Dillenburg, officially Oranienstadt Dillenburg, is a town in Hesse's

Gießen Giessen, spelled Gießen in German (), is a town in the German state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of both the district of Giessen and the administrative region of Giessen. The population is approximately 90,000, with roughly 37,000 univers ...

region in

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 betwe ...

. The town was formerly the seat of the old Dillkreis district, which is now part of the

Lahn-Dill-Kreis Lahn-Dill is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the west of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Siegen-Wittgenstein, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Gießen, Wetteraukreis, Hochtaunuskreis, Limburg-Weilburg, Westerwaldkreis. History The southern district belo ...

. The town lies on the German-

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

holiday road called the

Orange Route The Orange Route ( nl, Oranje-Route, german: Oranier-Route) is a holiday route, that runs from Amsterdam in the Netherlands through North and Central Germany and returns to Amsterdam. It is 2,400 kilometres long and crosses the Netherlands and nine ...

, joining towns, cities and regions associated with the

House of Orange-Nassau The House of Orange-Nassau (Dutch: ''Huis van Oranje-Nassau'', ) is the current reigning house of the Netherlands. A branch of the European House of Nassau, the house has played a central role in the politics and government of the Netherlands ...

, as well as on the

German Timber-Frame Road The German Timber-Frame Road (German: ''Deutsche Fachwerkstraße'') is a German tourist route leading from the river Elbe in the north to the Black Forest and Lake Constance in the south. Numerous cities and towns each with examples of the vernacu ...

and the

Rothaarsteig The Rothaarsteig is a 154.80 km long hiking trail along the crest of the Rothaargebirge mountain range in Germany in the border region between the states of North Rhine-Westphalia (NW) and Hesse (HE). It was opened in 2001. Overview Th ...

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

trail.

Geography

Location

Dillenburg lies on the eastern edge 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 ...

range in the narrow valley of the river

Dill Dill (''Anethum graveolens'') is an annual herb in the celery family Apiaceae. It is the only species in the genus ''Anethum''. Dill is grown widely in Eurasia, where its leaves and seeds are used as a herb or spice for flavouring food. Growth ...

, which flows from Hesse-Westphalia border to

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 ...

, emptying into the

Lahn The Lahn is a , right (or eastern) tributary of the Rhine in Germany. Its course passes through the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia (23.0 km), Hesse (165.6 km), and Rhineland-Palatinate (57.0 km). It has its source in t ...

Neighbouring communities

Dillenburg borders in the north on the community of

Eschenburg Eschenburg is a municipality in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. The community inherited its name from nearby Eschenburg mountain. Geography About 20 km², or 43.8%, of the municipal area is wooded, 9.85 km² of this being municip ...

, in the east on the community of

Siegbach Siegbach is a municipality in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location The community of Siegbach lies in the Lahn-Dill Highland in the valley of its namesake brook, the Siegbach, which empties into the Aar to the south at Bi ...

, in the south on the town of Herborn, and the community of Breitscheid, and in the west on the town of

Haiger Haiger is a country town in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. The nearest city is Siegen, about 25 km north of Haiger. Geography Location Haiger lies about 5 km west of Dillenburg, and 20 km southeast of Siegen on the eastern ...

(all in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis).

Constituent communities

Dillenburg is divided into the centres of Donsbach, Eibach, Frohnhausen, Manderbach, Nanzenbach, Niederscheld and Oberscheld.

Donsbach

Donsbach lies approximately 4 km southwest of the Dillenburg main town.

Eibach

Eibach has some 1,450 inhabitants. The village, whose livelihood was once based on

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...

, lies among the other constituent communities of Nanzenbach, Oberscheld and Niederscheld. Its healing

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...

, whose water is heavy with

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...

, makes the village a favourite among locals. At

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

time, it is decorated.

Frohnhausen

With roughly 3,900 inhabitants, Frohnhausen is the largest of the constituent communities after the main town of Dillenburg.

Manderbach

Manderbach lies on a sunny

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

3 km north of the main town of Dillenburg.

Nanzenbach

Nanzenbach lies approximately 6 km north of the main town of Dillenburg. The tallest mountain of Dillenburg, the

at an elevation of 589 m, is part of the Nanzenbach area.

Niederscheld

Niederscheld is a village with about 3000 inhabitants, lying 2 km from the main town of Dillenburg. The name comes from a small brook called the Schelde that rises between Oberscheld and Tringenstein and flows into the Dill at Niederscheld. The village's greatest hallmarks are the old

blast furnace A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being "forced" or supplied above atmospheric ...

and the Adolfshütte

industrial park An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park, ...

