Gladenbach [] is a town in Hesse, Germany, in the west of Marburg-Biedenkopf district.
Geography
Location
The town of Gladenbach lies on the eastern edge of the Westerwald in the Hessian Highland (''Bergland''). This part of the Lahn-Dill Highland is often also called the
Gladenbach Uplands
The Gladenbach Uplands (), named after their central town of Gladenbach, is a range of hills up to 609 m high in the Rhine Massif in Germany, on the junction of the Rothaar Mountains (north and northwest), Westerwald (southwest), (Eastern) ...
. This has arisen from the great degree of correspondence between today's municipal area and the area covered by the historical ''
Amt
Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to ...
'' of Blankenstein, the eastsoutheastern part of the so-called Hessian Hinterland and the later, albeit now former, Biedenkopf district.
Within the bounds of the community's southern centres of Weidenhausen, Erdhausen, Gladenbach and Mornshausen runs the river Salzböde, which rises in
Bad Endbach
Bad Endbach is the westernmost municipality in Marburg-Biedenkopf district of the state of Hesse in Germany, and borders on the Lahn-Dill district.
Geography
Location
Bad Endbach lies in the Lahn-Dill Bergland (''ie'' Highland) in the foothills o ...
and flows through the municipal area, then running farther eastwards through the communities of
Lohra,
Fronhausen
Fronhausen is a municipality in the south of Marburg-Biedenkopf district in the administrative region of Gießen in Hessen, Germany.
The municipal area stretches along the district's southern boundary in the Lahn valley and its environs between Ma ...
and
Lollar
Lollar () is a town in the district of Gießen, in Hesse, in west-central Germany. It is situated on the river Lahn, 7 km north of Gießen. The biggest production site of Bosch Thermotechnology is located in Lollar.
During World War II, i ...
, where it empties into the
Lahn
The Lahn () is a , right (or eastern) tributary of the Rhine in Germany. Its course passes through the States of Germany, federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia (23.0 km), Hesse (165.6 km), and Rhineland-Palatinate (57.0 km).
...
at Odenhausen. Farther north in Gladenbach, mostly west–east through the centres of Runzhausen, Bellnhausen, Sinkershausen, Frohnhausen and Friebertshausen runs another river, the Allna, which flows onwards to
Weimar
Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...
, likewise emptying into the Lahn. The two waterways are separated from each other by high ridges which even make for a local drainage divide where smaller streams are concerned. Nonetheless, the town of Gladenbach as a whole is commonly said to lie in the Salzböde valley.
An important east–west traffic thoroughfare in Gladenbach is the Federal Highway (''Bundesstraße'') 255 crossing the municipal area from
Marburg
Marburg (; ) is a college town, university town in the States of Germany, German federal state () of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf Districts of Germany, district (). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has ...
through the constituent communities of Weimar and Lohra, leaving the municipal area at Weidenhausen in the area of the ''Zollbuche'' ("Customs Beech" – it once marked the border between
Hesse-Darmstadt
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt () was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a younger branch of the House of Hesse. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse among the four sons of Landgrave Philip I. ...
and
Hesse-Nassau
The Province of Hesse-Nassau () was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1868 to 1918, then a province of the Free State of Prussia until 1944.
Hesse-Nassau was created as a consequence of the Austro-Prussian War of ...
) southwestwards towards the community of
Bischoffen
Bischoffen is a municipality in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.
Geography
Location
Bischoffen lies in the Lahn-Dill Highland at the Aar Dam (''Aartalsperre''). This dam holds back the river Aar, a tributary to the Dill, forming a 57-ha la ...
in
Lahn-Dill
Lahn-Dill is an electoral constituency (German: ''Wahlkreis'') represented in the Bundestag. It elects one member via first-past-the-post voting. Under the current constituency numbering system, it is designated as constituency 171. It is located ...
district. The highway runs thence alongside the Aartalsee (a
reservoir
A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation.
Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...
