Schmitten im Taunus (until 25 August 2021 ''Schmitten'') is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality ...
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-Taunu ...
in
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 ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
.
Geography
Schmitten is the highest community in 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 spans ...
, approximately 24km north of
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian dialects, Hessian: , "Franks, Frank ford (crossing), ford on the Main (river), Main"), is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as o ...
, within which is the ''
Großer Feldberg
The Großer Feldberg ('Great Field Mountain') is, at a height of 879.5 metres, the highest elevation of the Taunus mountains, and of the entire Rhenish Massif. It is situated in the Hochtaunuskreis district in Hesse, Germany.
The Feldberg/Tau ...
'' (881m).
Neighbouring communities
Schmitten borders in the north on the community of
Weilrod
Weilrod is a municipality made up of several villages in the northwest Hochtaunuskreis lying in the Weil Valley in Hesse, Germany.
Geography
Location
Weilrod lies north of the crest of the Taunus, from 210 to 600 m above sea level. Th ...
and the town of
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 ...
, in the east on the towns of
Neu-Anspach and
Bad Homburg, in the south on the towns of
Oberursel
Oberursel (Taunus) () is a town in Germany and part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. It is located to the north west of Frankfurt, in the Hochtaunuskreis county. It is the 13th largest town in Hesse. In 2011, the town hosted the 51st H ...
and
Königstein, and in the west on the communities of
Glashütten and
Waldems
Waldems () is a municipality in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the '' Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. The municipality's administrative seat is Waldems-Esch.
Geography
Location
Waldems is located in the Taunus in a widely ...
(
Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis
Rheingau-Taunus is a Kreis (district) in the west of Hesse, Germany. Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis is part of the Darmstadt region; its main administrative seat is Bad Schwalbach. Outposted sections of the local administration are located in Idstein and ...
).
Constituent communities
The greater community has nine centres (until municipal reform in 1972, all independent communities) named Arnoldshain, Brombach, Dorfweil, Hunoldstal, Niederreifenberg, Oberreifenberg, Schmitten, Seelenberg and Treisberg.
History
Schmitten had its first documented mention in 1399 as ''Waldschmidt''. The name comes from a nail-making
smith in the woods nearby (''Wald'' is
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
**Ger ...
for "forest"; ''Schmidt'' has the same root as ''Schmiede'' – smith) which were attached to
Hattstein Castle(mentioned in 1215). The Hattstein Knights ("Hazechenstein") were akin to the Reifenbergers ("Riffinberg"), possibly even the same. These families' origins were either in 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 ...
area north of 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 ...
or the
Limburg area. In the ''Walsdorfer Gründungsurkunde'' ("Walsdorf Founding Document") of 1156, a "Guntramus de Hazechenstein" is named.
The Hattstein Knights, whose
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 ...
was destroyed several times, had property in
Bad Camberg,
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 ...
("Hattsteiner Weiher"),
Stockheim,
Weilbach,
Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg (; South Franconian: ''Aschebersch'') is a town in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not part of the district of Aschaffenburg, but is its administrative seat.
Aschaffenburg belonged to the Archbishopric ...
,
Mainaschaff
Mainaschaff is a community in the Aschaffenburg district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Lower Franconia (''Unterfranken'') in Bavaria, Germany. It has a population of around 9,000 (2020).
Geography
Location
The community lies near the boundar ...
,
Königstein and
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian dialects, Hessian: , "Franks, Frank ford (crossing), ford on the Main (river), Main"), is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as o ...
. The Hattsteiners also participated in the founding of Münzenberg Castle in the
Wetterau
The Wetterau is a fertile undulating tract, watered by the Wetter, a tributary of the Nidda River, in the western German state of Hesse, between the hilly province Oberhessen and the north-western Taunus mountains.
Bettina von Arnim writes of ...
.
The noble family von Hattstein was throughout the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
one of Hesse's most influential families. Baron Marquard von Hattstein was Bishop of
Speyer
Speyer (, older spelling ''Speier'', French: ''Spire,'' historical English: ''Spires''; pfl, Schbaija) is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the river Rhine, Speyer li ...
(1560–1581).
Together with the Knights of Kronberg, the Hattsteiners and Reiffenbergers declared the so-called "Kronberg Feud" in 1389. When on 13 May a great force from
Frankfurt
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 ...
swept to Kronberg Castle, Hanau and
Electorate of the Palatinate
The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine of ...
troops rushed to help those being beset, driving the Frankfurt forces off on 14 May in the Battle of Eschborn and taking 620 prisoners, among them the mayor, a few noble council members and all the town's
baker
A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery.
History
Ancient history
Since grains ...
s,
butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale food establishm ...
s,
locksmiths and
shoemaker
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear.
Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as ''cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen a ...
s. Only a ransom payment of 73,000 golden
guilder
Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch and German ''gulden'', originally shortened from Middle High German ''guldin pfenninc'' " gold penny". This was the term that became current in the southern and western parts of the Holy Roman E ...
s ended the fight with Frankfurt and laid the groundwork for the ''Frankfurter
Landwehr
''Landwehr'', or ''Landeswehr'', is a German language term used in referring to certain national armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large-scale, low-strength fortificatio ...
