Geography
Location
Solms lies right in 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 ...
valley at the mouth of the eponymous little river
Solmsbach
Solmsbach is a river of Hesse, Germany. It flows into the Lahn in Solms
Geography
Location
Solms lies right in the Lahn valley at the mouth of the eponymous little river Solmsbach and is nestled between the foothills of both the Taunus and W ...
and is nestled between the foothills of both the
Taunus
The Taunus is a mountain range in Hesse, Germany, located north of Frankfurt. The tallest peak in the range is '' Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are ''Kleiner Feldberg'' (825 m) and '' Altkönig'' (798 m).
The Taunus range span ...
and
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 ...
at heights from 140 to 400 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 standardised g ...
. It is about 7 km west of
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 30 km northeast of
Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn (officially abbreviated ''Limburg a. d. Lahn'') is the district seat of Limburg-Weilburg in Hesse, Germany.
Geography
Location
Limburg lies in western Hessen between the Taunus and the Westerwald on the river Lahn.
The to ...
.
Neighbouring communities
Solms borders in the north on the community of
Ehringshausen
Ehringshausen is a municipality in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.
Geography
Location
Ehringshausen lies in the valley of the Dill between Wetzlar and Herborn.
Neighbouring communities
Ehringshausen borders in the north on the community ...
and the town of
Aßlar, in the east on the town of
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 ...
, in the southeast on the community of
Schöffengrund
Schöffengrund is a municipality in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.
Geography
Location
Schöffengrund lies only a few kilometres south of Wetzlar in the Hochtaunus Nature Park.
Neighbouring communities
Schöffengrund borders in the north ...
, in the southwest on the town of
Braunfels and in the west on the town of
Leun
Leun is a small town in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.
Geography
Location
Leun lies some 10 km west of Wetzlar between the foothills of the northern Taunus and the Westerwald in the Lahn valley, at a height of 150 to 330 m above ...
(all in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis).
Constituent communities
The town consists of the following centres:
*Albshausen
* Burgsolms
* Niederbiel
* Oberbiel
* Oberndorf
Solms is a town west of
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 ...
in 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 ...
,
Hessen
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 Darm ...
,
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 ...
with around 13,500 inhabitants. In the constituent community of Burgsolms once stood the ancestral
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
of the Counts and Princes of
Solms
Geography
Location
Solms lies right in the Lahn valley at the mouth of the eponymous little river Solmsbach and is nestled between the foothills of both the Taunus and Westerwald at heights from 140 to 400 m above sea level. It is about 7& ...
.
Politics
Town council
The municipal elections in 2011 yielded the following results:
Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.
Town of Solms Youth Council
Since 2002 there has been a ''Town of Solms Youth Council'' serving as the town's official board representing youth's interests and needs. It is elected every two years by children and youths who either live in the town or go to the
comprehensive school
A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...
.
Partnerships
The town of Solms maintains partnerships with the following places:
*
Liezen
Liezen (Central Bavarian: ''Liezn'') is a municipality in the Austrian federal state of Styria, district capital of the district of the same name and economic center on the River Enns.
Population
Politics
Since 1995, the left-wing SPÖ party ...
,
Styria
Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
*
La Grand-Combe,
Gard
Gard () is a department in Southern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It had a population of 748,437 as of 2019;[France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...]
*
Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig
Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig is a village and a former municipality in Thuringia, Germany. Formerly in the district Ilm-Kreis, it is part of the town Suhl since January 2019.
Gallery
File:Winter in Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig.jpg, Schmiedefeld am Ren ...
,
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and larg ...
,
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 ...
Economy and infrastructure
Oberbiel is home to two commercial-industrial areas. A shipping company has set up shop at the newer one, while the older one, on an island in the river Lahn, was established in the early 20th century. It was originally home to a
brad
Brad may refer to:
* Brad (given name), a masculine given name
Places
* Brad, Hunedoara, a city in Hunedoara County, Romania
* Brad, a village in Berești-Bistrița Commune, Bacău County, Romania
* Brad, a village in Filipeni, Bacău, Romania
* ...
factory, a
wireworks
Wire drawing is a metalworking process used to reduce the cross-section of a wire by pulling the wire through a single, or series of, drawing die(s). There are many applications for wire drawing, including electrical wiring, cables, tension-lo ...
and a
ball bearing
A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races.
The purpose of a ball bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this ...
factory.
History
Solms had its first documentary mention in 788 in a donation document from the Lorsch Monastery. The villages that nowadays form the town of Solms belonged for centuries to the County of Solms, an independent state within the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
, elevated to a county in 1223, until it was dissolved in 1806. Early branches of the
House of Solms
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
[See German article '']House of Solms
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
'' or French article '' Maison de Solms. were Burgsolms (extinguished 1415), Konigsberg (near
Biebertal
Biebertal is a municipality in the district of Gießen, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated 7 km northwest of Gießen
Giessen, spelled Gießen in German (), is a town in the German state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of both the distric ...
, extinguished 1364), Old and New Hohensolms (at
Hohenahr
Hohenahr () is a municipality in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.
Geography
Location
Hohenahr lies in the Lahn-Dill Highland at a height of between 260 and 440 m above sea level. Its constituent communities of Ahrdt and Mudersbach are on th ...
, extinguished in the 14th century) and
Braunfels. The still existing lines are the princely branches of
Solms-Braunfels
Solms-Braunfels was a County and later Principality with Imperial immediacy in what is today the federal Land of Hesse in Germany.
Solms-Braunfels was a partition of Solms, ruled by the House of Solms, and was raised to a Principality of th ...
