of 2005 due to cost concerns. The Felsenland-Klinik, a psychotheraputic hospital, uses its own specially developed technique of psychoanalytic hypnosis. Dahn also has an outpatient living group of the Pfalzklinikum für Psychiatrie und Neurologie ("Palatinate Hospital For Psychiatrics And Neurology"), which is situated in Klingenmünster.
Education
The elementary school of Dahn provides educational services for the municipality of Dahn as well as the municipalities of Schindhard and Erfweiler. The school centre of Dahn is within the commuter belt of a Realschule Plus and the Otfried-von-Weißenburg-Gymnasium of Western-Wasgau. This gymnasium is the only one in the Südwestpfalz administrative district. Dahn also has a special needs school (the Ritter-von-Tann-Förderschule). During the years 1958 through 1994 the Catholic Church operated a boarding school, the Studienheim St. Pirmin.
Personalities
Sons and daughters of the city of Dahn
- Stefan Baron (*1948), trust spokesman of the Deutsche Bundesbank
- Alexander Fuhr (*1969), politician, member of the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate (Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)), mayor of the city of Dahn
- Theodor Kissel (*1962), historian and author
- Ingbert Naab (1885–1935), Friars Minor Capuchin and resistance fighter against National Socialism, beatified, Pater-Ingbert-Naab-street bears his name
- Theodor Schaller (1900–1993), Theologian and church president
Personalities, operated in Dahn
- Stephan Eisel (*1955), politician (Christian Democratic Union (CDU)), visited the Otfrid-von-Weißenburg-Gymnasium
- Heiner Geißler (*1930), politician (Christian Democratic Union (CDU)), had his office in Dahn
- Fritz Korter (1892–1945), sculptor, creator of the Dahn war memorial
- Friedl Rinder (1905–2001), chess player, winner of the 1959 German Chess Women's Championship, which took place in Dahn
References
- ↑ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden am 31.12.2012". Statistisches Bundesamt (in German). 2013.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dahn. |
- Municipality of Dahn(German)
- Verbandsgemeinde Dahner Felsenland(multilingual)
- Pater Ingbert Naab(German)