. Towards the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the village suffered comparatively heavy damage from

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

air raids. Niederscheld had been appointed a target, because parts for the

V-2 rocket The V-2 (german: Vergeltungswaffe 2, lit=Retaliation Weapon 2), with the technical name ''Aggregat 4'' (A-4), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was developed ...

were built at the Adolfshütte.

Oberscheld

Oberscheld is a village with about 2000 inhabitants, it is the neighbour village from Niederscheld. The Mining was quite important for Oberscheld, there was a blast furnace, the blast furnace was closed in 1969. Oberscheld had a station, the last train ran in Oberscheld in 1987.

History

Dillenburg had its first documentary mention in 1254. Dillenburg was the ancestral seat of the Orange branch of the

House of Nassau The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The lords of Nassau were originally titled "Count o ...

Dillenburg Castle Castle Dillenburg, in the provincial town of Dillenburg in Hesse-Nassau, is situated on a hill (elevation 958 feet) above the Dill river, 25 miles northwest from Gießen on the Giessen-Troisdorf railway line. The main building of the old castle w ...

was built on top of the peak now called the Schlossberg in the late 13th or early 14th century. There are no pictures of this castle, however, as it was wooden, and was destroyed in the

Dernbacher Feud The Dernbach Feud (German: ''Dernbacher Fehde'') was an over 100-year-long (c. 1230 – 1333) ongoing dispute in present-day Germany between the House of Nassau, several knightly families, and the Landgrave of Hesse. The conflict erupted mainly over ...

. From his stately home in exile,

William I of Orange-Nassau William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Rev ...

, who was born in Dillenburg, organized the Dutch resistance against

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

(1567–1572), which still occasions regular Dutch royal visits to the town to this day. The land was administered by the presidents of the House of Nassau-Dillenburg. One of the last presidents was Georg Ernst Ludwig Freiherr von Preuschen von und zu Liebenstein (born 1727 in

Diethardt Diethardt is a municipality in the district of Rhein-Lahn, in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in ...

; died 1794 in

Bad Ems Bad Ems () is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Rhein-Lahn rural district and is well known as a spa on the river Lahn. Bad Ems is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' (administrative community) Bad E ...

). In the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

, the stately home was destroyed (1760), and Wilhelmstraße (a street) was built out of the remains. In 1797, one of the earliest schools of forestry in Europe, founded a decade earlier at

Hungen Hungen () is a town in the district of Gießen, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated 20 km southeast of Gießen, and 18 km northeast of Friedberg. Surrounding towns are Laubach to the north, Nidda to the east, Wölfersheim to the south, ...

Georg Ludwig Hartig Georg Ludwig Hartig (September 2, 1764 – February 2, 1837) was a German forester. Education Hartig was born at Gladenbach, in present-day Hesse. After obtaining a practical knowledge of forestry from his uncle at Harzburg, he studied from 1 ...

, was moved to Dillenburg. It continued in Dillenburg until 1805, when Hartig lost his position as Inspector of Forests for the Prince of Orange-Nassau, when the principality was dissolved by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. In 1875, the Wilhelmsturm (tower), views from which can be seen in this article, was completed on the Schlossberg. It is today the town's landmark. The "casemates" under the former stately home are among the biggest defensive works in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. They have been partly excavated and may be toured. In the 19th century came the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

with the building of the

Deutz–Gießen railway The Deutz–Gießen railway is a line between Deutz and Gießen that was built from the late 1850s to connect the Ruhr and the Rhine-Main area, now parts of the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse. The line still exists, but little ...

and the use of

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...

found on the Lahn, Dill and Sieg. Many mines,

foundries A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

and metalworking operations came into being in the region. In this time, many railway branchlines were built from Dillenburg to, among other places, Gönnern and Ewersbach. These lines have all been abandoned now. The line to Gönnern was abandoned in 1987 and torn up. The railway depot, so useful in the time of steam traction, was shut down in 1983. In the

, Dillenburg became a target of Allied attacks due to its

marshalling yard A classification yard (American and Canadian English (Canadian National Railway use)), marshalling yard (British, Hong Kong, Indian, Australian, and Canadian English (Canadian Pacific Railway use)) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a railway ya ...

. In later years that yard was closed and ore mining became ever less profitable and in 1968, the last blast furnace, in Oberscheld, ceased operations. As of November 2017, the town's name was officially extended to "Oranienstadt Dillenburg" to reference Dillenburg's special connection to the

as its ancestral seat.

