Braunfels
Encyclopedia
Braunfels is a town in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis
in Hesse
, Germany
. It is located on the German Framework Road
.
valley. It is 9 km southwest of Wetzlar
, and 28 km northeast of Limburg an der Lahn
.
, in the north on the town of Solms
, in the east on the community of Schöffengrund
, in the southeast on the community of Waldsolms
(all in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis), in the south on the community of Weilmünster
, and in the west on the town of Weilburg
and the community of Löhnberg
(all three in Limburg-Weilburg
).
Currently, Bonbaden, a picturesque place in the Solmsbach valley, is home to about 1600 people, who maintain a very active club life. Moreover, Bonbaden has a primary school (levels 1-4) and an Evangelical
and Catholic
church. A cultural highlight is the Freilichtbühne Bonbaden (Bonbaden Open-Air Stage), known far and wide, which presents two different plays for children each summer, and an evening play for adults.
Bonbaden had its first documentary mention in 772, and so celebrated 1200 years of existence in 1972. Bonbaden is therefore one of Lahn-Dill's oldest inhabited places.
Schloss Braunfels, a stately home that had been built from a castle built in the 13th century by the Counts of Nassau, served as of about 1260 as the Solms-Braunfels noble family's residential castle. After Solms Castle had been destroyed by the Rhenish League of Towns in 1384, Braunfels Castle became the seat of the Counts of Solms. Over the castle's more than 750-year-long history, building work was done many times. Particularly worthy of mention is the town and castle fire of 1679, which burnt much of Braunfels and its stately seat down. Both were then built into a Baroque
residence. Schloss Braunfels was built anew out of materials that were still on hand, while the town was given a regular marketplace
, still preserved today and lying before the town wall.
Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.
is the same as that used by the Counts of Solms-Braunfels, except that the colours in the lower half are reversed, simply to differentiate the town's arms from the old noble family's. The arms were designed and granted in 1937, and granted again on 14 October 1982. Formerly, the arms were identical to the Counts' arms.http://www.ngw.nl/int/dld/b/braunfel.htm
, France
Eeklo
, Belgium
Feltre
, Italy
Kiskunfélegyháza
, Hungary
New Braunfels, Texas
, USA
Newbury
, England
Rohrmoos-Untertal
, Austria
, for which occasion, the spa gardens are turned into one great knightly encampment.
Lahn-Dill-Kreis
Lahn-Dill is a Kreis in the west of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Siegen-Wittgenstein, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Gießen, Wetteraukreis, Hochtaunuskreis, Limburg-Weilburg, Westerwaldkreis.-History:...
in Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is located on the German Framework Road
German Framework Road
The German Timber-Frame Road is a German tourist route leading from the river Elbe in the north to Lake Constance in the south. Along the road you can find nearly 100 cities and towns with remarkable timber-framed houses...
.
Location
The climatic spa of Braunfels lies at a height of some 100 m above the LahnLahn
The Lahn River is a -long, right tributary of the Rhine River in Germany. Its course passes through the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia , Hesse , and Rhineland-Palatinate ....
valley. It is 9 km southwest of Wetzlar
Wetzlar
Wetzlar is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. Located at 8° 30′ E, 50° 34′ N, Wetzlar straddles the river Lahn and is on the German Timber-Framework Road which passes mile upon mile of half-timbered houses. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis on the north edge of...
, and 28 km northeast of Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn is the district seat of Limburg-Weilburg in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Limburg lies in western Hesse between the Taunus and the Westerwald on the river Lahn....
.
Neighbouring communities
Braunfels borders in the northwest on the town of LeunLeun
-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 sea level.-Neighbouring communities:...
, in the north on the town of Solms
Solms
Solms is a town west of Wetzlar in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis, Hesse, Germany.In the constituent community of Burgsolms once stood the ancestral castle of the Counts and Princes of Solms, whose main lines were Solms-Braunfels, with their seat in Braunfels, and Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, with their seat in...
, in the east on the community of Schöffengrund
Schöffengrund
-Location:Schöffengrund lies only a few kilometres south of Wetzlar in the Hochtaunus Nature Park.-Neighbouring communities:Schöffengrund borders in the north on the towns of Solms and Wetzlar, in the east on the community of Hüttenberg , in the southeast on the community of Langgöns , in the south...
, in the southeast on the community of Waldsolms
Waldsolms
-Neighbouring communities:Waldsolms borders in the north on the town of Braunfels and the community of Schöffengrund , in the east on the community of Langgöns , in the southeast on the town of Butzbach , in the south on the community of Grävenwiesbach and in the west on the community of Weilmünster...
