Selters (Taunus) | |
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_Banner.svg) Flag _COA.svg) Coat of arms | |
Location of Selters (Taunus) within Limburg-Weilburg district  | |
 Location of Selters (Taunus) | |
  Selters (Taunus)  Selters (Taunus) | |
| Coordinates:50°21′N08°16′E / 50.350°N 8.267°E /50.350; 8.267 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Hesse |
| Admin. region | Gießen |
| District | Limburg-Weilburg |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2022–28) | Jan Pieter Subat[1] (Ind.) |
| Area | |
• Total | 40.47 km2 (15.63 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 199 m (653 ft) |
| Population (2023-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 8,176 |
| • Density | 202.0/km2 (523.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 65618 |
| Dialling codes | 06483, 06475 (Haintchen) |
| Vehicle registration | LM, WEL |
| Website | www.selters-taunus.de |
Selters (Taunus) (German pronunciation:[ˈzɛltɐs]ⓘ) is a municipality with 8,000 inhabitants north ofBad Camberg inLimburg-Weilburg district inHesse,Germany.
The greater part of the Selters municipal area with the centres of Niederselters, Eisenbach, Münster and Haintchen lies in the area of theEastern Hintertaunus north of theTaunus' main ridge, at elevations from 170 to 500 m. In terms of natural environments, the main centre, Niederselters, also belongs to the southeastern part of theLimburg Basin. giving it a connection to the valley landscape of theLahn. The fracture zone opening here into the basin from the south, theIdsteiner Senke (hollow), is locally known along the Emsbach, which empties into the Lahn, by the nameGoldener Grund (“Golden Ground”), a reference to the favourableclimate and fruitful soil (loess). The northern part of the community around Münster belongs geologically to the Lahn Basin, which is known for its mineral wealth from the MiddleDevonian. Of special importance here wasiron oremining. The nearest towns areBad Camberg (5 km to the south) andLimburg (15 km to the northwest).
Selters borders in the north on the communities ofVillmar andWeilmünster (both in Limburg-Weilburg), in the east on the community ofWeilrod (Hochtaunuskreis), in the south on the town ofBad Camberg, in the southwest on the community ofHünfelden, and in the west on the community ofBrechen (all three in Limburg-Weilburg).
Selters has fourOrtsteile, given here with their population figures:
| Ortsteil | 1910 | 2002 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Niederselters | 1,455 | 3,222 | Community’s administrative seat, origin ofSelterswasser, stop on the Main-Lahn-Bahn (railway). |
| Eisenbach | 1,208 | 3,258 | Spa |
| Münster | 977 | 1,161 | |
| Haintchen | 567 | 982 | Recreation resort,Baroquechurch |
A productivemineral spring is located in the centre ofNiederselters,[3] givingSelterswasser its name. The Selters spring was first mentioned in 772. In 1581, thecity physician ofWorms,Jacobus Theodorus Tabernaemontanus, dedicated ten pages to the Niederselters acidic spring in his spring chronicleNeuw Wasserschatz, thereby laying the groundwork for the spring’s fame and the subsequent development of a distinguished resort business.
Besides the rather unimportant taking of the waters, theElectorate of Trier ran a quickly growing water shipping business, sending the water in crocks from theKannenbäckerland (a small nearby region in the Westerwaldkreis, well known for its ceramics) toScandinavia,Russia,North America,Africa and even, as confirmed for the year 1791, as far asBatavia in theDutch East Indies. From the placename “Selters” on the crocks then soon arose the name “Selters Water” as a brandname for mineral water of worldwide repute; the term "seltzer", referring generically to carbonated water, is derived from this brand. TheDuchy of Nassau took over Niederselters as a welcome source of income and further expanded the export business. After the duchy was annexed byPrussia in 1866, the water’s name was changed toKöniglich-Selters (“Royal Selters”), and when the monarchy ended, the water was given yet another name,Staatsquelle Niederselters (“Niederselters State Spring”). Thestate of Hesse, as Prussia’s legal successor, sold the spring in 1970, whereafter it changed owners ever more quickly, and in 1999 the bottling at the fountain in Niederselters was shut down. Since 2001, the community of Selters has owned the spring.
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(July 2021) |
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 | 47.7 | 15 | 49.8 | 15 |
| SPD | Social Democratic Party of Germany | 28.5 | 9 | 34.0 | 11 |
| BLN | Bürger Liste Niederselters | 11.4 | 3 | 10.4 | 3 |
| FWH | Freie Wählergemeinschaft Haintchen | 6.2 | 2 | 5.8 | 2 |
| FWM | Freie Wähler Münster | 6.2 | 2 | – | – |
| Total | 100.0 | 31 | 100.0 | 31 | |
| voter turnout in % | 43.0 | 46.1 | |||
Selters is linked to the long-distance road network by the Bad Camberginterchange on theA 3 (Cologne–Frankfurt) some 5 km away to the south. Furthermore,Bundesstraße 8 runs through Niederselters.
Niederselters station is located in the centre of Niederselters on theMain-Lahn Railway.
For the community of Selters there is theGoldener GrundMittelpunktschule (“midpoint school”, a central school, designed to eliminate smaller outlying schools) in Niederselters, which housesprimary school,Hauptschule andRealschule programmes. The outlying centre of Haintchen also has its own primary school. Forsecondary school there is theTaunusschule in Bad Camberg. Also, some students from Selters also attend school inLimburg an der Lahn.
The centre of the German branch of theJehovah's Witnesses is found under the nameWachtturm Bibel- und Traktatgesellschaft der Zeugen Jehovas e.V. (“Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of the Jehovah’s Witnesses”) in the community of Selters in the Taunus. Since 1979, some 1,050 members of the religious group have been living and working in Niederselters in, among other places,printshops,translation offices, organizational and logistical departments and also workshops in the community that is somewhat like areligious order.[4] Beginning with 2011, the German branch has been responsible for the work of Jehovah's Witnesses in Austria, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
Towns and municipalities inLimburg-Weilburg | ||
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