Dietkirchen Abbey

Dietkirchen
Borough of Limburg an der Lahn
St. Lubentius Basilica in Dietkirchen
Coat of arms
Dietkirchen
Location of Dietkirchen in the City of Limburg
Coordinates: 50°24′10″N 8°5′30″E / 50.40278°N 8.09167°E / 50.40278; 8.09167Coordinates: 50°24′10″N 8°5′30″E / 50.40278°N 8.09167°E / 50.40278; 8.09167
Country	Germany
State	Hesse
District	Limburg-Weilburg
City	Limburg an der Lahn
Government
• Director of Borough	Bernhard Eufinger
Area
• Total	3.096 km2 (1.195 sq mi)
Population (31 Jan. 2007)
• Total	1,724
• Density	560/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	65553
Dialling codes	06431
Vehicle registration	LM

Dietkirchen an der Lahn is a borough of Limburg an der Lahn, seat of the district of Limburg-Weilburg in the state of Hesse, Germany. The formerly independent village was incorporated into Limburg in 1971. The town is dominated by the St. Lubentius Basilica (), which was the most important church building in the region in the Early Middle Ages.

Dietkirchen is situated directly on the west (left) bank of the Lahn River. Its prominent feature is the towering limestone bluff on which the St. Lubentius Basilica is built. The central city of Limburg is located in a widening of the Lahn Valley. Dietkirchen is situated at the eastern end of this widening, with the valley becoming narrow again near Runkel.

The old village is characterized by a large height differential, with housing plots situated on terraces formed by numerous retaining walls. The village itself is situated at an elevation of 120 to 170 meters. In the northern part of the borough, the landscape rises up to 180 meters, while in the southern part, on the banks of the Lahn below the church’s bluff, it drops to 115 meters.

With a surface area of 309.59 hectares (765.0 acres), Dietkirchen is the smallest borough of Limburg. Its surroundings consist almost exclusively of agricultural land, with the exception of the vegetation on the banks of the Lahn.

The borough is bordered to the north by the Runkel borough of Dehrn, in the east and south by Eschhofen, in the west by the central city of Limburg, and in the northwest by Offheim.

In the area of the St. Lubentius Basilica, archaeologists have discovered traces of a cult site from the Copper Age (2000 to 4000 BC), as well as the remains of a settlement assigned to the Urnfield culture (1300 to 800 BC). Excavations in the Basilica suggest that before the Church was constructed the site on the limestone bluff had been a pagan cult and gathering place.

The Reckenforst, a judicial meeting place which exercised high jurisdiction over the wider environs in at least in the Early Middle Ages, was nearby. It was mentioned as early as 1217.