(all in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis), in the south on the community of Weilmünster
Weilmünster
- Geography :Weilmünster is among the most richly wooded places in Limburg-Weilburg. The forestry office looks after not only the State Forest but also twelve municipalities’ woodlands in the south of the Limburg-Weilburg and Lahn-Dill districts.- Location :...
, and in the west on the town of Weilburg
Weilburg
Weilburg is, with just under 14,000 inhabitants, the third biggest town in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany, after Limburg an der Lahn and Bad Camberg.- Location :...
and the community of Löhnberg
Löhnberg
Löhnberg is a community north of Weilburg in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany.- Neighbouring communities :Löhnberg borders in the north on the community of Greifenstein, in the east on the towns of Leun and Braunfels , in the south on the town of Weilburg, and in the west on the...
(all three in Limburg-Weilburg
Limburg-Weilburg
Limburg-Weilburg is a Kreis in the west of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Lahn-Dill, Hochtaunuskreis, Rheingau-Taunus, Rhein-Lahn, Westerwaldkreis.-History:...
).
Constituent communities
Besides the main town, which bears the same name as the whole, there are outlying centres called Altenkirchen, Bonbaden, Neukirchen, Philippstein and TiefenbachCurrently, Bonbaden, a picturesque place in the Solmsbach valley, is home to about 1600 people, who maintain a very active club life. Moreover, Bonbaden has a primary school (levels 1-4) and an Evangelical
Evangelical Church in Germany
The Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
and Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
church. A cultural highlight is the Freilichtbühne Bonbaden (Bonbaden Open-Air Stage), known far and wide, which presents two different plays for children each summer, and an evening play for adults.
History
The town and stately seat of Braunfels were first mentioned in 1246. Braunfels has had town rights since 1607. In 1950 Braunfels had a population of 3,337. In the course of municipal reforms, the aforesaid constituent communities, formerly all independent villages, were amalgamated with Braunfels in 1972.Bonbaden had its first documentary mention in 772, and so celebrated 1200 years of existence in 1972. Bonbaden is therefore one of Lahn-Dill's oldest inhabited places.
Schloss Braunfels, a stately home that had been built from a castle built in the 13th century by the Counts of Nassau, served as of about 1260 as the Solms-Braunfels noble family's residential castle. After Solms Castle had been destroyed by the Rhenish League of Towns in 1384, Braunfels Castle became the seat of the Counts of Solms. Over the castle's more than 750-year-long history, building work was done many times. Particularly worthy of mention is the town and castle fire of 1679, which burnt much of Braunfels and its stately seat down. Both were then built into a Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
residence. Schloss Braunfels was built anew out of materials that were still on hand, while the town was given a regular marketplace
Marketplace
A marketplace is the space, actual, virtual or metaphorical, in which a market operates. The term is also used in a trademark law context to denote the actual consumer environment, ie. the 'real world' in which products and services are provided and consumed.-Marketplaces and street markets:A...
, still preserved today and lying before the town wall.
Town council
The municipal elections on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:| CDU Christian Democratic Union (Germany) The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum... |
14 seats |
| SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
12 seats |
| FWG | 5 seats |
| FDP Free Democratic Party (Germany) The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government... |
3 seats |
| Greens Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir... |
3 seats |
Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.
Coat of arms
The town's coat of armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is the same as that used by the Counts of Solms-Braunfels, except that the colours in the lower half are reversed, simply to differentiate the town's arms from the old noble family's. The arms were designed and granted in 1937, and granted again on 14 October 1982. Formerly, the arms were identical to the Counts' arms.http://www.ngw.nl/int/dld/b/braunfel.htm
Town partnerships
Braunfels maintains partnerships with the following towns: Bagnols-sur-CèzeBagnols-sur-Cèze
Bagnols-sur-Cèze is a commune in the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon région in southern France.-History:A small regional center, Bagnols-sur-Cèze was quite certainly a Roman town before the main part was built in the 13th century around a central arcaded square that is still preserved...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Eeklo
Eeklo
Eeklo is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality only comprises the city of Eeklo proper. The name Eeklo comes from the contraction of “eke” and “lo”, two Old German words meaning “oak” and “sparse woods”....
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
Feltre
Feltre
Feltre is a town and comune of the province of Belluno in Veneto, northern Italy. A hill town in the southern reaches of the province, it is located on the Stizzon River, about 4 km from its junction with the Piave, and 20 km southwest from Belluno...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Kiskunfélegyháza
Kiskunfélegyháza
Kiskunfélegyháza is a town in the Bács-Kiskun county in southern Hungary, 130 kilometres southeast of Budapest by rail.Among the principal buildings are a fine Art Nouveau town hall, a Roman Catholic high school and a modern large parish church. The surrounding country is covered with vineyards,...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
New Braunfels, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Rohrmoos-Untertal
Rohrmoos-Untertal
Rohrmoos-Untertal is a municipality in the district of Liezen in Styria, Austria....
