Wikipedia

Haiger

Haigeris a country town in theLahn-Dill-KreisinHesse,Germany.The nearest city isSiegen,about 25 km north of Haiger.

Haiger
Town
Protestant Church
Protestant Church
Coat of arms of Haiger
Coat of arms
Location of Haiger within Lahn-Dill-Kreis district
DietzhölztalHaigerEschenburgSiegbachDillenburgBreitscheidDriedorfGreifensteinBischoffenHerbornSinnMittenaarHohenahrEhringshausenAßlarLahnauWetzlarHüttenbergSolmsLeunBraunfelsSchöffengrundWaldsolmsNorth Rhine-WestphaliaRhineland-PalatinateMarburg-BiedenkopfGießen (district)WetteraukreisHochtaunuskreisLimburg-Weilburg
Haiger is located in Germany
Haiger
Haiger
Haiger is located in Hesse
Haiger
Haiger
Coordinates:50°44′32″N08°12′14″E/ 50.74222°N 8.20389°E/50.74222; 8.20389
CountryGermany
StateHesse
Admin. regionGießen
DistrictLahn-Dill-Kreis
Government
•Mayor(2020–26)Mario Schramm[1](Ind.)
Area
• Total
106.67 km2(41.19 sq mi)
Elevation
272 m (892 ft)
Population
(2022-12-31)[2]
• Total
19,623
• Density180/km2(480/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00(CET)
• Summer (DST)UTC+02:00(CEST)
Postal codes
35708
Dialling codes02771 / 02773 / 02774
Vehicle registrationLDK, DIL
Websitehaiger.de

Geography

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Location

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Haiger lies about 5 km west ofDillenburg,and 20 km southeast ofSiegenon the eastern edge of theWesterwaldrange, near where the three states of Hesse,North Rhine-WestphaliaandRhineland-Palatinateall share a common point. It is the district's northernmost town. The riverDillrises north of the constituent community of Offdilln.

  • Panoramic view of Haiger from the Eduardstower

Neighbouring communities

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Haiger borders to the north the town ofNetphen(Siegen-Wittgensteinin North Rhine-Westphalia) and the community ofDietzhölztal,to the east with the community ofEschenburgand the town ofDillenburg,to the south with the community ofBreitscheid(all in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis), and to the west with the communities ofBurbachandWilnsdorf(both in theSiegen-Wittgensteindistrict of North Rhine-Westphalia).

Constituent communities

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Following a local government reform in the 1970s the rural villages of Sechshelden,Langenaubach,Flammersbach, Allendorf, Kalteiche, Haigerseelbach, Steinbach, Rodenbach, Fellerdilln, Dillbrecht, Offdilln, Weidelbach, Oberroßbach and Niederroßbach became part of the district of Haiger. These are culturally diverse and speak different versions of the local dialect.[citation needed]

Population

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(in each case on 31 December)

  • 1998 - 20,298
  • 1999 - 20,212
  • 2000 - 20,222
  • 2001 - 20,201
  • 2002 - 20,169
  • 2003 - 20,191
  • 2004 - 19,959
  • 2005 - 19,942

History

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Haiger is the earliest documented town on the river Dill. It was first mentioned in 778 in a gift deed of Lorsch monastery. The town is located at the meeting of three small valleys formed by the Haigerbach, Aubach and Dill, which in medieval times placed the town along important communication routes, but later more on the periphery. The town's most famous son was Johann Textor who was born here in 1582. Between 1608 and 1619 he was town clerk in Haiger and subsequently wrote the Nassauische Chronik, a comprehensive description of the area. One of the most famous historic depictions of the town is an engraving byMatthäus Merian.On 8 May 1729, the still fully walled town perished in a great fire that destroyed all buildings within a few hours. Even the town's church, built on an outcrop rising within the centre of town, was left in ruins. Quick financial help from surrounding principalities, towns and provinces, as well as a generous donation of 400 florins by Princess Isabella ofNassau-Dillenburg,helped relieve some of the worst deprivation.

Knights of Haiger

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The nobles of Haiger were influential in the Haigermark. The Haigermark was also known as the Land of the Free Men (predium liberorum virorum), likely owing to the Knights' free rule (without intervening overlords between the family and the emperor). The family's influence gradually waned with the rise of the house of Nassau-Dillenburg.

Name

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The town's name, Haiger, is possibly derived from old middle German. The great number ofherons(German:Fischreiher) on the Haigerbach, Aubach and Dill may have helped to give the town the nameReiherbach,or in old middle GermanHeigerahe.This name came from the wordsHeiger( =Reiher) andAhe( =Bach;brook or waterway). Over the centuries, the spelling changed many times: → "Heigrahe" → "Heigera" → "Heigere" → "Heigerin" → "Heigre" → "Heigeren" → "Hegere" → "Hegera" → "Heygere" → "Heyger" → "Heiger" → "Häger" → "Häyer". Eventually, this became Haiger. The bird in the coat of arms may likewise be a reference to the herons, although it might also be a corruption of what was once the Lion of Nassau (seeCoat of armsbelow).

