Taunusstein () is the biggest town in the

Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis Rheingau-Taunus is a Kreis (Districts of Germany, district) in the west of Hesse, Germany. Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis is part of the Darmstadt (region), Darmstadt region; its main administrative seat is Bad Schwalbach. Outposted sections of the local ad ...

in the of

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It has 30,068 inhabitants (2020).

Geography

Location

Taunusstein lies roughly 10 km northwest of

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...

and about 10 km west of

Idstein Idstein () is a town of about 25,000 inhabitants in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt (region), Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. Because of its well preserved historical Altstadt (Old Town) it is part of the ''Deutsch ...

and the

Autobahn The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. Much of t ...

A 3. It is part of the Untertaunus (lower Taunus) range. Taunusstein itself is a rural area and is about 30 km from the river

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

. The lowest point in Taunusstein is 310 m above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

, and the highest 613.9 m.

Neighbouring communities

Taunusstein borders in the north on the communities of Hohenstein and Hünstetten and the town of

, in the east on the community of Niedernhausen, in the south on the district-free city of

and in the west on the community of Schlangenbad and the town of

Bad Schwalbach Bad Schwalbach (; called Langenschwalbach until 1927) is the district seat of Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. Geography Geographic location Bad Schwalbach is a spa town some 20 km northwest of Wiesbaden. It lies at 289 to 465&n ...

Constituent communities

Taunusstein is made up of ten '' Stadtteile'':

History

The town of Taunusstein came into being on 1 October 1971 through the merger of the formerly self-governing communities of Bleidenstadt, Hahn, Neuhof, Seitzenhahn, Watzhahn and Wehen, whereupon Taunusstein was also given town rights. On 1 July 1972, the communities of Hambach, Niederlibbach, Orlen and Wingsbach were amalgamated into the town of Taunusstein. In 1991, Dr.-Peter-Nikolaus-Platz, a square in the constituent community of Hahn, was dedicated and named after the longtime mayor of Taunusstein. Fronting onto it are the "Taunus" community centre, the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church centre of St. Johannes Nepomuk and the New Town Hall, whose functions together make the square into the new town centre. The "Taunus" community centre was opened in 1989, the church centre in 1991, both designed by the Hamburg architect Bernhard Hirche, from whom also sprang the whole concept of planning the new town centre. It was not until 1998, on the other hand, that the Town Hall, designed by another architect, could be dedicated.

Population development

Each time at 31 December (counting only those with their main residences in the town)

Religion

* There are several

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

and Catholic churches in almost every constituent community. * Baháʼí community in Hahn * New Apostolic church in Wehen * Kingdom Hall of

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...

in Neuhof (Triebgewann industrial park)

Politics

Town council

The municipal election held on 27 March 2016 yielded the following results:

Mayor

Mayor Sandro Zehner (CDU), running unopposed, was elected to a second term on 26 May 2019 on the first vote with 79.1% of the vote. Voter turnout was 58.8%.

River Aar

The Aar (Lahn) has its source in the stadtteil Orlen 500 meters from the ruins of Roman Castle Zugmantel and the Bundesstraße 417 in the Orlen part of Taunusstein.

Limes

The north of Taunusstein is crossed by the Upper Germanic Limes, a line of frontier forts begun in AD 86 by the Romans which stretched from near

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

on the

to near

Regensburg Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...

on the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

. It divided the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

from the unconquered

Germanic tribes The Germanic peoples were tribal groups who lived in Northern Europe in Classical antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. In modern scholarship, they typically include not only the Roman-era ''Germani'' who lived in both ''Germania'' and parts ...

. Close to Orlen and the Bundesstraße 417 is a replica of a Limes watchtower, right beside the remains of the

castrum ''Castra'' () is a Latin language, Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'Fortification, fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified milita ...

''Zugmantel''. The Upper-Germanic-Rhaetian Limes (the Limes Germanicus) is a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Coat of arms

The town's

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

might be described thus: Azure a lion rampant Or armed and langued gules, in his forepaws an escutcheon, argent a cross gules. The golden lion recalls the centuries-long overlordship of the Counts and Princes of Nassau, and at the same time draws on the old arms borne by the Nassau '' Amt'' seat of Wehen and the communities of Hahn and Seitzenhahn, all of which were charged with a lion or a lion's head. The cross is an attribute of Saint Ferrutius, the Bleidenstadt Monastery's patron saint. This monastery was founded as early as the 8th century and earned much credit for bringing

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

and culture into the region on the upper Aar. The former community of Bleidenstadt bore this cross in its former coat of arms. The official blazon reads: ' Taunusstein schild wingsbach