,
Solms-Hohensolms-Lich
Solms-Hohensolms-Lich was at first a County and later Principality with Imperial immediacy in what is today the federal Land of Hessen, Germany. It was ruled by a branch of the House of Solms, originally from Solms.
Grafschaft
The county was o ...
with their seat in
Lich
In fantasy fiction, a lich (; from the Old English , meaning "corpse") is a type of undead creature.
Various works of fantasy fiction, such as Clark Ashton Smith's "The Empire of the Necromancers" (1932), had used ''lich'' as a general term fo ...
and
Solms-Baruth
Solms-Baruth was a Lower Lusatian state country, from 16th century until 1945.
History
The House of Solms had its origins at Solms, Hesse, and ruled several of the many minor states of the Holy Roman Empire. These lost their independence in the G ...
, furthermore the Counts of
Solms-Laubach
Solms-Laubach was a County of southern Hesse and eastern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The House of SolmsSee German article on the '' House of Solms'' or French article '' Maison de Solms. had its origins in Solms, Hesse.
History
Solms-Laubach ...
with their
seat
A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense.
Types of seat
The following are examples of different kinds of seat:
* Armchair (furniture), ...
in
Laubach
Laubach is a town of approximately 10,000 people in the Gießen region of Hesse, Germany. Laubach is known as a ', a climatic health resort. It is situated east of Gießen. Surrounding Laubach are the towns of Hungen, Grünberg, Schotten and ...
,
Solms-Rödelheim-Assenheim
Solms-Rödelheim-Assenheim was a County of southern Hesse and eastern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The House of Solms had its origins at Solms, Hesse.
Solms-Rödelheim-Assenheim was thrice created by a union of the Counts of Solms-Assenheim a ...
with their seat in Assenheim,
Solms-Sonnewalde and
Solms-Wildenfels
Solms-Wildenfels was a minor County around Wildenfels in south-western Saxony, Germany. The House of Solms had its origins at Solms, Hesse.
Solms-Wildenfels was a partition of Solms-Baruth. In 1741 it was partitioned between itself and Solms- ...
. The Burgsolms castle at Solms, ancestral seat of the family since around 1100, was destroyed in 1384 by a coalition of nearby towns under the leadership of
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 ...
, forcing count John to move to
Greifenstein
Greifenstein is a municipality in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. Its administrative seat is Beilstein. Greifenstein covers 67.43 km² on the eastern slope of the Westerwald range. It was named for the castle of the same name in th ...
castle.
After a short while being part of the
Duchy of Nassau
The Duchy of Nassau (German: ''Herzogtum Nassau'') was an independent state between 1806 and 1866, located in what is now the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. It was a member of the Confederation of the Rhine and later of the G ...
, Solms passed to
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 em ...
in 1815.
As part of Hesse's municipal reforms, the communities of Albshausen and Oberbiel voluntarily merged on 1 July 1971 to form ''Bielhausen'', while Burgsolms and
Oberndorf did the same to form ''Solms''. By state law, these two new communities were amalgamated with Niederbiel on 1 January 1977 to make the new greater community of Solms, which in 1978 was granted town rights.
A new residential area has been being built on the western edge of Oberbiel since the 1990s.
Sightseeing
* Kloster Altenberg (Altenberg Monastery) - ''Burial place of the blessed Gertrud von Altenberg (1227-1297),
Saint Elisabeth's daughter''
* Grube Fortuna (Oberbiel) - ''
Visitors' Mine
A mine, i.e. an industrial facility for the underground extraction of mineral commodities, has three operating phases: it may be open or running, or closed or it may be a working museum. Most mines are simply closed once they are no longer product ...
including a light and mine railway museum'' ''(Iron ore was mined here until 1983.)''
*Stone Bench (Oberbiel Forest) - ''A secluded place, that may have originally served as a hunting post''
* Jewish Cemetery (Burgsolms) - ''Tombstones from 1705 to 1939''
*Gallows of Solms (Forest between Burgsolms/Oberndorf and Albshausen) - ''Memorial against death penalty: Erected in stone in 1750, the gallows has never been used for an execution.''
*Schäferburg ("Shepherd's castle", Niederbiel) - ''Log cabin and barbecue area on the edge of the forest (Westerwald side) overlooking the city and the Lahn valley''
*Former Hunting Lodge Dr. Roth, later a children's home (Albshausen) - A kind of counterpart to Niederbiel's "Schäferburg" on the Taunus side (built around 1920)
*Old Station Braunfels-Oberndorf (Oberndorf) - Representative building on the disused Solmsbach-valley-route to
Brandoberndorf
Images
Burgsolms-Braunfels.jpg, The churches of Burgsolms in front of Braunfels castle
Oberndorf Kirche mit Himmel.jpg, Oberndorf
Kloster Altenberg - panoramio.jpg, Altenberg Abbey
Altenberg Abbey (''Abtei Altenberg'') ( la, Vetus Mons) is a former Cistercian monastery in Altenberg, now a part of the municipality of Odenthal in the Bergisches Land, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
History
The abbey was founded in 113 ...
Pfingstmontag 2019 im Feld- und Grubenbahnmuseum Fortuna 06.jpg, Visitors' Mine Fortuna
Jüdischer Friedhof Solms.jpg, Jewish Cemetery
Solmser Galgen.jpg, alt=Gallows, Gallows
Evangelische Kirche Solms-Albshausen.jpg, Albshausen church
Kirche Solms-Niederbiel.jpg, Niederbiel church
References
External links
''Grube Fortuna'' homepage*
{{Authority control
1258 disestablishments in Europe
States and territories established in 1129
Youth councils
Lahn-Dill-Kreis