Beilstein is a village in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

municipality Greifenstein, in the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...

. In December 2020, Beilstein counted 1,457 inhabitants, and its area is . The village is located about 10 km southwest of Herborn, 17 km northwest of the city

Wetzlar Wetzlar () is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. It is the twelfth largest city in Hesse with currently 55,371 inhabitants at the beginning of 2019 (including second homes). As an important cultural, industrial and commercial center, the un ...

and about 80 km north of

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

. Beilstein is located in the eastern part of the

Westerwald The Westerwald (; literally 'Western forest') is a low mountain range on the right bank of the river Rhine in the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia. It is a part of the Rhenish Massif ( or Rhenish ...

mountain range in

n, near the border with

Rheinland-Pfalz 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 ...

. The current day village is a combination of the villages Beilstein, Haiern and Wallendorf. Written records of Wallendorf trace back to the year 774. Beilstein itself was granted city rights on 18 February 1321 by the count of Nassau. Haiern is part of Beilstein since 1941. Burg Beilstein 2002

''Burg Beilstein'' (Castle of Beilstein), was mentioned in official records in 1129 for the first time, and was expanded around 1320 by the

counts of Nassau Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

. Beilstein was between 1607 and 1620 the residence of a branch of the house Nassau-Dillenburg with

George, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg Count George of Nassau-Beilstein, later also Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, (1 September 1562 – 9 August 1623 in Dillenburg) was the third son of Count John VI "the Elder" of Nassau-Dillenburg (1536-1606) from his first marriage with Landgravin ...

. In 1977, the town was merged into the municipality of Greifenstein.Gesetz zur Neugliederung des Dillkreises, der Landkreise Gießen und Wetzlar und der Stadt Gießen (GVBl. II 330–28) vom 13. Mai 1974
/ref> The King of the Netherlands is also styled ''Baron of Beilstein''. See also Style of the Dutch sovereign.

References

{{Authority control Former municipalities in Hesse Lahn-Dill-Kreis