Hattgenstein

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.

Hattgenstein
Coat of arms of Hattgenstein
Location of Hattgenstein within Birkenfeld district
Hattgenstein  is located in Germany
Hattgenstein
Hattgenstein
Hattgenstein  is located in Rhineland-Palatinate
Hattgenstein
Hattgenstein
Coordinates: 49°41′55″N 7°09′37″E
CountryGermany
StateRhineland-Palatinate
DistrictBirkenfeld
Municipal assoc.Birkenfeld
Government
  Mayor (201924) Udo Laube[1]
Area
  Total8.21 km2 (3.17 sq mi)
Elevation
534 m (1,752 ft)
Population
 (2021-12-31)[2]
  Total246
  Density30/km2 (78/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
55767
Dialling codes06782
Vehicle registrationBIR

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.[3]

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.[4]

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.[5]

Mayor

Hattgenstein's mayor is Udo Laube, re-elected in 2019.[1]

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 1762 built Glockenhaus

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

  • Am Brunnen 2 – Quereinhaus (a combination residential and commercial house divided for these two purposes down the middle, perpendicularly to the street), partly timber-frame, partly slated, late 18th or early 19th century
  • Am Brunnen 4 – former winepress house, timber-frame building
  • Flurstraße 3 – Quereinhaus, partly timber-frame, possibly from the earlier half of the 19th century
  • Hauptstraße 13 – so-called Glockenhaus (“Bell House”); partly timber-frame, half-hipped roof, bell turret, 1762; characterizes village's appearance
  • Hauptstraße 17 – stately Quereinhaus, partly timber-frame, possibly from the early 19th century

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

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