Wehrheim | |
|---|---|
 Red town hall | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
Location of Wehrheim within Hochtaunuskreis district  | |
 Location of Wehrheim | |
  Wehrheim  Wehrheim | |
| Coordinates:50°18′N8°34′E / 50.300°N 8.567°E /50.300; 8.567 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Hesse |
| Admin. region | Darmstadt |
| District | Hochtaunuskreis |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2019–25) | Gregor Sommer[1] (CDU) |
| Area | |
• Total | 38.34 km2 (14.80 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 305 m (1,001 ft) |
| Population (2023-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 9,328 |
| • Density | 243.3/km2 (630.1/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 61273 |
| Dialling codes | 06081 |
| Vehicle registration | HG, USI |
| Website | www.wehrheim.de |
Wehrheim (German pronunciation:[ˈveːɐ̯haɪm]) is amunicipality inHesse,Germany, some 30 km (20 mi) north ofFrankfurt am Main.
The town's nickname is "Apfeldorf Wehrheim" (Apple-village Wehrheim).
Wehrheim lies from 300 to 600 m abovesea level on the north slope of the crest of theTaunus betweenBad Homburg andUsingen im Taunus.
Wehrheim borders in the north on the town ofUsingen and the community ofOber-Mörlen (Wetteraukreis), in the east on the towns ofFriedberg andRosbach (both in the Wetteraukreis), in the south on the towns ofFriedrichsdorf andBad Homburg vor der Höhe, and in the west on the town ofNeu-Anspach.
The community has four centres named Wehrheim, Obernhain, Pfaffenwiesbach and Friedrichsthal.
The first traces of settlement go back to theBronze Age. In Wehrheim, a burying ground from the early to middleUrnfield culture (11th to 10th century BC) was discovered. Wehrheim im Taunus itself had its first documentary mention in 1046. In 1372, the village was granted town rights, which it however lost again in 1814. The town's overlords changed several times, from the Castle Counts of Friedberg to the Counts of Diez, the area then passing to Nassau-Dillenburg and finally toPrussia in 1866. In 1895 therailway line from Bad Homburg vor der Höhe – then still called Homberg – through Friedrichsdorf to Usingen came into operation, and was extended to Weilburg a few years later, linking the community a bit more closely with the Frankfurt area, a trend that would continue in the coming century.
As part of Hesse's municipal reforms, the communities of Wehrheim, Obernhain, Pfaffenwiesbach and Friedrichsthal merged into the new greater community of Wehrheim in 1972.
The municipal elections on 6 March 2016 resulted in the following division of seats on town council:[3] compared to previous local elections:[4][5]
| Parties and constituencies | % 2016 | seats 2016 | % 2011 | seats 2011 | % 2006 | seats 2006 | % 2001 | seats 2001 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDU | CDU | 46.2 | 14 | 43.3 | 13 | 51.4 | 16 | 47.2 | 15 |
| SPD | SPD | 23.9 | 8 | 24.8 | 8 | 26.3 | 8 | 28.3 | 9 |
| Grüne | Greens | 16.7 | 5 | 23.3 | 7 | 11.8 | 4 | 11.2 | 3 |
| FDP | FDP | 13.3 | 4 | 6.0 | 2 | 8.5 | 2 | 5.4 | 2 |
| REP | REP | — | — | 2.7 | 1 | 2.0 | 1 | 2.8 | 1 |
| GOP-FWG | Councillors without party affiliation – Free voting community | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5.1 | 1 |
| Total | 100.0 | 31 | 100.0 | 31 | 100.0 | 31 | 100.0 | 31 | |
| Voter turnout in % | 61.1 | 56.5 | 54.8 | 63.9 | |||||
Gregor Sommer (CDU) has been mayor since 2002.
| Mayor | Tenure |
|---|---|
| Johann Peter Jäger | 1849–1882 |
| August Manck | 1882–1900 |
| Peter Eifert | 1900–1908 |
| Heinrich Velte | 1908–1928 |
| Otto Friedrich Manck | 1928–1929 |
| Karl Dillenmuth (SPD) | 1929–1933 |
| Heinrich Wilhelm (NSDAP) | 1933–1945 |
| Ludwig Bender (CDU) | 1946–1959 |
| Richard Wagner (SPD) | 1960–1979 |
| Josef König (CDU) | 1980–1985 |
| Aribert Oehm (SPD) | 1986–1991 |
| Helmut Michel (CDU) | 1992–2002 |
| Gregor Sommer (CDU) | 2002–now |
Pilisvörösvár nearBudapest inHungary, since 1989.
Meransen in thePuster Valley inItaly, since 2001.The community's current civiccoat of arms was granted in 1953 and is based on seals known from the 15th century. The arms show the two lions of the Counts of Diez, and the letter is, of course, the community's initial.
Wehrheim once had another coat of arms after the original one was apparently forgotten. It appeared in the 19th century and featured a building with towers. This is believed to have been acanting symbol since it was a military structure (Wehr is aGerman word for "army"). These arms were used, without ever being officially approved, until the current arms were conferred in 1953.[6]
Despite its idyllic location in the Taunus, Wehrheim is advantageously placed for transportation. With the Friedberg interchange on AutobahnA 5 6 km away, and theOberursel-Nord interchange on AutobahnA 661 only 8 km away it is well connected to the long-distance road network.
The community has at its disposal two stops,Wehrheim andSaalburg, on theTaunusbahn railway (officially called line 15 by the RMV, orRhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund).
Earplugs made by the firm Ohropax GmbHA are well-known product from Wehrheim, marketed under the name Ohropax. Heraeus Medical, a division ofHeraeus, the manufacturer of Palacos®bone cement, is also located in Wehrheim.
Wehrheim has oneprimary school, theLimes-Schule. There is also aspecial school, theHeinrich-Kielhorn-Schule, named after an early pioneer in special education.
TheTaunusheim, anorphanage established in 1943 to house war orphans, was until 1998 a home for children and youths run by the city of Frankfurt. Before that, the building housed the Waldfriede Hotel.
In the last twenty years of its existence, theTaunusheim was home to up to 18 children and young people from 6 to 18 years old, looked after round the clock in two groups. In 1994, a day group also attended the home.
The home was closed in 1998 for reasons of economy. The school for children with learning difficulties that was attached to the home remained until 2001, when it was moved toFrankfurt-Höchst.
Moving part of the Wehrheim primary school into the now empty building is being considered as a way of alleviating the dearth of school space.
Inside the former town gate, a local landmark, is theStadtormuseum Wehrheim ("Wehrheim Town Gate Museum"), where visitors can see the Bronze-Age archaeological finds from the Urnfield culture (see History).
The Wehrheim municipal area contains 13 km of theLimes Germanicus which was declared aWorld Heritage Site in 2005 byUNESCO. One of Wehrheim's sights, near Pfaffenwiesbach, is an oldRoman Limes Fort, theKapersburg, on top of the Limes. There is another Roman fort in the main community, theSaalburg, which has been restored.
The theme parkLochmühle is another one of Wehrheim's attractions, it features a combination of animals and theme park rides.
Towns and municipalities inHochtaunuskreis | ||
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