Höhr-Grenzhausen () is a town in the

Westerwaldkreis The Westerwaldkreis ("District of Westerwald") is a district (''Kreis'') in the north-east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighbouring districts are (from north clockwise) Altenkirchen, Lahn-Dill, Limburg-Weilburg, Rhein-Lahn, the district-free ...

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 betwe ...

. It is a centre for the ceramic industry in the

Kannenbäckerland The Kannenbäckerland ("potters' land" or, more literally, "jug bakers' land") is a cultural landscape in central Germany, which extends from Wirges in the Westerwald hills to Bendorf and Vallendar in the Middle Rhine valley. The Kannenbäckerl ...

with a professional college for ceramics, another for ceramic form, and many others, hence the nickname ''Kannenbäckerstadt'' (roughly, “Jug Baking Town”). Together with the communities of Hillscheid,

Hilgert Hilgert in the Kannenbäckerland is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a community belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography Hilgert lies roughly 13 km from Koblenz on the edge of the ...

and

Kammerforst Kammerforst is a municipality in the Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis district of Thuringia, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after ...

it has formed the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Höhr-Grenzhausen – a kind of collective municipality – since 1971.

Geography

Höhr-Grenzhausen lies roughly 10 km west of

Montabaur Montabaur () is a town and the district seat of the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. At the same time, it is also the administrative centre of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Montabaur – a kind of collective municipality – to w ...

, and 10 km northeast of

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, 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 Empire, Roman mili ...

Politics

Town council

(as of municipal election on 13 June 2004)

Town partnerships

Höhr-Grenzhausen maintains partnerships with these towns: * Laigueglia, Riviera,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

(since 1972) *

Semur-en-Auxois Semur-en-Auxois () is a commune of the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. The politician François Patriat, the engineers Edmé Régnier L'Aîné (1751–1825) and Émile Dorand (1866-1922), and the Encyclopédiste Philippe Guéneau de M ...

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...

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 ...

(since 1987)

Culture and sightseeing

Museums

In the town are found the Westerwald Ceramics Museum (''Keramikmuseum Westerwald'') and a museum of the town's history.

Buildings

Evangelical church Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exper ...

* Grenzau Castle * ''

Limes Germanicus The (Latin for ''Germanic frontier'') is the name given in modern times to a line of frontier () fortifications that bounded the ancient Roman provinces of Germania Inferior, Germania Superior and Raetia, dividing the Roman Empire and the unsubd ...

'', a

UNESCO World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

site, in particular the Ferbach fort

Sport

Höhr-Grenzhausen's outlying centre of Grenzau is home to the TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau, a

table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

club involved in Bundesliga play. Likewise, the Rhineland-Palatinate table tennis Olympic base is found here.

Economy and infrastructure

Economy

RASTAL GmbH & Co. KG, which is a business established in Höhr-Grenzhausen, is one of Europe's biggest manufacturers of decorated drinking vessels, especially beer glasses. WesterwaldTopf3475

Since the 1500s, the area has been one of the most productive salt-glazed pottery centers in Europe. In the mid 16th century, potters from

Raeren Raeren () is a municipality of east Belgium located in the Walloon province of Liège. It was part of Germany until the First World War, after which it became part of Belgium. It is one of several towns in eastern Belgium which predominantly sp ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

migrated into the Westerwald, bringing with them some of their moulds. This type of pottery was taken to the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

and was found in the early

Chesapeake Chesapeake often refers to: *Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian * The Chesapeake, a.k.a. Chesapeake Bay *Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula Chesapeake may also refer to: Populated plac ...

settlements. Gray

Westerwald pottery Westerwald Pottery or Stoneware is a distinctive type of salt glazed grey pottery from the Höhr-Grenzhausen and Ransbach-Baumbach area of Westerwaldkreis in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. It is known as Kannenbäckerland Stoneware. Typically it i ...

is easily recognized with its curling blue flourishes, often in simple floral and leaf patterns. It is still molded by hand and fired in wood-burning

kilns A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay in ...

throughout the area. The town-wall is decorated all along its full length with huge ceramic pots made by various potters of the area. The International Ceramics Market & Museum Festival is held the first weekend in June, featuring around 150 exhibitors from all over Europe, including Spain, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Poland and Hungary.

Notable people

Karlheinz Zöller Karlheinz Zöller (24 August 1928 – 29 July 2005) was a German flutist, and solo fluteplayer in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra between 1960–1969 and 1976–1993. Early life and education Karlheinz Zöller was born in Höhr-Grenzhausen (near ...

(1928–2005), musician