Politics

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Coat of arms

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Haiger's civiccoat of armswas granted in 1908 and confirmed in 1934. The design goes back to a town seal used in the 15th century, although originally the town seal showed the Lion of Nassau (a golden lion) rising from a tower. The lion somehow changed into ajay,possibly as a misinterpretation. The jay nonetheless serves as a canting symbol (Häheris German for jay, and this resembles some older forms of the town's name). A structure has also grown up around the jay replete withspires,crosses, and apparentlyflying buttresses,too.[1]

Town partnerships

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This partnership came into being through an initiative by the Johann-Textor-Schule in Haiger which has been conducting school exchanges with the Collège Eugène Noël in Montville for about 20 years. This friendship became official in Montville in 1991 and in Haiger in 1992 with the sealing of a document to this effect, signed by both towns' mayors. Citizens, clubs and groups maintain lively contacts.

In 1964, the villages of Plombières-lès-Dijon and Sechshelden – which was then an independent municipality – sealed this partnership whose origins are traceable to the thoughtfulness shown a former Frenchprisoner of wartaken in by some families in Sechshelden.

Culture and sightseeing

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Museums

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  • Heimatmuseum Haiger (local history)

As part of Haiger's 1200th anniversary celebrations of first documentary mention, this museum was established in 1978 in one of the loveliesthalf-timberedhouses, built in 1724-1725, on the marketplace.

  • Leinenmuseum Haigerseelbach (linen museum)
  • Heimatstube Sechshelden

Buildings

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  • Stadtkirche Haiger:After theKirchberg(Church Hill) in Haiger had been used, as must be assumed, forpaganpurposes in pre-Christian times, abaptisterywas built on the site onceChristianityhad arrived. In uncertain times the church's mighty tower served as defence and refuge. The church was gifted by King Konrad I on 14 April 914 together with the king's court -Meierhof- Heigera and the market rights, given to the Walpurgis Monastery.

In 1048, the new church building in theRomanesquestyle was consecrated by Archbishop Eberhard ofTrier.More than 400 years later came further remodelling in the LateGothic style:the flat wooden ceiling was replaced with a stone vault, and side naves and the choir were added.

Between 1485 and 1490 the choir was decorated byFlemishpainters with threefrescobands. In the lower band they depict the story ofJesus's suffering from His entry intoJerusalemto HisAscension,in the middle band theTwelve Apostles,and in the upper band, under the vault, Jesus as the Judge of the Worlds, theFour Evangelists,theVeil of Veronica,and more.

The fresco paintings had been financed by the last two Knights of Haiger, Hermann and his son Jost.

After theReformationwas introduced inNassau-Dillenburgin 1578, the frescoes were covered withwhitewashprobably around 1588. This proved to be a blessing since increasing layers of whitewash helped to preserve the fresco paintings well until their re-discovery. It is almost certain that the fire of 1729 would otherwise have destroyed the frescoes.

In about 1900, when the organ was resited to the centre gallery, it was noted that the whitewash had begun to flake off in various places. In 1902 parts of pictures came to light next to the vestry entrance, and in 1905 the paintings were fully uncovered once again.

World War IIhit Haiger hard and bombings caused immense destruction. One bomb fell beside the church, but luckily did not go off, leaving the frescoes undamaged.

Regular events

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  • Altstadtfest(Old Town Festival)
  • Lukasmarkt(market; October)
  • Pfingstmarkt (WhitsunMarket)
  • Weihnachtsmarkt (ChristmasMarket; December)

Culinary specialities

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Worthy to mention are theNeujahrsscheiben( "New Year's Slices" ), orNaujohrnin the local dialect, baked traditionally in the constituent communities of Allendorf and Haigerseelbach betweenChristmasandNew Year's Day.As a rule, these are round and made ofryemeal,salt,pepperandwater,thus being similar toMatzah,although other kinds ofdoughmay be used. They are baked in a special iron over an open fire. There are also theFispeln,which unlike the usualNaujohrnare filled with pickled meat. TheFispelnare baked in Steinbach.

Economy and infrastructure

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Established businesses

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  • Carl Cloos Schweisstechnik GmbH
  • Hailo – manufacturing ladders, steam ironing systems, etc.
  • Klingspor Schleifsysteme GmbH & Co. KG
  • Kuehne + Nagel(AG & Co.) KG (former Pracht Spedition und Logistik GmbH)
  • RittalGmbH & Co. KG, NL Haiger
  • Loh Services GmbH & Co. KG (service and management company ofFriedhelm Loh Group=>Rittal)
  • Schenker Deutschland AG, NL Haiger
  • Weiss Chemie + Technik GmbH & Co.KG
  • Ingersoll Cutting Tools

Media

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Newspapers

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  • Haigerer Zeitung
  • Haigerer Kurier

Public institutions

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Education

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Sport

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References

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  1. ^"Ergebnisse der letzten Direktwahl aller hessischen Landkreise und Gemeinden"(XLS)(in German).Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt.5 September 2022.
  2. ^"Bevölkerung in Hessen am 31.12.2022 nach Gemeinden"(XLS)(in German).Hessisches Statistisches Landesamt.June 2023.
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