Solms

Solms is a town west of Wetzlar in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis, Hessen, Germany.

Solms
Coat of arms
Location of Solms within Lahn-Dill-Kreis district
Solms
Solms
Coordinates: 50°32′23″N 08°24′26″E
CountryGermany
StateHesse
Admin. regionGießen
DistrictLahn-Dill-Kreis
Government
 • MayorFrank Inderthal (SPD)
Area
 • Total34.05 km2 (13.15 sq mi)
Elevation
144 m (472 ft)
Population
 (2018-12-31)[1]
 • Total13,611
 • Density400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Time zoneCET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes
35606
Dialling codes06442
Vehicle registrationLDK
Websitewww.solms.de
County of Solms

Grafschaft Solms
1129–1258
StatusState of the Holy Roman Empire
CapitalSolms
GovernmentPrincipality
Historical eraMiddle Ages
• Established
1129
• Partitioned to S-Braunfels
    and S-Burg-Solms
1258
Preceded by		Succeeded by
Duchy of Franconia
Solms-Braunfels
Solms-Burg-Solms
Full style: Count of Solms, Lord of Münzenberg, Wildenfels and Sonnenwalde
County of Solms: Town of Solms

Grafschaft Solms-Burg-Solms
1258–1415
StatusState of the Holy Roman Empire
CapitalSolms
GovernmentPrincipality
Historical eraMiddle Ages
• Partitioned from Solms
1258
• Annexed to S-Braunfels
1415
Preceded by		Succeeded by
County of Solms
Solms-Braunfels

In the constituent community of Burgsolms once stood the ancestral castle of the Counts and Princes of Solms.

Geography

Location

Solms lies right in the Lahn valley and is nestled between the foothills of both the Taunus and Westerwald at heights from 140 to 400 m above sea level. It is about 7 km west of Wetzlar and 30 km northeast of Limburg an der Lahn.

Neighbouring communities

Solms borders in the north on the community of Ehringshausen and the town of Aßlar, in the east on the town of Wetzlar, in the south on the community of Schöffengrund, and in the west on the town of Leun (all in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis).

Constituent communities

The town consists of the following centres:

  • Albshausen
  • Burgsolms
  • Niederbiel
  • Oberbiel
  • Oberndorf

History
Coat of arms of the counts of Solms

Solms had its first documentary mention in 788 in a donation document from the Lorsch Monastery. The villages that nowadays form the town of Solms belonged for centuries to the County of Solms, an independent state within the Holy Roman Empire, elevated to a county in 1223, until it was dissolved in 1806. Early branches of the House of Solms were Burgsolms (extinguished 1415), Konigsberg (near Biebertal, extinguished 1364), Old and New Hohensolms (at Hohenahr, extinguished in the 14th century) and Braunfels. The still existing lines are the princely branches of Solms-Braunfels, Solms-Hohensolms-Lich with their seat in Lich and Solms-Baruth, furthermore the Counts of Solms-Laubach with their seat in Laubach, Solms-Rödelheim-Assenheim with their seat in Assenheim, Solms-Sonnewalde and Solms-Wildenfels. The Burgsolms castle at Solms, ancestral seat of the family since around 1100, was destroyed in 1384 by a coalition of nearby towns under the leadership of Wetzlar, forcing count John to move to Greifenstein castle.

After a short while being part of the Duchy of Nassau, Solms passed to Prussia in 1815.

As part of Hesse's municipal reforms, the communities of Albshausen and Oberbiel voluntarily merged on 1 July 1971 to form Bielhausen, while Burgsolms and Oberndorf did the same to form Solms. By state law, these two new communities were amalgamated with Niederbiel on 1 January 1977 to make the new greater community of Solms, which in 1978 was granted town rights.

A new residential area has been being built on the western edge of Oberbiel since the 1990s.

Politics

Town council

The municipal elections in 2011 yielded the following results:[2]

Party Seats
Freie Wählergruppe (FWG) 23.4
Social Democratic Party (SPD) 40.3
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) 23.0
Free Democratic Party (FDP) 2.6
Greens 10.7

Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.

Town of Solms Youth Council

Since 2002 there has been a Town of Solms Youth Council serving as the town's official board representing youth's interests and needs. It is elected every two years by children and youths who either live in the town or go to the comprehensive school.

Partnerships

The town of Solms maintains partnerships with the following places:

Economy and infrastructure

Oberbiel is home to two commercial-industrial areas. A shipping company has set up shop at the newer one, while the older one, on an island in the river Lahn, was established in the early 20th century. It was originally home to a brad factory, a wireworks and a ball bearing factory.

Sightseeing
  • Kloster Altenberg (Altenberg Monastery) of the blessed Gertrud von Altenberg, Saint Elisabeth's daughter (Oberbiel)
  • "Grube Fortuna" Visitors' Mine (Oberbiel)
  • Jewish Cemetery (Burgsolms)
  • Burgsolms Youth Centre (Stadionstraße 26), as well as youth areas in all constituent communities
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References
  1. "Bevölkerungsstand am 31.12.2018". Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt (in German). July 2019.
  2. "Homepage der Grünen Solms: Kommunalwahl 2011". GRÜNE SOLMS.
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