Grävenwiesbach is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the
Hochtaunuskreis
The Hochtaunuskreis is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the middle of Hesse, Germany and is part of the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. Neighbouring districts are Lahn-Dill, Wetteraukreis, district-free Frankfurt, Main-Taunus, Rheingau-Taunus ...
in
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 ...
,
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 ...
.
Geography
Location
Grävenwiesbach lies between 300 and 600 m above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...
north of the
Taunus Ridge. The nearest big towns are
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 ...
(20 km) to the north,
Limburg
Limburg or Limbourg may refer to:
Regions
* Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium
* Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands
* Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...
(32 km) to the west and
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 ...
(40 km) to the south.
Neighbouring communities
Grävenwiesbach borders in the north on the communities of
Weilmünster (
Limburg-Weilburg
Limburg-Weilburg is a Kreis (district) in the west of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Lahn-Dill, Hochtaunuskreis, Rheingau-Taunus, Rhein-Lahn, Westerwaldkreis.
History
*1867 the ''Oberlahnkreis'', capital Weilburg was created
*1886 the ...
) and
Waldsolms (
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 b ...
), in the east on the towns of
Butzbach
Butzbach () is a town in the Wetteraukreis district in Hessen, Germany. It is located approximately 16 km south of Gießen and 35 km north of Frankfurt am Main.
In 2007, the town hosted the 47th Hessentag state festival from 1 to 10 June ...
(
Wetteraukreis
The Wetteraukreis is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the middle of Hesse, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Landkreis Gießen, Vogelsbergkreis, Main-Kinzig-Kreis, district-free Stadt Frankfurt, Hochtaunuskreis and Lahn-Dill-Kreis.
History
The distri ...
) and
Usingen
Usingen is a small town in the Hochtaunuskreis in Hessen, Germany. Until 1972, this residential and school town was the seat of the former district of Usingen.
Coat of arms
The earliest seal whose appearance is known – there had been earlier on ...
, and in the south and west on the community of
Weilrod (both in the Hochtaunuskreis).
Constituent communities
The community consists of the centres of Grävenwiesbach, Heinzenberg, Hundstadt, Laubach, Mönstadt and Naunstadt.
History
Grävenwiesbach had its first documentary mention in 1280. As of 1326, the village belonged to the County – later Principality – of Nassau-Weilburg, with which it passed in 1806 to the newly created Duchy of Nassau. In 1866, Grävenwiesbach became
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...
n.
Politics
Municipal council
The municipal elections on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:
Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.
Partnerships
Grävenwiesbach has maintained a partnership with
Wuenheim in
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
since 6 September 1980.
Coat of arms
Grävenwiesbach's civic coat of arms might heraldically be described thus: Or a spreadeagle sable armed and langued gules, above each wing a mullet of six azure.
The earliest town seals show this same composition, including one example known from 1534 but dating from the previous century. The arms have remained virtually unchanged since then, but were only officially granted in 1952, at which time the
tincture
A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...
azure (blue) was chosen for the mullets (stars), as that was Nassau's colour, under which Grävenwiesbach had lived for centuries. The reason for the mullets being in the arms, however, is not known. The eagle is, of course, the old Imperial eagl
Economy and infrastructure
Transport
On 1 June 1909, the Frankfurt -
Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Bad Homburg -
Usingen
Usingen is a small town in the Hochtaunuskreis in Hessen, Germany. Until 1972, this residential and school town was the seat of the former district of Usingen.
Coat of arms
The earliest seal whose appearance is known – there had been earlier on ...
-
Weilburg
Weilburg is, with just under 13,000 inhabitants, the third biggest town in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany, after Limburg an der Lahn and Bad Camberg.
Geography
Location
The community lies in the Lahn valley between the Wester ...
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
line also reached Grävenwiesbach. After a spur line to Wetzlar was opened on 1 November 1912,
Grävenwiesbach station became a small railway hub. This was the beginning of moderate
industrialization as well as the first step towards reorienting Grävenwiesbach towards the
Rhine-Main economic area.
Nowadays, Grävenwiesbach is an operations centre for the ''
Taunusbahn'' railway, run by the ''Hessische Landesbahn GmbH'', and running from Bad Homburg to Usingen and on to
Brandoberndorf.
Education
In Grävenwiesbach there is only a
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 ...
. A
Hauptschule
A ''Hauptschule'' (, "general school") is a secondary school in Germany, starting after four years of elementary schooling (''Grundschule''), which offers Lower Secondary Education (Level 2) according to the International Standard Classification ...
, a
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''), ...
and a
Gymnasium are available in
Usingen
Usingen is a small town in the Hochtaunuskreis in Hessen, Germany. Until 1972, this residential and school town was the seat of the former district of Usingen.
Coat of arms
The earliest seal whose appearance is known – there had been earlier on ...
.
Literature
* ''So war es einst. Grävenwiesbach im Wandel der Zeiten.'' Publisher: Heimatverein Grävenwiesbach e.V.,
* ''Unsere Bahn.'' Publisher: Heimatverein Grävenwiesbach e.V.
References
External links
Website der Gemeinde Grävenwiesbach*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gravenwiesbach
Hochtaunuskreis