Driedorf | |
---|---|
Location of Driedorf within Lahn-Dill-Kreis district | |
Coordinates: 50°38′N08°11′E / 50.633°N 8.183°E Coordinates: 50°38′N08°11′E / 50.633°N 8.183°E | |
Country | Germany |
State | Hesse |
Admin. region | Gießen |
District | Lahn-Dill-Kreis |
Government | |
• Mayor (2022–28) | Carsten Braun [1] (CDU) |
Area | |
• Total | 47.55 km2 (18.36 sq mi) |
Elevation | 486 m (1,594 ft) |
Population (2020-12-31) [2] | |
• Total | 5,061 |
• Density | 110/km2 (280/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Postal codes | 35759 |
Dialling codes | 02775 |
Vehicle registration | LDK |
Website | www.driedorf.de |
Driedorf is a municipality in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.
Driedorf lies from 416 to 642 m above sea level on a tableland in the high Westerwald.
Mademühlen has about 1,000 inhabitants and lies in the "Hessischer Westerwald" protected area and in the European protected area network Natura 2000. It is on the upper reaches of the Rehbach, between two reservoirs.
Münchhausen is the first village on the Ulmbach and is blessed with extensive woodlands, which afforded prosperity in earlier times.
Driedorf borders in the north on the community of Breitscheid, in the east on the town of Herborn, in the south on the community of Greifenstein (all in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis), and in the west on the communities of Oberrod, Rehe, Homberg, Waigandshain, Nister-Möhrendorf and Willingen (all in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate).
Besides the namesake centre, there are eight other centres in Driedorf named Mademühlen, Roth, Waldaubach, Münchhausen, Hohenroth, Heisterberg, Heiligenborn and Seilhofen.
Driedorf had its first documentary mention in 1124.
The greater community of Driedorf came into being in three stages as part of Hesse's municipal reforms in the 1970s. On 1 October 1971, the communities of Driedorf, Heisterberg, Hohenroth, and Heiligenborn united, and three months later, on 1 January 1972, Münchhausen followed. Five years to the day later, on 1 January 1977, Seilhofen, Waldaubach, Mademühlen and Roth were amalgamated with Driedorf by state law.
This village's namesake was a row of mills (Mühlen = "mills" in German) that for centuries stood along the upper reaches of the Rehbach. About 1800, it had a special mention in a description as being a rich farming village. The local poet Adolf Weiß (1861–1938) was from Mademühlen, and a memorial to him may still be visited today.
The name Münchhausen makes it clear that it was founded by monks (Mönche = "monk" in German). Up until the beginning of the last century, in the church's eyes at least, it consisted of two places separated from each other by the Ulmbach. In 1989, Münchhausen celebrated 750 years of existence.
This section needs to be updated.(July 2021) |
The municipal elections on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:
SPD | 13 seats |
CDU | 13 seats |
FWG | 5 seats |
Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.
For a few years, the Westerwald's wind has been being used to generate electricity. Driedorf has 17 windfarms, 6 in Mademühlen, and the others distributed among the other centres which all together generate 13 GWh, amounting to 40% of the community's needs. Wind energy has reduced the yearly CO2 output by about 7 000 t. The community, however, does not wish for any further windfarms.
There are two lakes in Driedorf, the Stausee Driedorf, a man-made lake for flood control and hydroelectric generation between Driedorf (main town) and Mademühlen, and the Heisterberger Weiher just outside Heisterberg to the southeast. Also nearby is the Krombach Reservoir, also used for flood control and hydroelectric generation, which straddles the Hesse-Rhineland-Palatinate border.
Noteworthy is the Evangelical Church on the Rehbach in Mademühlen. Built in the 11th century, it is Driedorf's oldest building.
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 Rhenish Massif. Its highest elevation, at 657 m above sea level, is the Fuchskaute in the High Westerwald.
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.
Limburg-Weilburg is a Kreis (district) in the west of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Lahn-Dill, Hochtaunuskreis, Rheingau-Taunus, Rhein-Lahn, Westerwaldkreis.
The Westerwaldkreis is a district (Kreis) in the north-east of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Altenkirchen, Lahn-Dill, Limburg-Weilburg, Rhein-Lahn, the district-free city Koblenz, Mayen-Koblenz and Neuwied.
Steffenberg is a municipality in Marburg-Biedenkopf district in Hesse, Germany.
Aßlar is a town near Wetzlar in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.
Breitscheid is a municipality in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.
Greifenstein is a community in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. Its administrative seat is Beilstein. Greifenstein covers 67.43 km² on the eastern slope of the Westerwald range. It was named for the castle of the same name in the constituent community of the same name. This is the site of the German Bell Museum, which holds about 50 bells that show the historical development of bell pouring and manufacture.
Hohenahr is a municipality in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.
Siegbach is a municipality in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.
Heidenrod is a municipality in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. Seat of municipal administration is to be found in the most populated municipal district, in Laufenselden.
Aull is a municipality in the district of Rhein-Lahn, in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany. It is a local municipality within the collective municipality of Diez.
Bölsberg is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Willingen is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Stein-Neukirch is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Kirburg is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Lautzenbrücken is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Rehe is an Ortsgemeinde – a community belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mademühlen is a village in the municipality of Driedorf in the Westerwald hill region in Lahn-Dill-Kreis in the German state of Hesse. Its population was 885 on 30 June 2020, and its area is 8.88 km2 (3.43 sq mi).