) on to
Herborn, ending at
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 wh ...
. Bundesstraße 453 ends within the town of Gladenbach after running through the community of
Dautphetal
Dautphetal is a municipality in Hesse, Germany, and is among the six larger municipalities of the 22 in Marburg-Biedenkopf district.
Geography
The municipality lies in the western part of the district about 37 km east of Siegen and about 15 ...
to the north and Gladenbach's constituent community of Runzhausen.
The ''Aar-Salzböde-Bahn'', a single-track
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
line that ran through the municipal area along the Salzböde valley, has been in desuetude since 1995, and owing to a
level crossing
A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line or the road etc. crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, o ...
being torn up at Weidenhausen, meagre maintenance and the resulting overgrowth by bushes and trees, the line has also largely fallen apart.
Neighbouring communities
In the north, Gladenbach borders on the community of
Dautphetal
Dautphetal is a municipality in Hesse, Germany, and is among the six larger municipalities of the 22 in Marburg-Biedenkopf district.
Geography
The municipality lies in the western part of the district about 37 km east of Siegen and about 15 ...
, in the northeast on the town of
Marburg
Marburg (; ) is a college town, university town in the States of Germany, German federal state () of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf Districts of Germany, district (). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has ...
, in the east on the community of
Weimar
Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...
, in the southeast on the community of
Lohra (all in Marburg-Biedenkopf), in the southwest on the community of
Bischoffen
Bischoffen is a municipality in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.
Geography
Location
Bischoffen lies in the Lahn-Dill Highland at the Aar Dam (''Aartalsperre''). This dam holds back the river Aar, a tributary to the Dill, forming a 57-ha la ...
(
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 ...
), and in the west on the community of
Bad Endbach
Bad Endbach is the westernmost municipality in Marburg-Biedenkopf district of the state of Hesse in Germany, and borders on the Lahn-Dill district.
Geography
Location
Bad Endbach lies in the Lahn-Dill Bergland (''ie'' Highland) in the foothills o ...
(Marburg-Biedenkopf).
Town divisions
Gladenbach's municipal area is divided into 15 constituent communities (''Stadtteile'').
History
Amalgamations
*1972 Runzhausen
*1974 through municipal reform:
**from the former Biedenkopf district:
***Bellnhausen
***Diedenshausen
***Erdhausen
***Friebertshausen
***Frohnhausen
***Kehlnbach
***Mornshausen
***Rachelshausen
***Römershausen
***Rüchenbach
***Sinkershausen
***Weidenhausen
** from the former Marburg a.d.Lahn district:
***Weitershausen
The postal robbery in the Subach
Within Gladenbach's current municipal area, between Mornshausen and Erdhausen, the so-called ''Postraub in der Subach'' took place in 1822. A gang of poor
farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer ...
s and
poachers
Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights.
Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the hunti ...
robbed a money-bearing mail coach running between Gladenbach and Gießen in a narrow pass above a small brook called the Subach, making off with the then unheard-of sum of more than 10,000
Gulden. These details and others are contained in a contemporary police report, which also laid the groundwork for the German made-for-TV film ''
The Sudden Wealth of the Poor People of Kombach'' (1971) by
Volker Schlöndorff
Volker Schlöndorff (; born 31 March 1939) is a German film director, screenwriter and producer who has worked in Germany, France and the United States. He was a prominent member of the New German Cinema of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
He ha ...
.
Politics
Town council
As of municipal elections held on 6 March 2016, town council seats are apportioned thus:
Coat of arms
The town's
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
might be described thus: Party per fess, above in azure the Hessian lion rampant striped in argent and gules armed Or crowned Or langued gules, below in vert a saltire Or.
The
lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...
is an emblem of the town's early affiliation with Hesse, and the
saltire
A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a Heraldry, heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross. The word comes from the Middle French , Medieval Latin ("stirrup").
From its use as field sign, the saltire cam ...