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

There are two

railway station 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 ...

s (in Hahn and Bleidenstadt) which lie on the stretch of the '' Aartalbahn'' running through Taunusstein, however since 1983 the line was only used for steam tourist trips run by the Nassauische Touristik-Bahn (NTB). But since a truck damaged a bridge on the line in

Wiesbaden-Dotzheim Dotzheim is a western borough of Wiesbaden, capital of the state of Hesse, Germany. It is the second largest borough of the city by area and, with over 27,000 inhabitants the second-most populated of Wiesbaden's suburban boroughs. It was the larges ...

on 20 November 2009 then the line had to be closed completely. Despite promises from the city council of

money to replace the bridge has not been forthcoming, and the NTB are themselves facing financial problems due to not being able to run any trains on the line. In 1998 it was proposed that the line be reopened to form part of a new light rail line into Wiesbaden Stadtbahn, this was however dropped in 2001. Although some plans for such a line have been revived since the 2011 election, these do not currently involve this section of the line. The town is also linked to Wiesbaden over ''

Bundesstraße ''Bundesstraße'' (, ), abbreviated ''B'', is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways. Germany Germany's ''Bundesstraßen'' network has a total length of about 40,000 km. German ''Bundesstraßen'' are labelled with re ...

n'' 417 (Neuhof/Wehen) and 54 (Hahn). The nearest

interchange is on the A 3 (

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

–

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

) in Idstein. The nearest international airport is

Frankfurt Airport Frankfurt Airport ( ) , is Germany's busiest international airport by passenger numbers, located in Frankfurt, Germany's fifth-largest city. Its official name according to the German Aeronautical Information Publication is Frankfurt Main Airpor ...

, about 25 miles away. The smaller Mainz Finthen Airport, a regional public airfield, is about 15 miles away.

Established businesses

*Institut Fresenius in Neuhof *

Motorola Motorola, Inc. () was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois. It was founded by brothers Paul and Joseph Galvin in 1928 and had been named Motorola since 1947. Many of Motorola's products had been ...

Deutschland (German business headquarters, advertising and marketing) in Neuhof * Brita GmbH water filtration, international headquarters in Neuhof and

Education

*Silberbachschule,

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

in Wehen *Obere Aar integrated

comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...

in Hahn *Regenbogenschule, primary school in Bleidenstadt * Gymnasium in Bleidenstadt *Sonnenschule primary school in Neuhof *Untertaunus vocational schools in Hahn *Europa-Schule Taunusstein - bilingual

Realschule Real school (, ) is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), F ...

in Neuhof

Sport and leisure facilities

* Stadion am Halberg in Wehen, former home stadium to SV Wehen Wiesbaden's first team *Outdoor swimming pool in Hahn *''Silberbachhalle'' in Wehen *''Aartalhalle'' in Neuhof *Sporting grounds in almost every centre *Sport and youth centre in Bleidenstadt

Culture and sightseeing

Museum

In 1995, the Museum of the Town of Taunusstein, with permanent rooms at the Wehen Castle, was established. Since then, there has been a thematic emphasis on more recent regional history as seen in a permanent exhibit featuring this, which lately has also presented information about Taunusstein's condition in, before and after the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. This it does mainly by exhibiting everyday culture in the first half of the 20th century. A second and equally valid pillar is the displays in the series ''Kunst im Schloss'' ("Art at the Palace") through which contemporary art – not only from the local region – is offered a forum in Taunusstein.

Buildings

;Wehen Castle : Formerly used for, among other things, a widow's seat and a hunting palace, it now houses the Taunusstein Museum. ;Wehen

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

church : This was built by using stones from the old town fortifications, with a black

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

altar brought from the Idstein palace church in 1722 and furnishings from the secularized monasteries at Marienhausen and Eberbach. The historic Voigt

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

is one of the few instruments by Wiesbaden organ builder Heinrich Voigt still preserved in its original state. It was built in 1890 for the

Old Catholic The terms Old Catholic Church, Old Catholics, Old-Catholic churches, or Old Catholic movement, designate "any of the groups of Western Christians who believe themselves to maintain in complete loyalty the doctrine and traditions of the Great C ...

congregation of Wiesbaden and acquired by the Wehen congregation in 1899. In October 1999 it was restored to its original condition. ;Former Wehen school : Built about 1900, this building is transitional in design between the

Gründerzeit The (; ) was a period of Economic history of Europe (1000 AD–present), European economic history in mid- and late-19th century German Empire, Germany and Austria-Hungary between Industrialization in Germany, industrialization and the great P ...