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
Sightseeing
- Schloss Braunfels: The last makeover, which defines the Schloss as it is seen today, took place starting in 1880, and was undertaken according to neo-GothicGothic Revival architectureThe Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
plans by building master Edwin Oppler. Many works of art are to be found in the Schloss. Besides works by the Dutch Masters, among them van EyckJan van EyckJan van Eyck was a Flemish painter active in Bruges and considered one of the best Northern European painters of the 15th century....
, are works by the Hessian TischbeinTischbein (family)The Tischbeins were a family of German painters, most notably:*Johann Heinrich Tischbein the Elder, a.k.a. Kasseler Tischbein *Johann Friedrich August Tischbein, a.k.a. Leipziger Tischbein...
family of painters, the historically important Altenberg Altar, parts of which are found in the StädelStädelThe Städel, officially the Städelsches Kunstinstitut und Städtische Galerie, is an art museum in Frankfurt am Main, with one of the most important collections in Germany....
in FrankfurtFrankfurtFrankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
and the Bavarian National MuseumBavarian National MuseumThe Bavarian National Museum in Munich is one of the most important cultural history museums in Europe.-Building and History:...
in MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, and Saint Elizabeth'sElisabeth of HungaryElizabeth of Hungary, T.O.S.F., was a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary, Countess of Thuringia, Germany and a greatly-venerated Catholic saint. Elizabeth was married at the age of 14, and widowed at 20. She then became one of the first members of the newly-founded Third Order of St. Francis,...
legendary ring. Places worth visiting include the courtyard, the knights' hall, the guest rooms and painting gallery, the sacral exhibition pieces from the Altenberg Monastery, the hunting paintings by Johannes Deiker, and the cannonCannonA cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
square. Other things to visit are the Princely Family Museum and the castle church with displays about the church's building history. - Old Town: The inner Old Town has distinctive defensive features. There are a Baroque expansion with a marketplace and great spa gardens.
- Dr. Kanngießer'sches Waldmuseum (a whimsical museum)
- Stadtmuseum Obermühle, a museum of local history, built in a former mill.
- Burg Philippstein: These castle ruins lie on a slope and are separated from the surrounding mountainside by a dry moatMoatA moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
, although nowadays this is partly filled in. Still preserved are the round keepKeepA keep 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 castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
, remains of the cellar and parts of the surrounding wall.
Mediaeval Spectacle
Every year, the local Aktionsring Braunfels e.V. organizes the Mittelalterliches Spektakulum, which over several days attracts many tourists, showmen and various "travelling folk" from all over EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, for which occasion, the spa gardens are turned into one great knightly encampment.
Sons and daughters of the town
- Amalia of Solms-BraunfelsAmalia of Solms-BraunfelsAmalia of Solms-Braunfels , was a regent of Orange. She was the wife of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange. She was the daughter of John Albert I of Solms-Braunfels and Agnes of Sayn-Wittgenstein.-Childhood:...
, Countess of Solms-Braunfels, wife of Frederick Henry, Prince of OrangeFrederick Henry, Prince of OrangeFrederick Henry, or Frederik Hendrik in Dutch , was the sovereign Prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel from 1625 to 1647.-Early life:... - Friedrich Ludwig Mallet, preacher of the Great Awakening
- Friederike Fliedner, cofounder of the Women's Deaconate
- Manuel Hoffmann, Deutschland sucht den SuperstarDeutschland sucht den SuperstarDeutschland sucht den Superstar is a German reality talent show, also commonly known by its initials DSDS. Part of the Idol franchise, it was created by English media mogul Simon Fuller as a spin-off from the British show Pop Idol, of which two series were broadcast between the years of 2001 and...
participant from season 7Deutschland sucht den Superstar (Season 7)Deutschland sucht den Superstar Season 7 is the seventh season of the Idol series which aired on RTL Television and started on 6 January 2010. The season marked a new national record with more than 35,000 participants... - Ewald von KleistPaul Ludwig Ewald von KleistPaul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist was a leading German field marshal during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords...
, Second World War field marshal
External links
- Braunfels
- Aktionsring Braunfels e.V.
- Freilichtbühne Bonbaden
- Blasorchester Bonbaden, a "wind orchestra", mostly woodwinds and brass.
- Burschenschaft Bonbaden, local BurschenschaftBurschenschaftGerman Burschenschaften are a special type of Studentenverbindungen . Burschenschaften were founded in the 19th century as associations of university students inspired by liberal and nationalistic ideas.-History:-Beginnings 1815–c...