Hattgenstein

Hattgenstein

Coat of arms
Hattgenstein

Coordinates: 49°41′55″N 7°09′37″E / 49.69861°N 7.16028°E / 49.69861; 7.16028Coordinates: 49°41′55″N 7°09′37″E / 49.69861°N 7.16028°E / 49.69861; 7.16028
Country Germany
State Rhineland-Palatinate
District Birkenfeld
Municipal assoc. Birkenfeld
Government
  Mayor Rudi Gordner
Area
  Total 8.21 km2 (3.17 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)[1]
  Total 257
  Density 31/km2 (81/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 55767
Dialling codes 06782
Vehicle registration BIR

Hattgenstein is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Birkenfeld, whose seat is in the like-named town.

Geography

Location

The municipality lies at the edge of the Schwarzwälder Hochwald (forest) in the Hunsrück, and 72.2% of the municipal area is wooded. There is a widespread misconception that Hattgenstein, with its average elevation of 534 m above sea level, is the highest place in Rhineland-Palatinate, but this is not true. There are a few places, such as Stein-Neukirch in the High Westerwald and Nürburg in the Eifel, that are higher.[2]

Neighbouring municipalities

To the northeast lies Schwollen, and to the south, Oberhambach.

Constituent communities

Also belonging to Hattgenstein are the outlying homesteads of Helmhof, Waldfriede and Zur Zimmerei.[3]

Politics

Municipal council

The council is made up of 6 council members, who were elected by majority vote at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.[4]

Mayor

Since 1984, Hattgenstein’s mayor has been Rudi Gordner, and his deputy is Günter Helm.[5]

Coat of arms

The municipality’s arms might in English heraldic language be described thus: Over a base countercompony gules and argent, gules on a mount vert the Hattgenstein Glockenhaus argent with timber framing sable and doors and windows of the field.

Culture and sightseeing

Buildings

From the 28-metre-high lookout tower, a view of the Hunsrück countryside is possible

The following are listed buildings or sites in Rhineland-Palatinate’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:[6]

The Glockenhaus (“Bell House”) is Hattgenstein’s main landmark. It was built in 1762 as a school building and a dwelling for the beadle.

Natural monuments

Hattgensteiner Fels, a crag with a lookout tower near the sporting ground, is believed to be the village’s namesake.

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

To the west runs Bundesstraße 269, and to the south, the Autobahn A 62 (KaiserslauternTrier). Available in nearby Neubrücke is a railway station on the Nahe Valley Railway (BingenSaarbrücken).

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hattgenstein.
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