Herborn

Infobox German Location
Art = Stadt
Wappen = Herborn_Stadtwappen.pnglat_deg = 50 |lat_min = 40 |lat_sec = 57
lon_deg = 8 |lon_min = 18 |lon_sec = 22
Lageplan = Lahn-Dill-Kreis Herborn.pngBundesland = Hessen
Regierungsbezirk = Gießen
Landkreis = Lahn-Dill-Kreis
Höhe = 287
Fläche = 63.82
Einwohner = 20810
Stand = 2006-12-31
PLZ = 35745
Vorwahl = 02772, 02777 (Schönbach)
Kfz = LDK
Gemeindeschlüssel = 06 5 32 012
LOCODE = DE HBN
Straße = Hauptstraße 39
Website = [http://www.herborn.de/ www.herborn.de]
Bürgermeister = Hans Benner
Vize Bürgermeister= Steffen Sältzer /TGBN
Partei = SPD

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.

Geography

The town can be located at these coordinates: coord|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.

Neighbouring communities

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

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.

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

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.

During much of the Cold War there was a small American military garrison in the community.

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.

Politics

Town council

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

Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.

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

Culture and sightseeing

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)

Buildings

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.

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")

Parks

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

Natural monuments

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

Regular events

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

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.

External links

* [http://www.herborn.de Website of the city]
* [http://herborn1987.de/ Herborn 1987 – a memorial page to the victims]
*dmoz|World/Deutsch/Regional/Europa/Deutschland/Hessen/Landkreise/Lahn-Dill-Kreis/Städte_und_Gemeinden/Herborn|Herborn