Eibach

Eibach's history began in "Nassau times" in the 13th century. In 1313, the village had its first documentary mention. In the Second World War, it was left unscathed. In 2004, the healing spring was renovated, and a brineworks was built.

Manderbach

Manderbach had its first documentary mention in 1225, making it older than the main town of Dillenburg (1254). The two former villages – nowadays parts of Dillenburg – Frohnhausen and Manderbach, had much in common in their early history. Here the two noble families von Hunsbach and von Selbach both held sway. As in Frohnhausen, there was also a great fire in Manderbach – albeit 148 years before Frohnhausen's – which, having been started by a

lightning strike A lightning strike or lightning bolt is an electric discharge between the atmosphere and the ground. Most originate in a cumulonimbus cloud and terminate on the ground, called cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning. A less common type of strike, ground- ...

, burnt 38 houses down within an hour and a half on 29 April 1630.

Nanzenbach

The name Nanzenbach was mentioned for the first time in a document on 8 May 1325. This document mentions "die Nantzenbecher" — "the inhabitants of Nanzenbach".

Population development

(in each case on 31 December) *1998 - 25,053 *1999 - 25,124 *2000 - 25,092 *2001 - 25,017 *2002 - 24,923 *2003 - 24,681 *2004 - 24,533

Coat of arms

The oldest town seals, dating from the 15th to 19th centuries, show the same composition as Dillenburg's current civic

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

. The arms were conferred officially in 1907 and confirmed in 1934. The lion inside the gateway is the Lion of Nassau

Culture and sightseeing

Museums

* ''Wilhelmsturm'' (tower) with the Orange-Nassau Museum * "Villa Grün" museum of economic history * The "Casemates", old defensive structures. * ''Hessisches Landgestüt'' (≈ Hessian State Stud Farm) with coach museum in the Orangery. "Living Museum" about the

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...

Buildings

* ''Wilhelmsturm'' (tower) built in 1872 - 1875 * The "Casemates", old defensive structures.from the 16th century * The Evangelische Town Church from 1491 * The ''Dillturm'' (tower) from 1597 * The old rectory from 1531–1533 * The ''Untertor'' (Lower Gate) from 1344 (alterations in 1594 and 1737) * Manderbach Church

Parks

In Donsbach is a wildlife park.

Hiking trails

The following trails go through or begin in Dillenburg: * The ''

'' from Dillenburg to

Brilon Brilon (; Westphalian: ''Brailen'') is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, central Germany, that belongs to the Hochsauerlandkreis. Geography Brilon is situated on the Brilon Heights at an altitude of about 450 m on the upper reaches of the r ...

* The ''Schlösserweg'' from Dillenburg to Düsseldorf -Benrath * The ''Dillweg'' from

* The ''Uplandweg'' from Dillenburg to

Salzkotten Salzkotten is a town in the district of Paderborn, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name Salzkotten (in English, "Salt cottages") is based in the former salt production, which gave Salzkotten its raison d'être. Salt was found in the salty ...

Regular events

* Jazz-Weekend, in June * ''Kirschenmarkt'' (cherry market), in June * Aquarena-Nacht, in July * Hubertus-Markt, in October * Hengstparade des Hessischen Landgestüts (stallion parade) * Maypole Festival in Eibach, at the beginning of May * ''

Rocknacht ''Rockpalast'' (''Rock Palace'') is a German music television show that broadcasts live on German television station Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR). ''Rockpalast'' started in 1974 and continues to this day. Hundreds of rock, heavy metal and jazz ...

'' music festival in Eibach, in summer.

Other

* Brineworks and healing spring, Eibach

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

The bypass on Federal Highway (''Bundesstraße'') B277 opened in April 2007. It is a

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

under the Schlossberg, bypassing the historic Old Town with its

timber-frame Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

houses and it was one of Germany's biggest tunnel projects. As a result of the bankruptcy of the contractor for the works, Walter Bau, completion of the project was delayed by more than a year.

Dillenburg station Dillenburg station is a through station in the town of Dillenburg in the German state of Hesse. Immediately adjacent to the station is the central bus station, which is served by many bus lines connecting to the surrounding countryside. Together t ...

is on the Dill line, part of the original Cologne-Gießen Railway. It runs from

Siegen Siegen () is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly sho ...

and connects central Hesse with the

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

and the

Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...

. The

Heller Valley Railway Heller may refer to: People * Heller (surname), various people with the surname Arts and entertainment * Heller (band), a Serbian thrash metal band ** ''Heller'' (album), their debut album * James Heller, a character from the TV series ''24 ...

