Braunfels
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2021) |
Braunfels | |
---|---|
Location of Braunfels within Lahn-Dill-Kreis district | |
Gießen | |
District | Lahn-Dill-Kreis |
Subdivisions | 6 Stadtteile |
Government | |
• Mayor (2018–24) | Christian Breithecker[1] |
Area | |
• Total | 47.29 km2 (18.26 sq mi) |
Elevation | 236 m (774 ft) |
Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 11,131 |
• Density | 240/km2 (610/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Postal codes | 35619 |
Dialling codes | 06442 |
Vehicle registration | LDK |
Website | www.braunfels.de |
Braunfels (German pronunciation: [ˈbʁaʊ̯nˌfɛls] ⓘ) is a town in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. It is located on the German Timber-Frame Road.
Geography
Location
The climatic spa of Braunfels lies at a height of some 100 m above the Lahn valley. It is 9 km southwest of Wetzlar, and 28 km northeast of Limburg an der Lahn.
Neighbouring communities
Braunfels borders in the northwest on the town of Leun, in the north on the town of Solms, in the east on the community of Schöffengrund, in the southeast on the community of Waldsolms (all in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis), in the south on the community of Weilmünster, and in the west on the town of Weilburg and the community of Löhnberg (all three in Limburg-Weilburg).
Constituent communities
Besides the main town, which bears the same name as the whole, there are outlying centres called Altenkirchen, Bonbaden, Neukirchen, Philippstein and Tiefenbach
Currently, Bonbaden, is home to about 1600 people.[
History
The town and district seat of Braunfels were first mentioned in 1246. Braunfels has had town rights since 1607. In 1950 Braunfels had a population of 3,337. In the course of municipal reforms, the aforesaid constituent communities, formerly all independent villages, were amalgamated with Braunfels in 1972.
Bonbaden had its first documented mention in 772, and so celebrated 1200 years of existence in 1972. Bonbaden is therefore one of Lahn-Dill's oldest inhabited places.
Politics
Town council
This section needs to be updated.(July 2021) |
The municipal elections on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:
CDU |
14 seats |
SPD | 12 seats |
FWG | 5 seats |
FDP | 3 seats |
Greens |
3 seats |
Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.
Coat of arms
The town's coat of arms is the same as that used by the Counts of Solms-Braunfels, except that the colours in the lower half are reversed, simply to differentiate the town's arms from the old noble family's. The arms were designed and granted in 1937, and granted again on 14 October 1982. Formerly, the arms were identical to the Counts' arms.[3]
Town partnerships
Braunfels maintains partnerships with the following towns:
- Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France
- Eeklo, Belgium
- Feltre, Italy
- Kiskunfélegyháza, Hungary
- Newbury, England
- Rohrmoos-Untertal, Austria
- Carcaixent, Spain
Sightseeing
- Saint Elizabeth's legendary ring. Sites in the castle include the courtyard, the knights' hall, the guest rooms and painting gallery, the sacral exhibition pieces from the Altenberg Monastery, the hunting paintings by Johannes Deiker, and the cannon square. Other things to visit are the Princely Family Museum and the castle church with displays about the church's building history.[citation needed]
- Old Town: The inner Old Town has distinctive defensive features. There are a Baroque expansion with a marketplace and great spa gardens.
- Dr. Kanngießer'sches Waldmuseum (a whimsical museum)
- Stadtmuseum Obermühle, a museum of local history, built in a former mill.
- Burg Philippstein: These castle ruins lie on a slope and are separated from the surrounding mountainside by a dry moat, although nowadays this is partly filled in. Still preserved are the round keep, remains of the cellar and parts of the surrounding wall.
Mediaeval Spectacle
Every year, the local Aktionsring Braunfels e.V. organizes the Mittelalterliches Spektakulum, which over several days attracts tourists, and showmen, for which occasion, the spa gardens are turned into a knightly encampment.[citation needed]
People
- Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, (1602-1675), Countess of Solms-Braunfels, wife of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
- Frederick IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg, Landgraf of Hesse-Homburg (1724-1751)
- Karl von Schönhals, (1788-1857), Austrian general in the Napoleonic Wars
- Friederike Fliedner , (1800-1842), nurse and teacher, cofounder of the Women's deaconate
- Second World Warfield marshal
- Ottmar Gerster (1897-1969), composer, conductor and viola player
- Vanessa Jean Dedmon (born 1987), singer
- Walter Braunfels, composer
References
- Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt. 5 September 2022.
- Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt. June 2023.
- ^ "Deutsche Wappen (Gemeindewappen Kreiswappen) - BRAUNFELS". Archived from the original on 2005-07-31. Retrieved 2006-06-20.
External links
Media related to Braunfels at Wikimedia Commons
- Braunfels
- Braunfels at Curlie
- Aktionsring Braunfels e.V.
- Freilichtbühne Bonbaden
- Blasorchester Bonbaden, a "wind orchestra", mostly woodwinds and brass.
- Burschenschaft Bonbaden, local Burschenschaft