'' fortifications and Frankfurt's four
watchtower
A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is t ...
s.
The noble family of the Hattstein Knights, which was inseparably bound with Schmitten's history, came to an end with Johann Constantin Philipp von Hattstein's death in 1767.
Arnoldshain
Saint Lawrence's Church (''Laurentiuskirche'') at Arnoldshain was first mentioned early in the 13th century in the ''Rotulus omnium iurium'' (Directory of all rights). A few expansions to the once eight-sided chapel notwithstanding, the old part is preserved to this day. The ''Laurentiuskirche'' is thereby one of the oldest buildings still in use in the Hochtaunus. In a glass window from 1480 one can still clearly see the Reifenberg family's coat of arms.
Politically Arnoldshain belonged to the Lords of Hattstein, but later partly under Reifenberg (Bassenheim) rule.
Dorfweil
Dorfweil had its first documentary mention in 772. Lying 410 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 ...
in the Weil Valley, the community has many
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 His ...
trails. With an area of 367ha and 684 inhabitants (as of the end of 2004), Dorfweil is one of Schmitten's smallest constituent communities.
Sightseeing
Großer Feldberg
The Taunus's highest mountain attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, especially from the
Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region.
In Oberreifenberg lifts for
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ...
and
sledding
Sledding, sledging or sleighing is a winter sport typically carried out in a prone or seated position on a vehicle generically known as a sled (North American), a sledge (British), or a sleigh. It is the basis of three Olympic sports: luge, sk ...
are abundant. The main attraction, however, is the Taunus's nature and many kilometres of hiking trails.
Treisberg
The lookout tower on the 663-m-high Pferdskopf ("Horse's Head") near Treisberg affords a fantastic view of the Taunus landscape and is the object of many outings. In the winter, skiers and
toboggan
A toboggan is a simple sled traditionally used by children. It is also a traditional form of transport used by the Innu and Cree of northern Canada.
In modern times, it is used on snow to carry one or more people (often children) down a hill ...
ers are drawn to the Taunus's most attractive
skilifts.
Weiltal
Rising on the Feldberg, the little brook Weil snakes its way through the Hochtaunus Nature Park through to Weilburg. Alongside the Weil runs the ''Weiltalwanderweg'' (Weil Valley Hiking Trail). A Weil Valley visit is popular among families and nature lovers, but also for
cyclists and
motorcyclists.
Besides the yearly Weiltal-Marathon, the traditional "Rund um den Henninger-Turm" bicycle race also runs through the Weil Valley.
Limes
The
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Medite ...
's old
border
Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political bo ...
runs above Niederreifenberg and Oberreifenberg across the crest of the Taunus. Within Schmitten's municipal limits lies the ''Limeskastell Kleiner Feldberg'', a Roman fort. The preserved foundation walls offer a glimpse into Roman history.
Reifenberg Castle ruins
The castle's
keep
A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in ...
and tower are preserved and loom over Oberreifenberg and the Weil Valley.
Politics
Municipal council
The municipal elections on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:
*
CDU 10 seats (2001: 9 seats)
*
SPD 3 seats (2001: 5 seats)
*
Greens
Greens may refer to:
*Leaf vegetables such as collard greens, mustard greens, spring greens, winter greens, spinach, etc.
Politics Supranational
* Green politics
* Green party, political parties adhering to Green politics
* Global Greens
* Europ ...
3 seats (2001: 3 seats)
*
FDP 4 seats (2001: 4 seats)
* UBB 4 seats (2001: 5 seats)
* FWG 7 seats (2001: 5 seats)
Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.
Partnerships
Schmitten maintains partnerships with the following places, all in
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 ar ...
:
Public institutions
Educational institutions
The community of Schmitten has two
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 ed ...
s.
* Jürgen-Schuhmann-Schule in Arnoldshain
* Grundschule Reifenberg in Niederreifenberg
Furthermore, there exists in Arnoldshain an
Evangelical
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 exp ...
Academy called the ''"
Martin Niemöller
Friedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemöller (; 14 January 18926 March 1984) was a German theologian and Lutheran pastor. He is best known for his opposition to the Nazi regime during the late 1930s and for his widely quoted 1946 poem " First they ...
" Haus''.
Sports and leisure
* Schmitten (the main town) offers Hesse's highest outdoor
swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...
.
* In Niederreifenberg,
quad bikes may be hired.
* In Oberreifenberg the Taunatours company offers
rock climbing.
Personalities
Notable residents
* Oil-drilling pioneer Anton Raky was born in Seelenberg in 1868.
*
Theologian
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...
Anton Abt was born in Seelenberg in 1841.
* German singer
Ivan Rebroff lived at the edge of the Hunodstal Valley.
* The German writer
Gerhard Zwerenz lived in Arnoldshain.
References
External links
Official websiteUnofficial Seelenberg website*
{{Authority control
Hochtaunuskreis