, runs from Betzdorf via

Burbach Burbach is a name meaning "farmer's brook" (from Old High German ''bur'' "farmer" + ''bach'' "brook"). It can refer to: Places in Germany * Burbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, municipality in Siegen-Wittgenstein district * Burbach, Rhineland-Palati ...

to Dillenburg. The Dillenburg station was once a major freight terminal for iron mining in the Schelderwald.

Established businesses

Deutsche Post AG Deutsche Post AG, trading as Deutsche Post DHL Group, is a German multinational package delivery and supply chain management company headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is one of the world's largest courier companies. The postal division deliver ...

* E.ON Mitte (OT Oberscheld) * Funkenerosionstechnik Hartwig Hermann * INDEN Design * Isabellenhütte Heusler GmbH & Co. KG * Linde & Wiemann * Ströher-Keramik *

ThyssenKrupp Nirosta Outokumpu Nirosta is a business segment of Outokumpu, headquartered in Krefeld, Germany. It produces flats of stainless steel. Prior to January 2012, it was named ThyssenKrupp Nirosta and part of ThyssenKrupp AG. The unit has a plant in Bochum. The ...

Dillenburg Works * TSR Recycling GmbH & Co. KG Dillenburg Branch *

Volksbank There are several banks that operate under the name "Volksbank" (Afrikaans, Dutch and German for "people's bank"). There are also 1,099 independent local Volksbanken in Germany. They are completely separate from the Austrian Association of Volksba ...

Dill eG * Weber Kunststofftechnik

Media

* Dill-Post * Dill-Zeitung

Public institutions

Police station A police station (sometimes called a "station house" or just "house") is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, al ...

Fire brigade A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...

* Dill-Kliniken (

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

) *

Deaconate A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

German Red Cross The German Red Cross (german: Deutsches Rotes Kreuz ; DRK) is the national Red Cross Society in Germany. With 4 million members, it is the third largest Red Cross society in the world. The German Red Cross offers a wide range of services within ...

Dillkreis chapter * Lahn-Dill Youth Office * Lahn-Dill ''Jugendbildungswerk'' * ''Lebenshilfe'' for the mentally handicapped ''Kreisvereinigung für den ehem. Dillkreis e.V. '' (District association for the former Dill district) * Lahn-Dill Social Office

Education

* Gewerbliche Schulen (

vocational school A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the tasks ...

) * Goldbachschule (Haupt- and Realschule) * Juliane-von-Stolberg-Schule (

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

) * Johann-von-Nassau-Schule ( Haupt- and

Realschule ''Realschule'' () is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), ...

) * Kaufmännische Schulen (vocational school) * Kindergartens (

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, municipal, ''Arbeiterwohlfahrt'' erman workers' welfare * Lahn-Dill-Akademie (

Folk high school Folk high schools (also ''Adult Education Center'', Danish: ''Folkehøjskole;'' Dutch: ''Volkshogeschool;'' Finnish: ''kansanopisto'' and ''työväenopisto'' or ''kansalaisopisto;'' German: ''Volkshochschule'' and (a few) ''Heimvolkshochschule;'' ...

) * Otfried-Preußler-Schule für Praktisch Bildbare (

special school Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

) * Roteberg-Schule (primary school) * Schelderwald-Schule (primary school and Hauptschule) * Wilhelm-von-Oranien-Schule ( Gymnasium)

Twin towns – sister cities

Dillenburg is twinned with: *

Breda Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...

, Netherlands *

Diest Diest () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. Situated in the northeast of the Hageland region, Diest neighbours the provinces of Antwerp to its North, and Limburg to the East and is situated around 60 ...

, Belgium *

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...

, England, United Kingdom *

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

, France

Notable people

William I, Count of Nassau-Siegen Count William I of Nassau-SiegenIn many sources he is called William I of Nassau(-Dillenburg) and in some sources of Nassau-Katzenelnbogen. He was born with the titles Count of Nassau, Vianden and Diez. Two years before his death, he o ...

(1487–1559) count from the House of Nassau, nicknamed ''the Rich'' *

William the Silent William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Re ...

(1533–1584), leader in the Dutch war of independence against Spain. *

John VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg Count John VI of Nassau-Dillenburg (22 November 1536 – 8 October 1606) was the second son of William the Rich and the younger brother of William the Silent. He has a special place in the history of the Netherlands because he is the male-lin ...

