Constituent communities

Elbtal’s Ortsteile are Dorchheim (administrative seat), Elbgrund, Hangenmeilingen, und Heuchelheim.

History

The hills on either side of the Elbbach were already inhabited by the New Stone Age, as shown by the many finds of stone tools. The circular rampart

Circular rampart

A circular rampart is an embankment built in the shape of a circle that was used as part of the defences for a military fortification, hill fort or refuge, or was built for religious purposes or as a place of gathering....

 called Heidenhäuschen ("Little Heath House") near Hangenmeilingen has been dated to Hallstatt times

Hallstatt culture

The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Central European culture from the 8th to 6th centuries BC , developing out of the Urnfield culture of the 12th century BC and followed in much of Central Europe by the La Tène culture.By the 6th century BC, the Hallstatt culture extended for some...

 (750 to 450 BC).

Heuchelheim had its first documentary mention in 772 in a donation document from the Lorsch Abbey

Lorsch Abbey

The Abbey of Lorsch is a former Imperial Abbey in Lorsch, Germany, about 10 km east of Worms, one of the most renowned monasteries of the Carolingian Empire. Even in its ruined state, its remains are among the most important pre-Romanesque–Carolingian style buildings in Germany...

. Waldmannshausen, one of Elbgrund’s forerunner communities, had its first documentary mention on 21 October 1138 in connection with its donation to the monastery at St. Goar. Dorchheim had its first documentary mention in 1215 in a document from the Maria Laach Abbey while Mühlbach, Elbgrund’s other forerunner community, was first mentioned in 1230 in a donation by the House of Nassau

House of Nassau

The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The lords of Nassau were originally titled Count of Nassau, then elevated to the princely class as...

 to the Teutonic Knights

Teutonic Knights

The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...

. Hangenmeilingen had its first documentary mention on 21 January 1333.

The still preserved moated castle of Waldmannshausen in Elbgrund was in the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

 the seat of the Walpode, who held the judiciary overlordship in the surrounding country. The building work comprises a Late Gothic

Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....

 dwelling house with two round towers and commercial buildings, which are still used today. To the west are found the ruins of an older, cross-shaped castle. In 1835, the castle came into the prominent Bethmann banking family’s

Bethmann family

The Bethmann family has been remarkable for the high proportion of its males who succeeded at mercantile or financial endeavors. This family trait began in medieval northern Germany and continued with the Bethmann bank which Johann Philipp Bethmann and Simon Moritz Bethmann founded in 1748 and...

 ownership. After the Second World War, it was quarters for the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

. Today its use is scholastic.

One of the oldest buildings in the community is the Marienstätter Hof in Dorchheim, which has been used since 1993 as Elbtal’s town hall. Its exact building year is unknown. It is one of three still preserved estates that belonged to the Marienstatt Monastery.

Until the mid 20th century, clay and basalt were quarried

Quarry

A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...

 in Mühlbach’s municipal area.

On 1 February 1971, the communities of Dorchheim, Hangenmeilingen and Heuchelheim merged into one with the name Elbtal. On 1 July 1973, the then still autonomous community of Elbgrund also joined, after itself having been formed in a merger in 1936 of the formerly autonomous communities of Mühlbach and Waldmannshausen.

Community council

The municipal election held on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:

Parties and voter communities		% 2006	seats 2006	% 2001	seats 2001
CDU	Christian Democratic Union of Germany	43.2	7	41.3	6
SPD	Social Democratic Party of Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...	27.1	4	25.3	4
FWG	Freie Wählergemeinschaft Elbtal	13.5	2	13.8	2
FBH	Freie Bürgerliste Hangenmeilingen	9.4	1	10.0	2
BLD	Bürgerliste Dorchheim	6.8	1	9.6	1
Total		100.0	15	100.0	15
voter turnout in %		45.6		57.0

Sightseeing

• Waldmannshausen Castle
• Kapelle St. Nikolaus (“Saint Nicholas’s Chapel”) at the Dorchheim cemetery

Built in the early 12th century and converted in the 16th century, it has central pillars with rich carving and a sanctuary with a painting gallery.

Economy and infrastructure

Elbtal is a residential community. Besides the trades and crafts that are customary in such a place, there is no industry.

Transport

The community lies on Bundesstraße

Bundesstraße

Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...

54 (Siegen

Siegen

Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region...

 - Limburg

Limburg an der Lahn

Limburg an der Lahn is the district seat of Limburg-Weilburg in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Limburg lies in western Hesse between the Taunus and the Westerwald on the river Lahn....

) and is thereby well linked to the long-distance road network.

Education

The Elbtalschule in Dorchheim serves as a common primary school for the community. Nearby secondary schools are the Mittelpunktschule St. Blasius in Frickhofen and the Fürst Johann Ludwig Schule in Hadamar.

Public institutions

• Kindergarten
  Kindergarten
  A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
  
   Elbtal "Sonnenblume" in Dorchheim
• Kindergarten Elbtal "St. Josef" in Dorchheim
• Dorchheim Volunteer Fire Brigade, founded 1895 (includes Youth Fire Brigade)
• Elbgrund Volunteer Fire Brigade, founded 1934 (includes Youth Fire Brigade)
• Hangenmeilingen Volunteer Fire Brigade, founded 1934 (includes Youth Fire Brigade)
• Heuchelheim Volunteer Fire Brigade, founded 1967 (includes Youth Fire Brigade)

External links