(X-shaped cross) stands for the influence wielded before this time by the Lords of Merenberg.
Town partnerships
*
Monteux
Monteux (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region in southeastern France.
Geography
Monteux is near Carpentras, in middle of Comtat Venai ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
(1987)
*
Bad Tabarz,
Thuringia
Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area.
Er ...
(1991)
*
Niemcza
Niemcza () is a town in Dzierżoniów County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Niemcza. It lies on the Ślęza River, approximately east of Dzierżoniów, a ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
(1998)
*
Londerzeel
Londerzeel () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Londerzeel proper, Malderen, Steenhuffel (home of Palm Breweries) and Sint-Jozef. On 1 January 2018, Londerzeel had a to ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
(2010)
Demonstrations
In 2004, there were four marches, declared legal but guarded by great police presence, by
neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...
s from outside the town, which set off even bigger counterdemonstrations. In the end, the citizens' league, a group created at the instigation of headmaster Siegfried Seyler uniting churches,
Jusos
''Working Group of'' Young Socialists ''in the SPD'' (, Jusos) is a volunteer youth organization of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
As of 2025, there are over 50,000 official Juso members.
Membership
Every member of the SPD w ...
,
DGBers and ordinary citizens, made an appeal. The centres for this rightwing extremism were Gladenbach, Kirtorf (Vogelsberg) and
Marburg
Marburg (; ) is a college town, university town in the States of Germany, German federal state () of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf Districts of Germany, district (). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has ...
. The biggest rightwing extremist group with about 30 rightwing extremists and a large body of sympathizers was the ''Aktionsbündnis Mittelhessen'' (
Middle Hesse
The region of Middle Hesse (, ) is one of three planning regions in the German state of Hesse, alongside North Hesse, North and South Hesse. Its territory is identical with that of the Regierungsbezirk Gießen, administrative province of Gießen (' ...
Action League; ABM), a fusion of regional "free comradeships". Late in 2004, the ABM dissolved itself unilaterally to get around a ban imposed by the Hessian Interior Ministry. The activists resumed their activities in other neo-Nazi groups. The ABM was the most active and biggest neo-Nazi group in Hesse.
Culture and sightseeing
Regular events
* Gladenbacher Kirschenmarkt (Cherry Market) (first weekend in July)
* Gladenbacher Brunnenmarkt (Wellmarket) (third Sunday in October)
Notable residents
Sons and daughters of the town
*Johann Christoph Stockhausen (1725-1784), pedagogue and a Lutheran theologian
*
Adrian Diel (1756-1833), physician and significant pomo
*
Georg Ludwig Hartig (1764–1837),
forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...
scientist.
*Ludwig Hüffell (1784–1856), Prelate of the Baden State Church
*
Ferdinand Werner (1876–1961), State President and Minister-president of the
People's State of Hesse
The People's State of Hesse () was one of the constituent states of Weimar Republic, Germany from 1918 to 1945, as the successor to the Grand Duchy of Hesse () after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I, on the territory of the curren ...
*
Ludwig Runzheimer (1912–1946), German Nazi Gestapo officer executed for war crimes
Other people connected with the town
*
William III, Landgrave of Hesse
William III "the Younger", Landgrave of Hesse (8 September 1471 – 17 February 1500) ruled on the part of the county known as Upper Hesse, with residence in Marburg.
William was the son of Landgrave Henry III from the House of Hesse and his ...
, (1471-1500), called the Younger, Landgraf of Hesse, was born on 8 September 1471 on Castle Blankenstein
*
Volker Schlöndorff
Volker Schlöndorff (; born 31 March 1939) is a German film director, screenwriter and producer who has worked in Germany, France and the United States. He was a prominent member of the New German Cinema of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
He ha ...
, (born 1939), filmmaker, see ''History''
References
External links
*
Mortal Illusions official homepageTown's official homepageHistoryRunzhausenWeidenhausenErdhausen
{{Authority control
Marburg-Biedenkopf