and

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

. ;Former monastery with church, Bleidenstadt : (Nowadays parish church of the

parish of St. Ferrutius). Above the church's main door is the statue of Saint Ferrutius, the patron saint, from the 17th century. Inside the building are a wall

tabernacle According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle (), also known as the Tent of the Congregation (, also Tent of Meeting), was the portable earthly dwelling of God used by the Israelites from the Exodus until the conquest of Canaan. Moses was instru ...

from High Gothic times, made of

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

and built into the quire, a baptismal font from 1696, a Late Baroque Madonna and an organ remodelled in the Baroque style. In the belfry are two bells from 1309 and 1411. ;Evangelical church, Bleidenstadt : (Formerly Catholic parish church of Saint Peter on the Mountain, after 1530 relinquished to the new

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

community). The church has the constituent community's oldest stone memorial, a tomb slab commemorating the Minister Johannes von Spangenberg, who died in 1363. The lower part of the churchtower is of

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

origin and built with a decorative

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...

with sandstone ornamentation.

Jewish graveyard in Wehen

The Jewish graveyard in the constituent community of Wehen on the Halberg is roughly as old as the community itself. In 1329, Count Gerlach of Nassau-Weilburg mandated the settlement of

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

s. The gravestones from that time no longer exist. The oldest one still standing is from 1694. Today, 55 graves are still to be seen in the graveyard. Until 1749, Jews from Wiesbaden were also buried here. In 1726, the Jews applied for leave to build a wall around the graveyard; however, they were forbidden to do so, as it would not have done for the Jewish cemetery to look nicer than the

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

one. So, they simply dug a ditch. After 1933, when the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

had come to power, the graveyard was still used for burials; however, it was forbidden to put gravestones on these newer graves.

Regular events

*Bleischter Kerb ( kermis) *Orlener Markt (market) *Orlener Kerb (kermis) *Hahner Kerb (kermis) *Zentrumsfest ("Centre Festival") *Weher Markt (With this market it is a tradition for companies in Weher to take their employees for brunch at the market) *Weher Kerb (kermis) *Wingsbacher Kerb (kermis) *Neuhofer Kerb (kermis) *TIGA (Taunusstein industrial and business exhibition; in even-numbered years) *Waldweihnachtsmarkt Hahn ("Forest Christmas Market", at the Altenstein Forest House)

Sport

One of the local

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

clubs, located in Wehen, is called SV Wehen and in April 2007 they won promotion into the 2nd tier of the German Football League ( Second Bundesliga). As such the local facilities that they had been using were no longer sufficient for professional football, prompting relocation to

, where they became known as SV Wehen-Wiesbaden. As of 2020–21 season, they however play in the 3rd tier. The team is sponsored by one of the major companies of the area, Brita, with the founder of Brita, Heinz Hankammer, being a former chairman of the football club. During his time he made funds available which allowed the team it to outdo most teams at this level for many years, and gain promotion into the professional leagues.

Twin towns – sister cities

Taunusstein is twinned with: * Herblay-sur-Seine, France (1973) *

Yeovil Yeovil () is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Somerset, England. It is close to Somerset's southern border with Dorset, west of London, south of Bristol, west of Sherborne and east of Taunton. The population of the bui ...

, England, United Kingdom (1987) * Caldes de Montbui, Spain (1989) * Wünschendorf/Elster, Germany (1991) *

Toro Toro may refer to: Places *Toro, Molise, a ''comune'' in the Province of Campobasso, Italy *Toro, Nigeria, a Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria *Toro, Shizuoka, an archaeological site in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan *Toro, Zamora, a ''m ...

, Italy (2016) * Merkwiller-Pechelbronn, France (2022)

Notable people

* Carl Friedrich Emil von Ibell (1780–1834), government president of the

Duchy of Nassau The Duchy of Nassau (German language, German: ''Herzogtum Nassau'') was an independent state between 1806 and 1866, located in what became the Germany, German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. It was a States of the Confederation of th ...

/ Hesse-Homburg *

Emil Erlenmeyer Richard August Carl Emil Erlenmeyer (28 June 1825 – 22 January 1909), known simply as Emil Erlenmeyer, was a German chemist known for contributing to the early development of the theory of chemical structure and formulating the Erlenmeyer rul ...

(1825–1909), chemist * Horst Arndt (1934–2014), rower, Olympic medalist, died here * Johannes Hill (born 1988), baritone

References

External links

Official website

Taunusstein-Niederlibbach’s homepage

Rheingau-Taunus website

Taunusstein-Wehen: history, photo gallery
{{Authority control Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis