Altenkirchen () is a town in

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, capital of the district of Altenkirchen. It is located approximately 40 km east of

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...

and 50 km north of

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman military post by Drusus around 8 B.C. Its nam ...

. Altenkirchen is the seat of the ''

Verbandsgemeinde A Verbandsgemeinde (; plural Verbandsgemeinden) is a low-level administrative unit in the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt. A Verbandsgemeinde is typically composed of a small group of villages or towns. Rhinelan ...

'' ("collective municipality")

Altenkirchen-Flammersfeld Altenkirchen-Flammersfeld is a ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") in the district of Altenkirchen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' is in Altenkirchen. It was formed on 1 January 2020 by the merger ...

Population development

Geography

* Lahrer Herrlichkeit, a landscape region in the collective municipality of

Flammersfeld Flammersfeld is a municipality in the district of Altenkirchen, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated in the Westerwald, approx. 35 km north of Koblenz. Flammersfeld was the seat of the former ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective m ...

Notable people

Bundesarchiv Bild 101II-MN-1361-21A, Schlachtschiff Bismarck, Kapitän Ernst Lindemann

* Dirk Adorf (born 1969), race car driver *

Sabine Bätzing-Lichtenthäler Sabine Bätzing-Lichtenthäler (born 13 February 1975) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has been leading her party’s group in the State Parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate since 2021.Federal Administrative Court * Claus Koch (born 1953), jazz musician *

Ernst Lindemann Otto Ernst Lindemann (28 March 1894 – 27 May 1941) was a German ''Kapitän zur See'' ( naval captain). He was the only commander of the battleship during its eight months of service in World War II. Lindemann joined the German Imperial Navy ...

(1894–1941), an officer of the Imperial Navy and later the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

commander of the battleship '' Bismarck '' * Hermann Heinrich Traut (born 1866), librarian *

Marie Gülich Marie Gülich (born 28 May 1994) is a German professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. She was drafted 12th overall by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2018 WNBA draft. Gülich played center for the Oregon State Beavers women's bas ...

(born 1994), WNBA player.

Other personalities

The following figures are not native Altenkirchen people, but have worked or lived in the city: FW Raiffeisen

Wilhelm Boden Wilhelm Boden (5 March 1890 – 18 October 1961) was a German lawyer, civil servant and politician ( Centre Party & CDU). From 1946 to 1947 he was the first Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate. He contributed substantially to the rebuild ...

(1890–1961), former Prime Ministers of Rheinland-Pfalz *

Ludwig Julius Budge Ludwig Julius Budge (11 September 1811, in Wetzlar – 14 July 1888, in Greifswald) was a German physiologist. He studied medicine at the Universities of Marburg, Berlin and Würzburg, and following graduation worked as a general practitioner ...

(1811–1888), physician *

Bernhard Grzimek Bernhard Klemens Maria Grzimek (; 24 April 1909 – 13 March 1987) was a German zoo director, zoologist, book author, editor, and animal conservationist in postwar West Germany. Biography Early years and education Grzimek was born in Neisse (N ...

(1909–1987), zoologist, cooperated in 1938 with the District Veterinary Office in Altenkirchen to combat bovine tuberculosis * François Séverin Marceau (1769–1796), French general *

Krzysztof Meyer Krzysztof Meyer (born 11 August 1943) is a Polish composer, pianist, and music scholar, formerly Dean of the Department of Music Theory (1972–1975) at the State College of Music (now Academy of Music in Kraków), and president of the Union of P ...

(born 1943), composer *

Hans Nüsslein Hans "Hanne" Nüsslein (; 31 March 1910 – 28 June 1991) was a German tennis player and coach and former World professional number 1 tennis player who won four professional Majors singles titles during his career. Biography Nüsslein was bo ...

(1910–1991), German tennis player, professional world champion in 1933, 1936, 1937 *

Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen (30 March 1818 – 11 March 1888) was a German mayor and cooperative pioneer. Several credit union systems and cooperative banks have been named after Raiffeisen, who pioneered rural credit unions. Life Friedrich Wilhe ...

(1818–1888), social reformer * Ewald Schnug (1930–2013), Master Gardener, Bearer of the Federal Cross of Merit, First Alderman of Altenkirchen, Gamekeeper's ring leader, County hunting master * Ewald Schnug (* 1954), agricultural researcher, professor, Honorary-President of the International Scentific Center for Fertilizers

References

Altenkirchen (district) {{Altenkirchen-geo-stub