(1536–1606), aristocrat. *

Maurice, Prince of Orange Maurice of Orange ( nl, Maurits van Oranje; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was ''stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death in 1625. Before he became Prince o ...

(1567–1625), aristocrat. *

Ernest Casimir I, Count of Nassau-Dietz Ernest Casimir I (22 December 1573 – 2 June 1632) was a Count of Nassau-Dietz and Stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe. Biography He was the 11th child of John VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, and Countess Elisabeth of Leuch ...

(1573–1632), ancestor of Kings of

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen John Maurice of Nassau (Dutch: ''Johan Maurits van Nassau-Siegen''; German: ''Johann Moritz von Nassau-Siegen''; Portuguese: ''João Maurício de Nassau-Siegen''; 17 June 1604 – 20 December 1679), called "the Brazilian" for his fruitful period as ...

(1604–1679), Dutch field marshal, called the ''Brazilian''. *

Karl Christian Kehrer Karl Christian Kehrer (1 August 1755, Dillenburg - 7 April 1833, Ballenstedt) was a German portrait, landscape and history painter. Biography He was born to Martin Tobias Andreas Kehrer (1717-1790), a local land commissioner, and his wife El ...

(1755-1833) portrait, landscape and history painter. *

John O. Meusebach John O. Meusebach (May 26, 1812 – May 27, 1897), born Otfried Hans Freiherr von Meusebach, was at first a Prussian bureaucrat, later an American farmer and politician who served in the Texas Senate, District 22. Early years John O. Meusebach ...

(1812–1897), founder of

Fredericksburg, Texas Fredericksburg (german: Friedrichsberg) is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census, this city had a population of 10,530. Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frederick of Prussia. O ...

and Texas Senator *

Julius Eckhardt Raht Julius Eckhardt Raht (June 26, 1826 – August 15, 1879) was a mining engineer, entrepreneur, and businessman who pioneered the mining and smelting of copper in the Copper Basin in Eastern Tennessee and reputedly became the richest man in the sta ...

(1826–1879), American mining engineer and entrepreneur *

Arnold Lequis Arnold Lequis was a German General of the Infantry who commanded the 12th Division during World War I as well as a commander of the Reichswehr during the German Revolution of 1918–19 against the Communists. Early military career Lequis attende ...

(1861-1949)

General of the Infantry (Germany) General of the Infantry (german: General der Infanterie, abbr. ) is a former rank of the German army (). It is currently an appointment or position given to an OF-8 rank officer, who is responsible for particular affairs of training and equipm ...

in WWI * Fritz Angerstein (1891–1925), mass murderer *

Maria Kliegel Maria Kliegel (born 14 November 1952) is a German cellist. Professional career Kliegel was born in Dillenburg, Hesse. She studied under Janos Starker starting at the age of 19. She won first prize at the American College Competition, First Germ ...

, (born 1952), cellist *

Deborah Levi Deborah Levi (born 28 August 1997) is a German bobsledder. She won a bronze medal at the IBSF World Championships 2021 and a gold medal in the 2022 Winter Olympics in the two-woman event. References External links *Deborah Leviat the German B ...

(born 1997) bobsledder, gold medallist in the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beij ...

Worked in Dillenburg

Maximilian Mörlin Maximilian Mörlin ( 14 October 1516, Wittenberg, Electorate of Saxony — 20 April 1584, Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Eisenach ) was a Lutheran theologian, court preacher, Superintendent in Coburg, and Reformer. Life Maximilian grew up with his ...

(1516–1584), Evangelical theologian and reformer * Catharina Helena Dörrien (1717–1795), worked in Dillenburg from 1746 and lived here until she died in 1795. Whilst resident, she produced a various publications, including a catalogue of the flora of Orange-Nassau, where she became the first woman to name a

fungal A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...

taxon *

(1764–1837) worked from 1797 to 1805 as Inspector of Forests for the Prince of Orange-Nassau, in Dillenburg; at the same time led one of the earliest schools of forestry in Europe, also in Dillenburg *

Bruno Gröning Bruno Bernhard Gröning (1906 in Gdańsk, Danzig – January 26, 1959 in Paris) was a German mystic who performed faith healings and lectured. He was active in Germany in the 1940s and 1950s after World War II. Early life Gröning was born in ...

(1906–1959), mystic and healer, had his practise in Dillenburg for a period and is buried there

References

External links

Dillenburg

Website about Dillenburg railway station and railway guide line 445

Dillenburg fire station

Nanzenbach
* {{Authority control Lahn-Dill-Kreis History of forestry education Burial sites of the House of Nassau-Siegen People from Dillenburg