Aßlar | |
|---|---|
 General view | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Aßlar within Lahn-Dill district  | |
 Location of Aßlar | |
  Aßlar  Aßlar | |
| Coordinates:50°35′N08°28′E / 50.583°N 8.467°E /50.583; 8.467 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Hesse |
| Admin. region | Gießen |
| District | Lahn-Dill |
| Subdivisions | 6 Stadtteile/Stadtbezirke |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2019–25) | Christian Schwarz[1] (FW) |
| Area | |
• Total | 43.57 km2 (16.82 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 175 m (574 ft) |
| Population (2023-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 14,043 |
| • Density | 322.3/km2 (834.8/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 35614 |
| Dialling codes | 06441, 06443,06440, 06446 |
| Vehicle registration | LDK |
| Website | www.asslar.de |
Aßlar (orAsslar,[ˈaslaʁ]ⓘ) is a town nearWetzlar in theLahn-Dill-Kreis inHesse,Germany.
Aßlar lies in the foothills of theWesterwald range and on the riverDill, which empties into theLahn in neighbouring Wetzlar, about 5 km to the southeast. It is also not far from the "three-state-border", a geographical point common to the German states ofHesse,North Rhine-Westphalia andRhineland-Palatinate, lying to the west.
The Aßlar community of Werdorf also lies on the River Dill, as do Klein-Altenstädten and Berghausen. Bechlingen, Oberlemp and Bermoll lie north of the main town, away from the river.
Aßlar borders in the north on the communities ofMittenaar andHohenahr, in the east on the town ofWetzlar, in the south on the town ofSolms, and in the west on the community ofEhringshausen (all in theLahn-Dill-Kreis).
Aßlar is divided into the following communities orStadtteile:
The communities of Werdorf and Berghausen are so near each other that they merge one into the other, but are officially twoStadtteile, which may be considered "wards" or possibly "boroughs".
Aßlar was first mentioned in A.D. 783 in a charter of an ecclesiastical grant copied into theLorsch Codex (orCodex Laureshamensis inLatin).
Like many other places, Aßlar grew from a few great estates to about 5,000 by the time of theFirst World War, always forming a community with Klein-Altenstädten on the other side of the River Dill. Following theSecond World War, a great number of refugees settled in the area from various lost German territories. The municipal reforms of 1977 led to its amalgamation with Bechlingen, Berghausen, Bermoll, Oberlemp and Werdorf to produce today's town of Aßlar.
Aßlar was granted town status in 1978.
In theBronze Age, people settled on the Schönbach, which flowed through the area, as this stream was more easily forded than the broader River Dill. Werdorf was first mentioned in the historical record in A.D. 772.
"Werdorf" comes from an Old Germanic root "Wero", meaning "man". This root is common to manyGermanic languages, and can also be seen in theEnglish words "wergild" and "werewolf".Dorf is still theGerman word for a village, and has cognates in other Germanic languages, including "thorp" in English.
Tradition tells of alegend recounting how Werdorf got its name, namely:
The municipal elections on 26 March 2006 yielded the following results:
| FWG | 14 |
| SPD | 11 |
| CDU | 9 |
| Greens | 2 |
| FDP | 1 |
Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.
Approval to bear acoat of arms and aflag was granted to the town in 1959 and 1960 by the Hessian government. The colors and heraldic composition of the arms, appear to originate with the Counts ofSolms and the Lords of Bicken who are represented by the lion and the lozenge. They were the chief medieval noble families of the surrounding area. Thehazelnut refers to that interpretation of the town's name, which derives it from the word "Haselare", where "Hasel" in "hazel" in German. This word was used in early medieval times for a sacred place separated from the profane by an enclosure of hazel rods. This sacred place was later appropriated by the local Christian bishop and achurch was constructed on the site, which is still there today, and where Christian worship is conducted weekly.
Aßlar is twinned with
Saint-Ambroix,France since 1966; and
Jüterbog,Brandenburg since 1991.
There is the Museum of Local History at theWerdorfer Schloss in Werdorf, and theGrube Fortuna, atourist mine outside Berghausen.
TheWerdorfer Schloss is a stately home built in Werdorf between 1680 and 1700 by the Counts of Solms-Greifenstein.
The contemporary Christian band,Outbreakband, is based in Aßlar.
There are some eighty clubs based in Aßlar.
Aßlar is today a small industrial town with well-developed infrastructure, where the firmsPfeiffer Vacuum andManfred Huck are established. The latter has its head office in Berghausen for the manufacture of quality nets and rope for sport, industry and education.
Also in Berghausen is a civicwireless local network using the802.11g standard, forWiFi access to theInternet.
There are many publicbarbecues andhiking trails to be enjoyed in the surrounding area, as well as a public swimming pool.
Towns and municipalities inLahn-Dill-Kreis | ||
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