Merenberg
Encyclopedia
Location
Merenberg lies on the southern edge of the WesterwaldWesterwald
The Westerwald 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 Rhine Massif...
between the district seat of Limburg
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....
and 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 :...
.
Neighbouring communities
Merenberg borders in the north on the community of MengerskirchenMengerskirchen
-Neighbouring communities:Mengerskirchen borders in the north on the community of Greifenstein , in the east on the community of Löhnberg, in the south on the communities of Merenberg and Waldbrunn , and in the west on the communities of Neunkirchen, Elsoff and Oberrod .-Constituent...
, in the east on 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...
, in the south 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 :...
, in the southwest on the community of Beselich
Beselich
- Location :Beselich lies on the northeast edge of the Limburg Basin , on the edge of the Lahn valley, on the southeast slope of the Westerwald 220 m above sea level. Visible from far away is the Beselicher Kopf . The brooks Tiefenbach, Kerkerbach and Brandbach flow through the municipal area...
, and in the west on the community of Waldbrunn
Waldbrunn, Hesse
Waldbrunn is a community in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany.-Location:The community lies in the southern Westerwald. Within the municipal area rises the Kerkerbach, which flows through the centres of Fussingen and Lahr...
(all in Limburg-Weilburg).
Constituent communities
The market community of Merenberg consists of the five centres of Merenberg, Barig-Selbenhausen, Allendorf, Reichenborn and Rückershausen.History
On both the Almerskopf and the Höhburg are found remnants of settlements from La Tène timesLa Tène culture
The La Tène culture was a European Iron Age culture named after the archaeological site of La Tène on the north side of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland, where a rich cache of artifacts was discovered by Hansli Kopp in 1857....
.
In Merenberg stands the family castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
of the House of Merenberg, a noble family in the 12th and 13th centuries. In connection with this family, the community had its first documentary mention in 1129. In 1290, Merenberg was granted town rights and weekly market rights by King Rudolph I, whereupon a town wall was built. In 1634 the castle was destroyed, and since then it has stood, as a ruin, as Merenberg’s landmark.
In the early 19th century, Merenberg was stripped of town rights. In the late 19th century, the House of Nassau
House of Nassau
The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The lords of Nassau were originally titled Count of Nassau, then elevated to the princely class as...
named the children from Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau's marriage to a Russian noblewoman the “Counts of Merenberg”.
In the course of administrative reform in Hesse, the formerly autonomous communities of Allendorf, Barig-Selbenhausen, Merenberg, Reichenborn and Rückershausen, which had all belonged to the old Oberlahnkreis (district), merged into the new collective community of Merenberg.
Allendorf had its first documentary mention in 1250, Rückershausen in 1370 and Reichenborn in 1435.
Community council
The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:| Parties and voter communities | % 2006 |
seats 2006 |
% 2001 |
seats 2001 |
|
| CDU | Christian Democratic Union of Germany | 39.7 | 9 | 36.0 | 8 |
| SPD | Social Democratic Party of Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
39.7 | 9 | 43.3 | 10 |
| GRÜNE | Bündnis 90/Die Grünen | 6.0 | 2 | 3.3 | 1 |
| BM/FWG | Bürgerliste/Freie Wählergemeinschaft Merenberg | 14.6 | 3 | 17.3 | 4 |
| Total | 100.0 | 23 | 100.0 | 23 | |
| voter turnout in % | 54.7 | 57.3 | |||
Coat of arms
The community’s 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...
are those formerly borne by the Lords of Merenberg, which were also represented in the old Oberlahnkreis district’s (seat: Weilburg) arms.
Economy and infrastructure
Besides the trade and crafts that are customary for such a place, there are a few small and medium-size industrial businesses. The main fields of activity are mechanical engineeringMechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
, plant engineering, metalworking
Metalworking
Metalworking is the process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large scale structures. The term covers a wide range of work from large ships and bridges to precise engine parts and delicate jewelry. It therefore includes a correspondingly wide range of skills,...
, plastics processing and automation
Automation
Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization...
. Merenberg’s best known business is the record label ZYX Music
ZYX Music
ZYX Music is a German record label which was founded in 1971 by Bernhard Mikulski. Until 1992, the label's name was Pop-Import Bernhard Mikulski. The label specialized in disco and early house music. Founder Bernhard Mikulski is credited with coining the term Italo disco in the 1980s...
.
Transport
The community lies on BundesstraßeBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
49, which is currently (February 2006) being widened to four lanes between Limburg and 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 which links Merenberg to the long-distance road network.
Education
Merenberg has, with its Albert-Wagner-Schule, a primary school and a HauptschuleHauptschule
A Hauptschule is a secondary school in Germany and Austria, starting after 4 years of elementary schooling, which offers Lower Secondary Education according to the International Standard Classification of Education...
. In 1958, it was dedicated as the first Mittelpunktschule (“midpoint school”, a central school, designed to eliminate smaller outlying schools) in Hesse. It was named after the administrative official and politician Albert Wagner. Merenberg lies in the feeder area of the Westerwaldschule, a Hauptschule-Realschule
Realschule
The Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and...
in Mengerskirchen-Waldernbach. Moreover, students from Merenberg attend other secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s in 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 :...
.
Public institutions
- Kindertagesstätte "Villa Kunterbunt" Merenberg (daycare)
- KindergartenKindergartenA kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
"Tigerente" Barig-Selbenhausen - Merenberg Volunteer Fire Brigade, founded 1902 (includes Youth Fire Brigade)
- Allendorf Volunteer Fire Brigade, founded 1926 (includes Youth Fire Brigade)
- Barig-Selbenhausen Volunteer Fire Brigade, founded 1925 (includes Youth Fire Brigade)
- Reichenborn Volunteer Fire Brigade, founded 1925 (includes Youth Fire Brigade)
- Rückershausen Volunteer Fire Brigade, founded 1934 (includes Youth Fire Brigade)
External links
See also: Count of Merenberg
Count of Merenberg
Count of Merenberg is the title bestowed in 1868 by the reigning Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, George Victor, upon the morganatic wife and male-line descendants of Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau , who married Natalia Alexandrovna Pushkina , former wife of Russian General Mikhail Leontievich...
.