Hattgenstein
Municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 | |
|---|---|
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Coat of arms | |
Location of Hattgenstein
within Birkenfeld district
| |
 Location of Hattgenstein | |
  Hattgenstein  Hattgenstein | |
| Coordinates: 49°41′55″N 7°09′37″E | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Rhineland-Palatinate |
| District | Birkenfeld |
| Municipal assoc. | Birkenfeld |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2019–24) | Udo Laube[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 8.21 km2 (3.17 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 534 m (1,752 ft) |
| Population (2024-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 243 |
| • Density | 29.6/km2 (76.7/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 55767 |
| Dialling codes | 06782 |
| Vehicle registration | BIR |
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
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 (Kaiserslautern–Trier). Available in nearby Neubrücke is a railway station on the Nahe Valley Railway (Bingen–Saarbrücken).
